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The Realm #1
The Realm
NEW SERIES!
The world is infested with monsters...the kind that fly, breathe fire and eat people. As humanity struggles to stay on the top of the food chain, journeyman-for-hire Will is paid to escort a ragtag band of misfits, including a few scientists who he doubts will make it through another night, across a treacherous wasteland full of orcs, magic creatures, and worst of all, other humans, in search of something that could save the world...or destroy it.
An all new high fantasy adventure series from co-creators SETH PECK (X-Men) and JEREMY HAUN (THE BEAUTY) featuring colors by NICK FILARDI and letters by THOMAS MAUER.
Collects issues 1 through 5.
The world is infested with monsters...the kind that fly, breathe fire and eat people. As humanity struggles to stay on the top of the food chain, journeyman-for-hire Will is paid to escort a ragtag band of misfits, including a few scientists who he doubts will make it through another night, across a treacherous wasteland full of orcs, magic creatures, and worst of all, other humans, in search of something that could save the world...or destroy it.
An all new high fantasy adventure series from co-creators SETH PECK (X-Men) and JEREMY HAUN (THE BEAUTY) featuring colors by NICK FILARDI and letters by THOMAS MAUER.
Collects issues 1 through 5.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published April 3, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
September 2, 2022
I'd never heard of this comic or Seth Peck.
It was a Hoopla Bonus Borrow that I grabbed as one of those just in case comics to put on my tablet. And I was honestly kind of making fun of the cover to my kid, just seeing if I could guess what I was going to find inside of it.
ok. swords...and guns. is that a coat or a cloak? some kind of dystopia. whatever. he's got some pouches. 90s dystopia? are those aliens in the background or demons? hmm. an apocalypse scenario, I'm betting.
And then I chuckled at how clever and witty I am.
I know that makes me kind of an asshole but I figure it evens itself out since at least I'm willing to admit it.
At any rate, I wasn't actually expecting to finish this comic, much less like it.
But I did both.
And yeah, there is some kind of demon/alien apocalypse thing happening and a guy with weapons and pouches is fighting his way across the landscape.
He's got some people in tow and they meet some interesting characters and there's some pew-pew and Ker-Boom! and OF COURSE he's got a secret thing going on with him but it's secret and mysterious and maybe his arm falls off and maybe it doesn't but there's some kid with weird powers that probably needs to be protected and his partner dresses like she's a member of the Court of Owls and he gets hired by a hot soldier chick who's guarding scientists and they've got some shit in their bag that might be important/dangerous and what the hell are those World of Warcraft-looking motherfuckers who are running around eating people?!
And that's why I grabbed the next volume.
It was a Hoopla Bonus Borrow that I grabbed as one of those just in case comics to put on my tablet. And I was honestly kind of making fun of the cover to my kid, just seeing if I could guess what I was going to find inside of it.
ok. swords...and guns. is that a coat or a cloak? some kind of dystopia. whatever. he's got some pouches. 90s dystopia? are those aliens in the background or demons? hmm. an apocalypse scenario, I'm betting.
And then I chuckled at how clever and witty I am.
I know that makes me kind of an asshole but I figure it evens itself out since at least I'm willing to admit it.
At any rate, I wasn't actually expecting to finish this comic, much less like it.
But I did both.
And yeah, there is some kind of demon/alien apocalypse thing happening and a guy with weapons and pouches is fighting his way across the landscape.
He's got some people in tow and they meet some interesting characters and there's some pew-pew and Ker-Boom! and OF COURSE he's got a secret thing going on with him but it's secret and mysterious and maybe his arm falls off and maybe it doesn't but there's some kid with weird powers that probably needs to be protected and his partner dresses like she's a member of the Court of Owls and he gets hired by a hot soldier chick who's guarding scientists and they've got some shit in their bag that might be important/dangerous and what the hell are those World of Warcraft-looking motherfuckers who are running around eating people?!
And that's why I grabbed the next volume.
March 10, 2018
A rugged mercenary, a ruthless assassin, a sorcerer despot, in a ten-years-later post-apoc fantasy inhabited by warring orcs, goblins, zombies, and monsters. It’s a mashup of high fantasy and grim survival shoot em up. What’s not to love?
February 7, 2025
Pretty good
July 13, 2021
So the world's had its apocalyptic scenario, humanity is scavenging at the scraps of civilization, tribal societies and petty kingdoms are on the rise... oh, and there's orcs.
The comic just drops us right in the middle of things, with no preamble or explanation of what's going on or how the world changed or whatever else. That sort of a thing could work - in medias res is a valid storytelling tool that's been done well more often than I could count - but here it's just kind of a mess. It assumes we know more than we do, doesn't set up its characters or villains or strange powers very well at all, and the fantasy elements are introduced with zero fanfare.
It tries to tell us an epic plot of some kind with a secret MacGuffin element, a rampaging orc horde, and an evil sorcerer serving some dark gods or whatever... but gives next to zero set-up for any of them. Twice, the main party is joined up with a mysterious stranger, and neither of them are established well at all: they're just kind of there now. There's this bearded barbarian-guy hunting orcs all in his lonesome, but we've got no idea who he is or what's up with him. So much history untold; so much exposition unspoken.
The art isn't that great either, but that may be just me: all the characters seem too realistic for my taste, amping up the uncanny valley. You may feel different.
All in all, this is a pretty resounding Meh. It could've been great - I see the potential - but it wasn't.
The comic just drops us right in the middle of things, with no preamble or explanation of what's going on or how the world changed or whatever else. That sort of a thing could work - in medias res is a valid storytelling tool that's been done well more often than I could count - but here it's just kind of a mess. It assumes we know more than we do, doesn't set up its characters or villains or strange powers very well at all, and the fantasy elements are introduced with zero fanfare.
It tries to tell us an epic plot of some kind with a secret MacGuffin element, a rampaging orc horde, and an evil sorcerer serving some dark gods or whatever... but gives next to zero set-up for any of them. Twice, the main party is joined up with a mysterious stranger, and neither of them are established well at all: they're just kind of there now. There's this bearded barbarian-guy hunting orcs all in his lonesome, but we've got no idea who he is or what's up with him. So much history untold; so much exposition unspoken.
The art isn't that great either, but that may be just me: all the characters seem too realistic for my taste, amping up the uncanny valley. You may feel different.
All in all, this is a pretty resounding Meh. It could've been great - I see the potential - but it wasn't.
June 8, 2018
A bit of a slow start. The world building took a bit too long and wasnt overly well done. However the plot starts to build nicely, with a good finish. Although the last scene felt out of place. The characters are ok, with the young men (2 of them) that seem to have powers the best but not seen enough. Intrigued for Vol 2 dependent on reviews.
March 3, 2019
This is very promising. Apparently, some sort of apocalyptic event has happened, with orcs, goblins, trolls, dragons, etc., intruding into our reality. In this new world, an enforcer-type is hired to accompany a group of scientists and others on a journey from New York to Kansas City. Meanwhile, there's a nefarious sorcerer involved in mysterious doings in the background. Not much explanation is given for the state of things--this is just the way the world is. Think Mad Max crossed with Lord of the Rings for starters. Or the Matthew McConaughey movie Reign of Fire. Even though this is just the start of a journey, I enjoyed reading this first volume and will be looking forward to subsequent volumes in this series.
October 29, 2018
12/7/19 update: The editing in this is way worse than I remembered. The narrative jumps between different characters with no apparent rhyme or reason. Up until the final battle scene, there's very little cohesive material. Dropping a star.
Old review: To be perfectly frank, The Realm is basically the Walking Dead, but instead of zombies we get fantasy creatures like orcs, goblins, and dragons. The character archetypes are pretty much the same - lone ranger Will is basically Sheriff Rick. The world is very similar - largely demolished with small bands of humans building new communities where they can. The key difference is that, unlike the living dead, these fantasy types are smart, armed, and clearly trying to take over.
And even with the Walking Dead similarities, I still enjoyed my time with The Realm. Sure, the characters fit stereotypes, but they're well-written and interesting. The plot is basic ("get the scientists to St. Louis!") but there are enough hints at grander machinations that I was quickly drawn into the world.
My main complaint stems from the first few issues where we're introduced separately to all the characters who will eventually come together in the fiery concluding issues. These introductions are spliced awkwardly - we watch a random character wake up before returning to what appears to be the main narrative with Will. It's poor editing, but fortunately doesn't matter once the gang's all together.
Old review: To be perfectly frank, The Realm is basically the Walking Dead, but instead of zombies we get fantasy creatures like orcs, goblins, and dragons. The character archetypes are pretty much the same - lone ranger Will is basically Sheriff Rick. The world is very similar - largely demolished with small bands of humans building new communities where they can. The key difference is that, unlike the living dead, these fantasy types are smart, armed, and clearly trying to take over.
And even with the Walking Dead similarities, I still enjoyed my time with The Realm. Sure, the characters fit stereotypes, but they're well-written and interesting. The plot is basic ("get the scientists to St. Louis!") but there are enough hints at grander machinations that I was quickly drawn into the world.
My main complaint stems from the first few issues where we're introduced separately to all the characters who will eventually come together in the fiery concluding issues. These introductions are spliced awkwardly - we watch a random character wake up before returning to what appears to be the main narrative with Will. It's poor editing, but fortunately doesn't matter once the gang's all together.
April 13, 2018
Great premise and the start of the story kept me interested. We'll see where it goes from here.
September 23, 2024
"The Realm" is a creative and engaging mashup of the "Lord of the Rings" and "Mad Max" that mostly works. Featuring, an enigmatic and not entirely likeable mercenary, leading a rag tag band of adventurers across a battered no man's land to deliver a darkly mysterious package, this book pretty much reads exactly as one might expect. Additionally, the book suffers from a series of seemingly unconnected subplots that do not resolve in the first volume and weaken the overall strength of the narrative. However, the book does dodge the most obvious cliches and avoids being overly derivative. Furthermore, this book truly, distinguishes itself with a whole slew of creatively developed characters that pop off the page.
March 5, 2018
"I don't think this weird shit is gonna let up any time soon." That's a quote, and the biggest problem with this book - it is all over the shop, with no rules, and anything can happen for want of a stronger, better, more sensible narrative. There are strong silent types, leaders reluctantly doing one last job, mysterious scientists, indestructible teenagers, people with secrets - and when you throw that lot into a world populated by strange solitary warriors, goblins, elves, orcs, dragons and machine guns - you can see this is all over the place. For one thing, why is the world like it is and the chief baddy wizard bloke only just starting out after all this time? It's not bad, but you have to be on board with its enthusiasm to rampantly throw any old hackneyed mess at the page and not care whether it sticks. With no internal logic and such an anything-goes attitude, this could run and run.
August 17, 2022
The Shannara Chronicles if it took place early on in its history. Or Lord of the Rings thrown into the world of Mad Max. Fifteen years ago, orcs and trolls arrived in modern society and humanity is barely holding on. There's not a lot of world-building going on. The story just happens and you are left to infer as to a lot of what happened beforehand. It's about a ranger (for all intents and purposes) who is hired to take a party containing 2 scientists from New York to Kansas City. They are being pursued by a war party of orcs and an evil sorcerer. I enjoyed what I've read so far and will be checking out the rest of the series.
Read
September 16, 2019DNF
July 15, 2018
Take Fallout. Merge it with Skyrim. You've basically got the world of The Realm. A post-apocalyptic world with fantasy creatures and eldritch demons, where humanity is barely holding on against orcs and other assailants. Into this, we follow the Will Nolan, a survivor who make a living leading other groups through the blighted world. We also get lots of moments with other factions in the world. The book is full of graphic violence and strong language - I would not call this teen-appropriate. But the world is intriguing, even if the main plot (get a group to Kansas City) is a little thin. All of the characters have some meat on their bones, and when some of them die, it hurts a bit. The action sequences are very well done, and the art is dark and brooding without making it hard to read. I wasn't expecting much out of this, but I found myself drawn in and invested in the world of it. I look forward to seeing more.
February 1, 2019
Since Volume 3 is out soon I am rereading the whole series (also because the only unread books I have on my shelf right now are the library editions which are not very convenient for reading during my daily commute)...
When The Realm was announced back in the day I had really high hopes and I was eventually let down a bit. Dropped the single issues and picked up Volume 2 later on. After rereading it now I have to say it's still a solid read. Post-apo/fantasy crossover with interesting characters and nice art that fits the story well.
When The Realm was announced back in the day I had really high hopes and I was eventually let down a bit. Dropped the single issues and picked up Volume 2 later on. After rereading it now I have to say it's still a solid read. Post-apo/fantasy crossover with interesting characters and nice art that fits the story well.
October 30, 2019
A fun concept: a post-apocalyptic Earth is invaded by orcs.
And, Peck tries to give it some depth by introducing three different point-of-view characters.
The problem is that it's all a muddled mess. We get to know our main protagonist a bit, but the other two characters are just a waste of page whenever they show up. Meanwhile, the main plot is just a slow plod toward them meeting up, and when they do, we don't care, because they're so undeveloped. Oh, and other random new people join the party every 20 pages or so.
Then on the last page, some new character is shown. Sigh.
And, Peck tries to give it some depth by introducing three different point-of-view characters.
The problem is that it's all a muddled mess. We get to know our main protagonist a bit, but the other two characters are just a waste of page whenever they show up. Meanwhile, the main plot is just a slow plod toward them meeting up, and when they do, we don't care, because they're so undeveloped. Oh, and other random new people join the party every 20 pages or so.
Then on the last page, some new character is shown. Sigh.
December 5, 2018
Well, it started out a bit rough, bit from the moment we meet our bad guy Eldritch and the rest of the cast, I was definitely intrigued!
And then.. we meet Jonah's other side.. even more interesting ..!
What happens along the way, well, all I can say is it's frakking amazing!
You know me, i'm not going to spoil a thing, so you will just have to look for yourself..
So: this definitely has got some potential.. I'll be reading on! Catch you on the flipside B-)
And then.. we meet Jonah's other side.. even more interesting ..!
What happens along the way, well, all I can say is it's frakking amazing!
You know me, i'm not going to spoil a thing, so you will just have to look for yourself..
So: this definitely has got some potential.. I'll be reading on! Catch you on the flipside B-)
July 22, 2019
This is a great, fun book. You'll blow through it quick, and you'll be excited to see what's coming up.
I don't want to tell you anything about it, really, because I think the discovery of what's going on here is what made me enjoy it. So don't read anything else about it, pick it up and read it.
I don't want to tell you anything about it, really, because I think the discovery of what's going on here is what made me enjoy it. So don't read anything else about it, pick it up and read it.
August 21, 2020
To be written.
October 31, 2022
D&D 5e has come to life in the real world and marauding bands of orcs and goblins terrorize the land. Outposts of hardy humans dot this hellscape but little remains of the 21st-century continent-spanning civilization that once existed. A mercenary is hired to transport two scientists from the remains of New York to the Great Plains and they're hunted by a monstrous war party and a dragon-riding sorcerer. The mercenary has a secret. The scientists have a secret. Various strangers that join their party have secrets. But if we want to learn any of the secrets we have to read volume 2.
We're dropped right in the middle of this bold new world without any explanation. We barely get to know any of the characters. This volume is emphatically underwritten and it suffers for it.
The fantasy art is attractively R-rated but not gratuitously gory.
My library doesn't have ILL access to volumes 2 or 3. I'm not interested enough to buy it so my journey through The Realm ends here.
We're dropped right in the middle of this bold new world without any explanation. We barely get to know any of the characters. This volume is emphatically underwritten and it suffers for it.
The fantasy art is attractively R-rated but not gratuitously gory.
My library doesn't have ILL access to volumes 2 or 3. I'm not interested enough to buy it so my journey through The Realm ends here.
December 15, 2019
3.75
Interesting story, great art as is usual per Image Comics. A great blend of post-apocalyptic meets dark fantasy world.
Interesting story, great art as is usual per Image Comics. A great blend of post-apocalyptic meets dark fantasy world.
June 1, 2022
There’s certainly nothing technically wrong with Seth M. Peck and Jeremy Haun’s graphic novel series The Realm. It boasts an interesting premise and great artwork. The story has plenty of action and monster mayhem. The mash-up of Tolkien-esque fantasy with Walking Dead post-apocalyptic horror should be a home run, and, I’m sure for many readers, it will be.
Unfortunately, this one was a strike-out for me.
Perhaps it’s because I’m kind of burned out on post-apocalyptic horror-dramas in which a small group of disparate (and desperate) people from all walks of life must survive an overwhelming obstacle (zombie hordes, alien invaders, inter-dimensional creatures, dinosaurs, global climate change, anti-vaxxers, Trump supporters, etc.) while trying to hold on to their humanity.
The Realm isn’t that different—-in tone, structure, narrative—-from Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead, Garth Ennis’s Crossed or, for that matter, Keith Giffen’s Scooby Apocalypse. The only real difference is that instead of zombies, homicidal maniacs, or humans mutated into monsters by a nanobot plague, Peck/Haun went with all of the nasty creatures from Middle Earth: orcs, trolls, goblins, giants, and dragons.
I just didn’t feel the emotional investment with the characters, most of whom I felt were pretty flat and one-dimensional. The least interesting character is the main character, Will Nolan, who is one of those “bad-ass-for-hire” end-of-the-world rogues, like Mad Max. Unfortunately for Will, Max had a helluva lot more charisma.
Unfortunately, this one was a strike-out for me.
Perhaps it’s because I’m kind of burned out on post-apocalyptic horror-dramas in which a small group of disparate (and desperate) people from all walks of life must survive an overwhelming obstacle (zombie hordes, alien invaders, inter-dimensional creatures, dinosaurs, global climate change, anti-vaxxers, Trump supporters, etc.) while trying to hold on to their humanity.
The Realm isn’t that different—-in tone, structure, narrative—-from Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead, Garth Ennis’s Crossed or, for that matter, Keith Giffen’s Scooby Apocalypse. The only real difference is that instead of zombies, homicidal maniacs, or humans mutated into monsters by a nanobot plague, Peck/Haun went with all of the nasty creatures from Middle Earth: orcs, trolls, goblins, giants, and dragons.
I just didn’t feel the emotional investment with the characters, most of whom I felt were pretty flat and one-dimensional. The least interesting character is the main character, Will Nolan, who is one of those “bad-ass-for-hire” end-of-the-world rogues, like Mad Max. Unfortunately for Will, Max had a helluva lot more charisma.
June 11, 2020
Holy shit, this was a fun comic. It started off kinda slow and confusing, but when it got there, it got there. I think, for me, what I liked most was the sheer absurdity of this comic, like, I've always wanted to see what would happen if fantasy creatures just happened upon our world. I think it would make for cool stories and even cooler explorations into social commentary (that said, no, I still haven't seen Bright haha...)
The Realm hit all those scratches for me. It was bloody, brutal, full of intrigue, had flairs of Lovecraftian lore, some red herrings, and left swings that caught me completely off guard. I highly enjoyed it.
Also, it has it's own soundtrack! And that's just goddamn cool to me.
The Realm hit all those scratches for me. It was bloody, brutal, full of intrigue, had flairs of Lovecraftian lore, some red herrings, and left swings that caught me completely off guard. I highly enjoyed it.
Also, it has it's own soundtrack! And that's just goddamn cool to me.
April 1, 2018
An interesting mashup of a post-apocalyptic Earth with fantasy. Somehow or another the Earth was opened up to creatures we thought were fiction--orcs, goblins, monsters, mages. The how is never explained. I am guessing that most of the people have no idea. It looks like they are too busy surviving to try to figure it out. That part makes sense to me. The hardships of living day to day in the new reality would take precedence for most people.
More to come
More to come
March 11, 2018
A nice story that left me wondering about the way it is going to finish. Not something that I have ever seen, but still enjoyable.
Una storia carina con niente di particolarmente nuovo per quanto riguarda l'ambientazione, ma mi piacerebbe sapere dove va a parare.
THANKS EDELWEISS FOR THE PREVIEW!
Una storia carina con niente di particolarmente nuovo per quanto riguarda l'ambientazione, ma mi piacerebbe sapere dove va a parare.
THANKS EDELWEISS FOR THE PREVIEW!
October 30, 2020
Mad Max meets Dungeons and Dragons meets Skyrim, meets Stranger Things, meets the walking dead for good measure. What was not to like, I am very intrigued by this new series i stumbled across.
Yes it took a few more pages to get going than it probably should have, however once it did it was a complete page turner (for me anyway).
Well worth the read.
Yes it took a few more pages to get going than it probably should have, however once it did it was a complete page turner (for me anyway).
Well worth the read.
September 9, 2018
This was interesting, a lot of world building and meeting a few of the characters.
But it was kind of slow and we still have no idea what happened between 10 years ago and now.
But it was kind of slow and we still have no idea what happened between 10 years ago and now.
February 10, 2023
I could give a regular review going over the characters, art, pacing, etc. but there are many other reviewers that can do that for this book and better. Instead, this review is to get my opinions out and the thoughts on elements of the book I feel like reviewer's do not mention or are seen less in the review section.
While the art was nice the more impressive part of The Realm is its composition and paneling. The composition is a bit simple but it works extremely well. The composition has really great timing and flow from panel to panel. The composition is extremely amazing. The composition feels quite cinematic with camera shot-like composition. This combines with the paneling and the timing between panel to panel to create a very well-paced and cinema/TV show-like reading experience.
This pairs with the story's arc-like structure. I am doing this review after reading the second volume. It seems like each volume is going to be treated as an individual arc with a fairly contained story while advancing an overarching storyline and character arcs.
I do have an issue with some of the characters looking a bit same-y. The MC is helping a group of individual on a trek but some of the characters look to similar. At one point a character from the crew who is barely shown or brought up . The issue is he looks pretty similar to the MC meaning that I was confused when a few pages later the MC is alive and resting considering he should've been dead if he was the person who had did that. Reading volume two this isn't as much of an issue but as a first volume it is an issue that I feel like the artist's could've helped alleviate by using some more unique character design elements to differentiate some of the characters.
It seems that The Realm aims to take a no-prisoner style when it comes to who is killed. Case in point, the volume ends . I think this is handled pretty poorly however. I just feel like the emotional moments feel a bit lacking. . This is supposed to feel shocking but I felt nothing. Another "shocking" moment I didn't feel was the . I think it is mostly an issue of cast size and little downtime. More downtime would give us more time to care for these characters and a smaller cast means more screen time to et to know and attack to these characters.
As a starting volume it sets the world greatly and this volume's arc of the is interesting albeit a bit weak considering .
It's a great start but I hope it achieves more. After the first volume I was looking forward what Seth Peck was cooking with Eldritch, the MC and his arm, and the scientist's assistant. It has all the plot threads ready to really be something amazing, but that doesn't fix that this first volume has some rough spots in emotional climaxes and cast size.
Also, for anyone's who has read my Nomen Omen reviews, this comic continues the bi-panic of who to focus on. The men and women are too nice looking 0~O
While the art was nice the more impressive part of The Realm is its composition and paneling. The composition is a bit simple but it works extremely well. The composition has really great timing and flow from panel to panel. The composition is extremely amazing. The composition feels quite cinematic with camera shot-like composition. This combines with the paneling and the timing between panel to panel to create a very well-paced and cinema/TV show-like reading experience.
This pairs with the story's arc-like structure. I am doing this review after reading the second volume. It seems like each volume is going to be treated as an individual arc with a fairly contained story while advancing an overarching storyline and character arcs.
I do have an issue with some of the characters looking a bit same-y. The MC is helping a group of individual on a trek but some of the characters look to similar. At one point a character from the crew who is barely shown or brought up . The issue is he looks pretty similar to the MC meaning that I was confused when a few pages later the MC is alive and resting considering he should've been dead if he was the person who had did that. Reading volume two this isn't as much of an issue but as a first volume it is an issue that I feel like the artist's could've helped alleviate by using some more unique character design elements to differentiate some of the characters.
It seems that The Realm aims to take a no-prisoner style when it comes to who is killed. Case in point, the volume ends . I think this is handled pretty poorly however. I just feel like the emotional moments feel a bit lacking. . This is supposed to feel shocking but I felt nothing. Another "shocking" moment I didn't feel was the . I think it is mostly an issue of cast size and little downtime. More downtime would give us more time to care for these characters and a smaller cast means more screen time to et to know and attack to these characters.
As a starting volume it sets the world greatly and this volume's arc of the is interesting albeit a bit weak considering .
It's a great start but I hope it achieves more. After the first volume I was looking forward what Seth Peck was cooking with Eldritch, the MC and his arm, and the scientist's assistant. It has all the plot threads ready to really be something amazing, but that doesn't fix that this first volume has some rough spots in emotional climaxes and cast size.
Also, for anyone's who has read my Nomen Omen reviews, this comic continues the bi-panic of who to focus on. The men and women are too nice looking 0~O
April 16, 2023
This first volume in the series is a collage of different genre staples that, while well done, didn't grip me enough to track down the next two books. Set in near future America, the basic concept is that some 10-15 years ago, something happened that brought fantasy monsters (goblins, orcs, dragons, etc.) in our world, resulting in the collapse of civilization. What remains are walled enclaves of humanity, armed with guns, bows, and swords, eking out a quasi post-apocalyptic existence.
The hero is Will, who makes a living leading people across the wasteland, from enclave to enclave. He is hired to take a pair of scientists on a mysterious mission from Chicago to Kansas City. This first book introduces these, and other characters, along with various dangers along the way. If this sounds similar to "The Last of Us"... well, it certainly has that same vibe. Various secrets and supernatural hints are introduced, including a mysterious red-bearded super warrior, and a sorcerer working in service to a dark lord seeking to conquer our world.
It's capably done, and I quite liked the linework and colors, and yet it all felt kind of generic. The action is a fun mix of guns and swords and arrows, but that's not enough to carry things. Presumably, future installments will reveal what happened to the world, as well as the various character secrets, but I'm not interested enough to find out what they are.
The hero is Will, who makes a living leading people across the wasteland, from enclave to enclave. He is hired to take a pair of scientists on a mysterious mission from Chicago to Kansas City. This first book introduces these, and other characters, along with various dangers along the way. If this sounds similar to "The Last of Us"... well, it certainly has that same vibe. Various secrets and supernatural hints are introduced, including a mysterious red-bearded super warrior, and a sorcerer working in service to a dark lord seeking to conquer our world.
It's capably done, and I quite liked the linework and colors, and yet it all felt kind of generic. The action is a fun mix of guns and swords and arrows, but that's not enough to carry things. Presumably, future installments will reveal what happened to the world, as well as the various character secrets, but I'm not interested enough to find out what they are.
June 18, 2018
this book surprised me. it explores a fantasy world like any other, some kind of post-apocalyptic invasion. but it goes much deeper than that, it seems to want to explore characters and story rather than let the post-apocalyptic control and drive the book. the best part is that some of the panels have no lettering, this allows the book to do what it does best. tell a story through visuals. and it's beautiful. the main character isnt overly glorified, neither is his female partner. (Rook) is her name and shes really awesome! although you dont see her taking out entire battalions of orcs by herself to show she's awesome, she has skills but its not over done or unbelievable. the same can be said about the Main character Will Nolan, he's not particularly dazzeling or incredibly skilled in combat, or anything you would see a "trained" combatant do, more you can sense he can handle himself because he's been in this world awhile, its believable, and refreshing. this book is an absolute recommend! i cant wait to grab Vol. 2
January 7, 2024
This was much more interesting than I had expected! Something like if you crossed ‘The Last of Us’ with ‘Dungeons and Dragons’, with a dash of ‘Mad Max’ and ‘Game of Thrones’.
A merc, Nolan, who trusts no-one, but deep down has a heart of gold, and his badarse partner, Rook, take on a job to escort a group of four people west. The group includes two scientists who are carrying a secret object, while Nolan has his own magical secret. Along the way they collect a youth who saves them from a goblin horde, a kid who doesn’t die, and a warrior so effective that the orcs are afraid of him.
The antagonist is a power-hungry sorcerer in charge of an army of goblins, orcs, trolls, and other creatures, who makes a deal with an eldritch entity (who gives some real King in Yellow vibes) for even more power. He is tasked to find the scientist’s secret object.
I really enjoyed the world, and the way that information is bled out into the story without being too expositional. The characters are intriguing, the secrets have me hooked, and I really want to know what happens next.
A merc, Nolan, who trusts no-one, but deep down has a heart of gold, and his badarse partner, Rook, take on a job to escort a group of four people west. The group includes two scientists who are carrying a secret object, while Nolan has his own magical secret. Along the way they collect a youth who saves them from a goblin horde, a kid who doesn’t die, and a warrior so effective that the orcs are afraid of him.
The antagonist is a power-hungry sorcerer in charge of an army of goblins, orcs, trolls, and other creatures, who makes a deal with an eldritch entity (who gives some real King in Yellow vibes) for even more power. He is tasked to find the scientist’s secret object.
I really enjoyed the world, and the way that information is bled out into the story without being too expositional. The characters are intriguing, the secrets have me hooked, and I really want to know what happens next.
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