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The Sword #1
The Sword, Vol. 1: Fire
It was a day like any other for Dara Brighton, a promising young college student, until three strangers knocked on her door, looking for a unique sword, and destroyed her life.
A modern day fantasy series from the creators behind Ultra and Girls, praised as the fusion of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer and Kill Bill.
A modern day fantasy series from the creators behind Ultra and Girls, praised as the fusion of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer and Kill Bill.
160 pages, Paperback
First published June 25, 2008
14 people are currently reading
751 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
January 4, 2021
Hey this was a nice surprise!
A young woman inherits an ancient sword that has magical properties in a spoilery way, then has to go on the run from a shady government agency and a trio of terrifying gods.
There's more. Lots more. But this is one of those stories that you should read for yourself.
Storywise, I don't have any complaints. Now the art? Ok, so this sort of slick plastic look worked well for me in Alex + Ada, Vol. 1, which if you don't already know is kind of a sci-fi love story. But in this setting it just looked really generic. It is what it is, though.
At any rate, I'm looking forward to the next volume.
A young woman inherits an ancient sword that has magical properties in a spoilery way, then has to go on the run from a shady government agency and a trio of terrifying gods.
There's more. Lots more. But this is one of those stories that you should read for yourself.
Storywise, I don't have any complaints. Now the art? Ok, so this sort of slick plastic look worked well for me in Alex + Ada, Vol. 1, which if you don't already know is kind of a sci-fi love story. But in this setting it just looked really generic. It is what it is, though.
At any rate, I'm looking forward to the next volume.
November 18, 2014
Speaking of the entire series here, not just the first book: I really enjoyed it. Interesting premise, excellent execution. It starts quickly, pulls you in, and the ending rounds itself out quite nicely.
It seems like I should have more to say about it than that. But truthfully, 80% of the books I read don't reach the mark of "an interesting story, well-told." It's *hard* to get something to that point.
Fair warning: Graphic Violence. If that's a dealbreaker for you, take a pass on this one.
It seems like I should have more to say about it than that. But truthfully, 80% of the books I read don't reach the mark of "an interesting story, well-told." It's *hard* to get something to that point.
Fair warning: Graphic Violence. If that's a dealbreaker for you, take a pass on this one.
October 16, 2017
Started sort of slow but the pacing picked up nicely. Little fluff in this which I enjoy. My only complaint is that some of the dialogue gets repetitive. That being said, I'm definitely committed to reading the rest of this series.
July 7, 2016
First Read: 11.16.15
Second Read: 07.06.16 ----> 4 Stars.
First time I heard about The Sword was on an episode of AMC Heroes on youtube. I was instantly interested by the premise so I added the first volume to my wishlist. Months passed and even though I forgot a lot about the premise, this series never left my mind and in November, while visiting my brother in Sweden, I saw this comic in one of our many visits to comic stores and I had to get it immediately. First issue and I was already fascinated. Second issue and I couldn't believe how much I was enjoying it. Third issue and I was already adding the second volume to my list. Now, that I read it for the second time before reading(for the first time) the next volume, that fascination was not lost and even though I knew the violence and the shocking events that were about to occur, I was once again enjoying this story as if it was the first time and that's everything I can ask for.
So, what's The Sword about? I really don't want to say much cause I don't want to spoil the surprises. All I remembered about this story before buying it was this: There's a sword that grants godlike powers. This sword is a threat to powerful and evil people, people who have spent a long time looking for it and this young woman finds it without knowing anything about these powers. You can be invincible wielding this Sword, but as soon as you stop touching it you become human again, a mere mortal, useless human.
There's also other things you have to know: This series has only 24 issues. It is collected in 4 volumes. That's it, that's the beauty. As opposed to mainstream comics, the beauty of Image comics or other independent publishers is that the stories have the freedom of going wherever the writer wish to go. No one here is safe, in the six issues that are collected in this trade, a lot happens, you are always paying attention and there are so many twists and turns. I can't wait to now discover where's the story going.
If you have read any other title by the Luna Brothers you will be familiarized with their artwork. I do enjoy the work, but this time around, having more knowledge of different artists and enjoying other works that are utterly stunning, I have to say that the simplicity of their style and the repetition of a few panels bothered me. I wish the faces were better drawn and that the backgrounds were... well, detailed... or at least they could have some design. There aren't illustrations with a lot of color, it's all very simple and even though I do feel like the action scenes were done well, I wish it could have been more dynamic. It is still decent, but I guess it's one of the weakest points overall.
My main problem, at least the first time reading this story, was the last issue, the one where we, as readers, learn about this sword and the origin of a few characters. I don't know why, but I just wasn't feeling it. This time around I was actually more open to it and I found myself liking the story and getting ready to enjoy the next volume.
I do recommend this title and if you have any doubts, I encourage you to at least read the first issue, it's the perfect way to introduce the story and the tone of this volume. Hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I did.
Second Read: 07.06.16 ----> 4 Stars.
First time I heard about The Sword was on an episode of AMC Heroes on youtube. I was instantly interested by the premise so I added the first volume to my wishlist. Months passed and even though I forgot a lot about the premise, this series never left my mind and in November, while visiting my brother in Sweden, I saw this comic in one of our many visits to comic stores and I had to get it immediately. First issue and I was already fascinated. Second issue and I couldn't believe how much I was enjoying it. Third issue and I was already adding the second volume to my list. Now, that I read it for the second time before reading
So, what's The Sword about? I really don't want to say much cause I don't want to spoil the surprises. All I remembered about this story before buying it was this: There's a sword that grants godlike powers. This sword is a threat to powerful and evil people, people who have spent a long time looking for it and this young woman finds it without knowing anything about these powers. You can be invincible wielding this Sword, but as soon as you stop touching it you become human again, a mere mortal, useless human.
There's also other things you have to know: This series has only 24 issues. It is collected in 4 volumes. That's it, that's the beauty. As opposed to mainstream comics, the beauty of Image comics or other independent publishers is that the stories have the freedom of going wherever the writer wish to go. No one here is safe, in the six issues that are collected in this trade, a lot happens, you are always paying attention and there are so many twists and turns. I can't wait to now discover where's the story going.
If you have read any other title by the Luna Brothers you will be familiarized with their artwork. I do enjoy the work, but this time around, having more knowledge of different artists and enjoying other works that are utterly stunning, I have to say that the simplicity of their style and the repetition of a few panels bothered me. I wish the faces were better drawn and that the backgrounds were... well, detailed... or at least they could have some design. There aren't illustrations with a lot of color, it's all very simple and even though I do feel like the action scenes were done well, I wish it could have been more dynamic. It is still decent, but I guess it's one of the weakest points overall.
My main problem, at least the first time reading this story, was the last issue, the one where we, as readers, learn about this sword and the origin of a few characters. I don't know why, but I just wasn't feeling it. This time around I was actually more open to it and I found myself liking the story and getting ready to enjoy the next volume.
I do recommend this title and if you have any doubts, I encourage you to at least read the first issue, it's the perfect way to introduce the story and the tone of this volume. Hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I did.
October 29, 2019
Even though the story and character poses may feel flat at times, there is plenty of action to keep you reading and rooting for the main character. There are mythical superpowers involved, but this is not a regular superhero story. Like in other stories from the Luna brothers, there is focus on characters - their hardships, anger and need for revenge.
Dara Brighton is just another ordinary art student focusing on her studies. She is in a wheel chair, but she has a great deal of support from her family. One day, out of the blue, a trio shows up demanding of her father to give them a sword. Her father knows nothing of it, so they kill his family one by one. Dara barely survives before finding this sword which magically heals her legs. Her path of vengeance will put her at odds with government agencies, but her principal antagonists remain the trio who killed her family. The sword will provide her with the awesome tool with which she can enact her revenge.
Dara Brighton is just another ordinary art student focusing on her studies. She is in a wheel chair, but she has a great deal of support from her family. One day, out of the blue, a trio shows up demanding of her father to give them a sword. Her father knows nothing of it, so they kill his family one by one. Dara barely survives before finding this sword which magically heals her legs. Her path of vengeance will put her at odds with government agencies, but her principal antagonists remain the trio who killed her family. The sword will provide her with the awesome tool with which she can enact her revenge.
March 26, 2019
Very short but a good capture of this family and what was lost.
September 17, 2025
Everything I've read from the Luna Brothers has just been great. Such a cool start to the series, looking forward to the next volume.
October 6, 2024
Intriguing but not great. I kind of want to get more back story but I don't think there's enough to matter. Pretty neat how the girl instantly is amazing with the sword. It must transmit training through its power, too, I guess.
February 4, 2009
Dara Brighton is a talented young artist, confined to a wheelchair since she became paraplegic. She thinks her family is pretty normal until strangers with even stranger powers show up at her house one night and kill everyone in her family. They seem to have mistaken her father for someone named “Demetrios,” and they want his sword. As her house is burning down around her, Dara finds the sword hidden in her basement. Not only does it heal her, but it also gives her super human strength; she uses it to get herself out of the conflagration. At the mass funeral for her family, Dara meets one of her father's students and discovers that he's heard all about Demetrios – in class, under the guise that the stories were fiction. Before Dara can learn anything useful, however, she's attacked again (and again, and again). Soon, she's on the run from the same people who killed her family, and the police, and other government agencies who have their eyes on her sword.
The Luna Brothers have a definite style – the artwork in this was very reminiscent of their Girls comics. Dara's got a distinctly Girls look about her (and I keep waiting for her to start chewing on someone). They don't sly away from showing people in all of their ugliness – habits, appearance, whatever. It makes their work rather dark, but this seems to be something that a lot of comics/graphic artists do. Sometimes I think there are only three genres of comics – superheroes, dark depressing reality stories, and dark depressing reality stories about lesbians. And fantasy/gaming/D&D types. FOUR. :)
I was thrilled when Dara and her friends finally got snatched enough time to develop the Demetrios storyline – who was he, where did he come from, who are these people hunting the sword, what do they want with it, etc. etc. They've built this fascinating ancient/historical mythology around Demetrios and the people with the mysterious powers. And, it's really poised to take off from here. Now that Dara has some idea of who her father was and what the sword can do, she can make a decision about who she wants to be. I imagine it will involve some kind of revenge – those jerks did kill her family. This was pretty good. There's lots of gratuitous violence and some sex scenes, so if you're squeamish about any of that you may want to steer clear.
The Luna Brothers have a definite style – the artwork in this was very reminiscent of their Girls comics. Dara's got a distinctly Girls look about her (and I keep waiting for her to start chewing on someone). They don't sly away from showing people in all of their ugliness – habits, appearance, whatever. It makes their work rather dark, but this seems to be something that a lot of comics/graphic artists do. Sometimes I think there are only three genres of comics – superheroes, dark depressing reality stories, and dark depressing reality stories about lesbians. And fantasy/gaming/D&D types. FOUR. :)
I was thrilled when Dara and her friends finally got snatched enough time to develop the Demetrios storyline – who was he, where did he come from, who are these people hunting the sword, what do they want with it, etc. etc. They've built this fascinating ancient/historical mythology around Demetrios and the people with the mysterious powers. And, it's really poised to take off from here. Now that Dara has some idea of who her father was and what the sword can do, she can make a decision about who she wants to be. I imagine it will involve some kind of revenge – those jerks did kill her family. This was pretty good. There's lots of gratuitous violence and some sex scenes, so if you're squeamish about any of that you may want to steer clear.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 17, 2020
Wouldn't want to spoil a thing about this one, so I'll just content myself to say
November 17, 2014
What a great surprise! When I flipped through the book in my local library, I didn't expect too much of it. The art isn't bad, but doesn't really stand out. I only picked it up because I'm checking out first volumes of indy graphic novels (and I've had a lot of good experiences with Image Comics).
Dara's family gets brutally murdered over a sword that Dara's father says he knows nothing about, she is left for dead and finds the sword, the murderers where looking for. Dara is paraplegic but gets cured by touching the sword. Not only does the sword cure her, it gives her superpowers.
The murderers are still looking for the sword and Dara gets in all kinds of trouble by using her powers in self-defence.
It's a very original story. I liked how they showed the "origin story" of Demetrios. Dara meets this former student of her father's, Justin.
He tells her that her father used to tell these stories in class about Demetrios, a man who lived in 1800 B.C. and had a sword that granted him superpowers.
I really liked the story. The end of this first volume leaves you wanting to read on. What they could have done different is to split up the Demetrios backstory over the four volumes, instead of giving this "much" info in the first volume. This is my opinion after reading the first volume, it can change when I read the following volumes.
Dara's family gets brutally murdered over a sword that Dara's father says he knows nothing about, she is left for dead and finds the sword, the murderers where looking for. Dara is paraplegic but gets cured by touching the sword. Not only does the sword cure her, it gives her superpowers.
The murderers are still looking for the sword and Dara gets in all kinds of trouble by using her powers in self-defence.
It's a very original story. I liked how they showed the "origin story" of Demetrios. Dara meets this former student of her father's, Justin.
He tells her that her father used to tell these stories in class about Demetrios, a man who lived in 1800 B.C. and had a sword that granted him superpowers.
I really liked the story. The end of this first volume leaves you wanting to read on. What they could have done different is to split up the Demetrios backstory over the four volumes, instead of giving this "much" info in the first volume. This is my opinion after reading the first volume, it can change when I read the following volumes.
December 31, 2011
I liked the story, but the artwork just wasn't for me. I felt that it wasn't very dynamic, people were very often just standing there. And there was rarely anything in the artwork that wasn't explained in the dialogue.
The dialogue was good but not brilliant, either. Again, it didn't interlock with the artwork too well. I really disliked a panel, for instance, where the narrator said something about someone realising someone else is a traitor, and in the same panel that person calls out "Traitooooooor!"
But the story, a mesh up of Kill Bill and myth, was pretty good.
The dialogue was good but not brilliant, either. Again, it didn't interlock with the artwork too well. I really disliked a panel, for instance, where the narrator said something about someone realising someone else is a traitor, and in the same panel that person calls out "Traitooooooor!"
But the story, a mesh up of Kill Bill and myth, was pretty good.
January 6, 2011
Fantastic writing and story. Makes me want to see what happens next. Theres a shot of her breaking out of a chair that is just fantastic. The art isn't anything standing out of the crowd but a must read for the story. The main character is believable and likable while not over-sexed.
February 10, 2009
I thought the dialogue was a little stiff in this, but didn't prevent me from being sucked into the world. Definitely picking up the next volume!
July 8, 2017
I bought this a few months ago and never got around to reading it. Now I'm really regretting not picking it up sooner! This is by far the most compelling comic that I've picked up in a while, probably since reading Midnight Nation - New Edition this time last year. So here are my longwinded thoughts, accompanied by a spoiler-laden overview of the plot (proceed at your own risk!):
***SPOILERY OVERVIEW***
We're introduced to our protagonist Dara Brighton, a young college student who also happens to be a paraplegic. One night, her family home is invaded by strangers, who seem to have a bounty on her father's head. They claim that Dara's father is some character called 'Demetrios', and that he's stolen a sword from them. He vehemently denies any connection to the character of Demetrios, and disavows any knowledge of a sword. The three intruders murder Dara's family with the help of supernatural abilities, set the house on fire, and leave Dara for dead. Fortunately the fire causes the house to cave in, catapulting Dara through the floor. There she stumbles upon a sword, which heals her presumed spinal injury and allows her to walk again! Dara escapes, ditches the sword in a lake, and pretends to be paraplegic again when the authorities arrive.
A few days later, Dara is the victim of an attempted abduction at her family's funeral. She manages to escape with the help of her friends, luring the would-be abductors to the lake behind her decimated house. Dara manages to retrieve the sword from the lake and kill her attackers. Dara and co. then go on the run, only for Dara to turn herself and the sword in a little while later. Dara's death is then faked by the authorities (long story...), and we see her being interrogated by an agent of an unknown government organisation. Said agent is seduced into touching the sword, where he immediately Benjamin Button's, growing younger in seconds! He kills a few of his fellow agents, but then Dara randomly manages to get the sword back, kill him, and escape.
Dara reunites with her friends who had gone on the run, and learns the truth about her father. Turns out her father is this Demetrios character, and was born some 3800 years ago in Ancient Crete. To cut a long story short, he got caught up with a crew of 'demigod' siblings, who had the ability to control Earth, Air, Wind and Fire. Somewhere along the way a sword was forged from each of their abilities, and one of the demigod siblings went to the dark side. Demetrios was conned into using the sword to kill said evil sibling, and then refused to give it back. He became the custodian of the sword for the next several millennia, refusing to let it fall into the hands of the demigods. Eventually they caught up with him, and here we are today.
***END SPOILERY OVERVIEW***
This is the first comic I've read in ages where I wasn't at all offended by the depiction of women. There are no skimpy outfits and overly large boobs popping out, and none of the female characters are particularly weak or annoying. I'm not usually a fan of the way female leads are written in comics or traditional novels, but I really liked Dara. She overcame adversity and found strength, both emotionally and physically. She wants to do the right thing, but I didn't ever find her preachy. She also wants to avenge the death of her family, but she never came across as heartless. And she killed a buuuunch of people, but never acted like a cold blooded killer.
I also really enjoyed the way in which this novel was drawn. It's not your traditional layout where the panels touch, and they can be any number of sizes. Aside from the odd smaller box here and there, most panels are 2 inches high and span the entire page. There's a border of black space around each panel, which led me to feel like I was watching a scene from a film on a widescreen TV.
The panels in themselves also have a film-like quality, with the use of blurring to draw attention to a particular object, action or person. It's like in a film where two people might be in frame, with one positioned slightly behind the other. The camera will focus in and out depending on who's speaking, with the silent indvidual slightly blurred in the background.
I also really liked the blurring when it came to action scenes. There were a few scenes where Dara is leaping over buildings or moving at a superhuman speed, and these actions were blurred, akin to an actor's movements being sped up in post-production - think of how the vampires move in True Blood or The Vampire Diaries! Usually I dislike blurriness in action scenes in comics and manga, because it means that I can't tell what the frak is happening, but The Sword uses blurring in all the right places.
The way they've framed everything is really effective too, in terms of the use of closeups and wider shots, flicking between characters during conversations, reaction shots of characters, and the way they pan to a new scene. If this were ever adapted for film or TV, they wouldn't have to do much to make it workable for the new medium!
As for the storyline, I fucking love it. I'm an absolute nerd for sci-fi and fantasy, as well as Ancient Greek mythology. Give me something that's a little of each, with a pinch of car chase, thriller, and eerie similarities to Battlestar Galactica, and I'm SOLD.
***BATTLESTAR GALACTICA SPOILERS***
The similarities between The Sword and BSG lie mostly in Ida, and her similarities to Zoe Graystone and her legacy from Caprica. Ida's belief in the one true God is reminiscent of the Cylons and their religious beliefs in Battlestar Galactica. Ida was wrongly accused of being the source of the misfortune that plagued Crete, while Zoe was wrongly accused of causing the Maglev bombing in Caprica City. Both were ostracized for holding monotheistic beliefs in a polytheistic society. Both were banished and went on to become queens of their own realm - Ida the queen of the mountain, and Zoe the queen of V-World.
Ida miraculously gave birth to four children that would go on to unleash hell upon Crete. Zoe essentially 'birthed' the Cylons, that would go on to unleash hell upon the human race. And not only that - The Sword also follows the BSG idea of 'all this has happened before, and all this will happen again'. The elemental siblings weren't content with their reign in Crete, they went on to control and destroy other civilisations over the next few thousand years. In BSG the Cylons weren't content with exacting nuclear genocide on one 'Earth', they went on to do the same to 12 other planets thousands of years later. Twice.
***END BATTLESTAR GALACTICA SPOILERS***
Overall: If you couldn't tell, I really fucking loved this graphic novel. I've already gone and procured the rest of the series to read, and can't wait to devour it. It's so refreshing to find a story that doesn't sexualise women, or write female characters that I want to punch repeatedly in the face. They've managed to create a strong, but sympathetic female lead in Dara, accompanied by a mythology that I could just get lost in for days.
***SPOILERY OVERVIEW***
We're introduced to our protagonist Dara Brighton, a young college student who also happens to be a paraplegic. One night, her family home is invaded by strangers, who seem to have a bounty on her father's head. They claim that Dara's father is some character called 'Demetrios', and that he's stolen a sword from them. He vehemently denies any connection to the character of Demetrios, and disavows any knowledge of a sword. The three intruders murder Dara's family with the help of supernatural abilities, set the house on fire, and leave Dara for dead. Fortunately the fire causes the house to cave in, catapulting Dara through the floor. There she stumbles upon a sword, which heals her presumed spinal injury and allows her to walk again! Dara escapes, ditches the sword in a lake, and pretends to be paraplegic again when the authorities arrive.
A few days later, Dara is the victim of an attempted abduction at her family's funeral. She manages to escape with the help of her friends, luring the would-be abductors to the lake behind her decimated house. Dara manages to retrieve the sword from the lake and kill her attackers. Dara and co. then go on the run, only for Dara to turn herself and the sword in a little while later. Dara's death is then faked by the authorities (long story...), and we see her being interrogated by an agent of an unknown government organisation. Said agent is seduced into touching the sword, where he immediately Benjamin Button's, growing younger in seconds! He kills a few of his fellow agents, but then Dara randomly manages to get the sword back, kill him, and escape.
Dara reunites with her friends who had gone on the run, and learns the truth about her father. Turns out her father is this Demetrios character, and was born some 3800 years ago in Ancient Crete. To cut a long story short, he got caught up with a crew of 'demigod' siblings, who had the ability to control Earth, Air, Wind and Fire. Somewhere along the way a sword was forged from each of their abilities, and one of the demigod siblings went to the dark side. Demetrios was conned into using the sword to kill said evil sibling, and then refused to give it back. He became the custodian of the sword for the next several millennia, refusing to let it fall into the hands of the demigods. Eventually they caught up with him, and here we are today.
***END SPOILERY OVERVIEW***
This is the first comic I've read in ages where I wasn't at all offended by the depiction of women. There are no skimpy outfits and overly large boobs popping out, and none of the female characters are particularly weak or annoying. I'm not usually a fan of the way female leads are written in comics or traditional novels, but I really liked Dara. She overcame adversity and found strength, both emotionally and physically. She wants to do the right thing, but I didn't ever find her preachy. She also wants to avenge the death of her family, but she never came across as heartless. And she killed a buuuunch of people, but never acted like a cold blooded killer.
I also really enjoyed the way in which this novel was drawn. It's not your traditional layout where the panels touch, and they can be any number of sizes. Aside from the odd smaller box here and there, most panels are 2 inches high and span the entire page. There's a border of black space around each panel, which led me to feel like I was watching a scene from a film on a widescreen TV.
The panels in themselves also have a film-like quality, with the use of blurring to draw attention to a particular object, action or person. It's like in a film where two people might be in frame, with one positioned slightly behind the other. The camera will focus in and out depending on who's speaking, with the silent indvidual slightly blurred in the background.
I also really liked the blurring when it came to action scenes. There were a few scenes where Dara is leaping over buildings or moving at a superhuman speed, and these actions were blurred, akin to an actor's movements being sped up in post-production - think of how the vampires move in True Blood or The Vampire Diaries! Usually I dislike blurriness in action scenes in comics and manga, because it means that I can't tell what the frak is happening, but The Sword uses blurring in all the right places.
The way they've framed everything is really effective too, in terms of the use of closeups and wider shots, flicking between characters during conversations, reaction shots of characters, and the way they pan to a new scene. If this were ever adapted for film or TV, they wouldn't have to do much to make it workable for the new medium!
As for the storyline, I fucking love it. I'm an absolute nerd for sci-fi and fantasy, as well as Ancient Greek mythology. Give me something that's a little of each, with a pinch of car chase, thriller, and eerie similarities to Battlestar Galactica, and I'm SOLD.
***BATTLESTAR GALACTICA SPOILERS***
The similarities between The Sword and BSG lie mostly in Ida, and her similarities to Zoe Graystone and her legacy from Caprica. Ida's belief in the one true God is reminiscent of the Cylons and their religious beliefs in Battlestar Galactica. Ida was wrongly accused of being the source of the misfortune that plagued Crete, while Zoe was wrongly accused of causing the Maglev bombing in Caprica City. Both were ostracized for holding monotheistic beliefs in a polytheistic society. Both were banished and went on to become queens of their own realm - Ida the queen of the mountain, and Zoe the queen of V-World.
Ida miraculously gave birth to four children that would go on to unleash hell upon Crete. Zoe essentially 'birthed' the Cylons, that would go on to unleash hell upon the human race. And not only that - The Sword also follows the BSG idea of 'all this has happened before, and all this will happen again'. The elemental siblings weren't content with their reign in Crete, they went on to control and destroy other civilisations over the next few thousand years. In BSG the Cylons weren't content with exacting nuclear genocide on one 'Earth', they went on to do the same to 12 other planets thousands of years later. Twice.
***END BATTLESTAR GALACTICA SPOILERS***
Overall: If you couldn't tell, I really fucking loved this graphic novel. I've already gone and procured the rest of the series to read, and can't wait to devour it. It's so refreshing to find a story that doesn't sexualise women, or write female characters that I want to punch repeatedly in the face. They've managed to create a strong, but sympathetic female lead in Dara, accompanied by a mythology that I could just get lost in for days.
November 9, 2018
Very interesting story right from the get go. The implications of these characters and their moral choices are interesting. During the plight, it gave just enough information to keep me wondering, but not too much to knock me out of buying the next Volume to find out more. The Sword is a story of a fantasy sword that grants magical powers to the wielder. Our character Dara, finds herself with the sword in a very interesting set of circumstances. Her mission is large and has several working pieces. One she must figure out what the sword can do. Two she must figure out why she found the sword at all. Three she must find those that wish to use the sword for evil, while evading the police. Four she must figure out why her family was destroyed for a sword at all. During this journey, Dara adds unsuspecting friends who help her along the way. I fully recommend trying your hand at this comic series.
The artwork did well to add to the atmosphere of the comic. It is always nice when you can tell exactly what the emotion is for the scene, what is going on in the scene, and who is in the scene. The artwork here did all three of those points.
The artwork did well to add to the atmosphere of the comic. It is always nice when you can tell exactly what the emotion is for the scene, what is going on in the scene, and who is in the scene. The artwork here did all three of those points.
December 23, 2018
First thing that came to my mind when I read this was how much I love supernatural things and powers that resemble the four elements. Naturally, looking at the titles of each volume of the Luna Bros. series The Sword was an instant grab for me.
I really like Dara's becoming of a somewhat hero that seeks revenge for her lost family, killed by the elemental siblings (is what I would call them).
What I noticed was that this book had a lot of explaining and long conversations between the characters, which kind of makes sense as we were thrown into action at the beginning but needed to know why all this happened. So after reading this first trade, I am all hooked for the second!
One thing I have a tiny gripe with is the art. I don't have anything against digital art, most of the artists use both pen and paper and their computers. But at some points it just looks a bit too smooth. The blur effects for backgrounds or out of focus things, the smooth color changes. It's nothing really bad, I just prefer a few more hard edges.
The first book definitely has me interested for the next three.
I really like Dara's becoming of a somewhat hero that seeks revenge for her lost family, killed by the elemental siblings (is what I would call them).
What I noticed was that this book had a lot of explaining and long conversations between the characters, which kind of makes sense as we were thrown into action at the beginning but needed to know why all this happened. So after reading this first trade, I am all hooked for the second!
One thing I have a tiny gripe with is the art. I don't have anything against digital art, most of the artists use both pen and paper and their computers. But at some points it just looks a bit too smooth. The blur effects for backgrounds or out of focus things, the smooth color changes. It's nothing really bad, I just prefer a few more hard edges.
The first book definitely has me interested for the next three.
March 15, 2018
For years I thought this book was never uploaded onto goodreads, turns out it was just hiding. So I decided to catch up on this story that I haven't read in some time.
The story begins with meeting Dara Brighton a paraplegic who is a art student and her family, everything is normal. Until three people enter their home asking for Dementrios and a Sword. Naturally not knowing what they are talking about the three use their elemental powers and kill of them except for Dara, because she got buried under her house and found a sword. It's not just natural sword, it's a supernatural sword that heals and gives her superhuman powers.
Naturally she decides to go after those three who killed her family. Just need to get pass the authorities first. By her side, is her friend Julie and a former student who took her father's english classes but knows about the stories of Dementrios and the sword. Along with the three elemental people associated with them.
This book was my first introduction to the Luna Brothers and I recommend the hell out of this book.
The story begins with meeting Dara Brighton a paraplegic who is a art student and her family, everything is normal. Until three people enter their home asking for Dementrios and a Sword. Naturally not knowing what they are talking about the three use their elemental powers and kill of them except for Dara, because she got buried under her house and found a sword. It's not just natural sword, it's a supernatural sword that heals and gives her superhuman powers.
Naturally she decides to go after those three who killed her family. Just need to get pass the authorities first. By her side, is her friend Julie and a former student who took her father's english classes but knows about the stories of Dementrios and the sword. Along with the three elemental people associated with them.
This book was my first introduction to the Luna Brothers and I recommend the hell out of this book.
September 4, 2020
I was unsure when shelving this book. The premise sounds a little cliché - girl finds a sword, enters a fascinating world, becomes superhero - and a little offending - girl finds a sword, is miraculously healed after 5 years on wheelchair. Well - not at all. The moral dilemma of healing disabled vs. blowing a dangerous secret is present. The story starts with horrible graphic violence. The villains are beaufitul people with lives, problems and dilemmas. The legendary hero stands before a horrible dilemma and decides to rather sacrifice his beloved family, including "normal" life of his daughter. Not an easy reading.
March 9, 2017
It's weird to read a fantasy-action series with the same artwork from Alex + Ada. That, for the most part, was a series of dialogue scenes. Here, there's some pretty wild chaos and violence. Basically, three mysterious strangers show up at a family home demanding for the magic sword they believe belongs to the father. Everything goes wrong from there and an epic tale of revenge is born. It goes back and forth between mania and suddenly pensive interaction between characters. I'm into it though. It's fun with some thoughtfulness to it and I'm curious to see where it goes.
June 12, 2025
After reading Alex & Ada, I wanted to read everything that the Luna brothers had done. But then I tried the girls series and it took all my love for A&A to encourage me to read anything else. This is my third try and it was very good, not on the same level as A&A but that is more to my interests. Overall, a solid story, cool magic elements and an interesting backstory. Going off the plot alone, I'd probably give it 5 stars but there was a lot of over explaining in the dialogue. Definitely good enough to try volume two.
January 17, 2025
Your whole family is killed in front of you by a trio with special powers looking for a sword that your dad, whom they called by a different name and now dead on the floor along with your mom and sister and you, a paraplegic who barely escaped with your life indeed finds said sword that heals you and gives you powers when you hold it…you seek revenge and keep going till those that killed your family are all dead too.
April 23, 2025
I know inducing anxiety is a style of writing but this is pretty extreme and there was absolutely no reason to have one of the two only black people use the N word. Like what could possibly be the point of that. The main character is painfully annoying and the story is excellently made for bad tv.
It did get somewhat better in the last chapter but man it sure took its time..
3.1🌟💫⭐️
It did get somewhat better in the last chapter but man it sure took its time..
3.1🌟💫⭐️
April 25, 2022
A interesting enough premise to continue to a second volume, but the art style takes some getting used too. Credit to a creative brother duo producing their own works. Alternates between action and monologues every other issue
January 28, 2018
This sets up an incredibly interesting mythology, but it takes too long and is a bit repetitive getting there. That said, I have high hopes for the rest of the series.
May 8, 2018
I love this series! So glad I picked it up. <3
September 10, 2018
Sad at first then exciting and intriguing.
September 19, 2018
While the art is decent, the Luna brothers are really good at pacing and explaining plot. While I wish some of the art bubbles weren't so text heavy, its still entertaining
July 20, 2019
This was really good.
The drawing style is very recognisable from their other works.
The drawing style is very recognisable from their other works.
February 11, 2020
I like it so far. Will have to continue it.
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