WRITTEN BY: Joshua Williamson

ART BY: Andrei Bressan

PUBLISHER: Image Comics

PRICE: $2.99

RELEASE: February 4, 2015

A lot of comics would go from mid-battle in the previous issue to a single panel battle wrap-up so that the old issue can end suspensefully and the new issue can move on and be fresh. It’s a common strategy, and a logical one, and it’s one that I’m glad they completely ignore in issue #5 of Birthright. The issue starts with the battle between Mikey and Rya and the beast, in the past, and the battle between Mikey and the Ward, in the present. Both battles work to characterize Mikey as a whole and complex person; the past shows the boy he was and the innocence and compassion therein, and the present shows how far he’s willing to go, and his motivations for doing so. Plus blood and fire and swords are cool.

This issue also does a lot of work to develop the relationship between Mikey and Brennan. Brennan, in some strange way, still feels like the protective older brother of this full grown warrior man. He’s beginning to realize that Mikey is his brother and also might not be exactly what he seems. He’s dealing with this introduction of moral ambiguity exactly the way a big brother would; he’s not telling their dad, because that’s a tattletale move, and he’s not pushing Mikey on it, because he figures it’s secret for a reason, but he’s going to stand by his brother and protect him and maybe find out a little more about the secrets.

The art in this issue is consistent, and the character designs… I want to talk about the character designs, and the way they develop consistently with the characters as the characters change, but I don’t want to say what exactly I mean by that, because I don’t want to actually prepare you for the last panel of this issue. When you get there, you’ll see what I mean. As always, Adriano Lucas is kicking ass on colors, particularly the palette during the battle in the forest. The panel layout is creative enough to avoid monotony, but not complicated enough to inhibit the plot. The real strength, though, is very much the characters; the details of their appearance, their body language, their facial expressions, it all combines to convey the very real and complex human (and nonhuman otherworldly) characters realistically.

The main flaws I see in this issue are the parents. They are the least interesting, realistic, and believable characters of the series, but development over time could help flesh them out more and make them as engaging as the others. And not to repeat myself, but the last panel. You guys, the last panel. It’s a gorgeous splash, and it’s everything. It’s absolutely responsible for why I’m so mad about waiting two months for the next installment.

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Katy Rex writes comics analysis at endoftheuniversecomics.com, comicsbulletin.com, and bloody-disgusting.com. She also writes scholarly articles for various academic journals. She really likes butt jokes, dinosaurs, and killing psychos and midgets in Borderlands 2. She has a great sense of humor if you’re not an asshole.

The post Comic Book Review: “Birthright” #5 – Hang On For Final Reveal! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

WRITTEN BY: Joshua Williamson

ART BY: Andrei Bressan

PUBLISHER: Image Comics

PRICE: $2.99

RELEASE: October 8, 2014

I suppose I wasn’t the only kid who spent his youth bombing around in the forest looking for treasure, goblins, and adventure. But, Joshua Williamson made his fiction into a beautiful reality with “Birthright.” He takes the elements of 80’s adventure fuel and injects the idea with a brand new sense of life.

The premise is simple. Mikey is out playing catch with his father on the edge of a forest, when suddenly his disappears. Mikey’s disappearance causes his family to fall apart. His absence has created a void that can’t be filled, until a roided out “Lord of the Rings reject” shows up at the local police station. It’s Mikey and he’s become a fantasy warlord.

What follows is an interrogation scene that proves Mikey is indeed who he says he is despite having aged significantly. He’s gained an incredible mass of muscle and he appears to be an all around badass. Sadly, the interrogation scene was one of the only things that didn’t work for me. It felt like an easy way out for exposition, but saves itself within the final two pages.

Andrei Bressan has brought the world of “Birthright” to live with incredible splendor. I was consistently blown away by his page layouts, as he would often have a dominant panel take up three quarters of the page to communicate something imperative, but the scope of his work is unrivaled. He has so much confidence in his display of the fantasy world of Terrenos that it’s staggering. Seriously, just wait until you see his two page spread when Mikey is introduced to the world, your jaw will drop.

“Birthright” feels like the story Joshua Williamson was destined to tell. It’s a confident 80’s tribute dripping with it’s own personal style, it revives the adventure genre in a beautiful way and comes to define the idealized child hero in a risky but captivating new way.

This is something every 80’s child has dreamed of, but spins it in the most interesting way possible. “Birthright” will make you think about destiny in a whole new way, and show you a fully realized world that rivals the imagination of Jim Henson. With an adventure reminiscent of Labyrinth, and the heart of Stand By Me, Williamson and Bressan will have you captivated from page one.

Buy this comic!

The post [Comic Book Review] Reading “Birthright” #1 Is Your Destiny appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

If you dig dark fantasy then you’ll love BIRTHRIGHT it’s a love letter to movies of the 80’s like The Goonies, The Dark Crystal, and Dario Argento’s Phenomena. The colors evoke an 80’s fever dream, the art is simply astounding. It’s dripping in tribute, but manages to be completely original. I’ve since taken in the first two issues and cannot recommend them enough. The first issue is a fast paced character study that functions around the hole a missing person can create, but operates on the dream of every little boy: what if you were whisked away to a fantasy land to become the ultimate hero?

That’s the main conceit of “Birthright” but it’s so much more. It’ll blow you away with the last page and just dare you to read issue two. Don’t miss it, and preorder the first issue with this handy form.

FROM IMAGE:

The post [Preorder This] Joshua Williamson’s “Birthright” #1 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

WRITTEN BY: Fabian Niceiza
ILLUSTRATIONS BY: Steve Scott, Daniel Sampere, Andrei Bressan, Walden Wong , Rich Perrotta , Rodney Ramos
COVERS BY: Tony Daniel
INKS BY: Ian Hannin
LETTERS BY: Jared K. Fletcher

“Over the years, Dick Grayson has worn several guises: First, he was Robin the Boy Wonder, then Nightwing, and finally Batman. But now that Bruce Wayne has donned the cape and cowl once again, Dick finds himself at an identity crossroad”

“BATMAN” Issue #713 Drops August 17th From DC Comics! (MSRP – $2.99)

The post ‘Batman’ Comes To An End Before The DC Relaunch With Issue #713! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.