In the debut issue of this self-proclaimed landmark series by Brandon Graham, we are introduced to a Lady of the blood house who, for reasons unknown now inhabits a body made up of roots. She is accompanied by a knight named Arclight, who is steady fast in support of his support of her, despite the delicate condition she’s in. They have been hiding out on the edges of the kingdom, but now return home to court, to find the the Lady’s true body is back inhabited by the alien whose body she is now stuck with. There is also blood magic, dancing, pretty court scenes, and a huge number of androgynous cast members. This comic will be a guessing game for even the most astute reader.
After reading the first issue I had to find the synopsis online to ascertain the plot of the story. I see that as a miss for Graham on writing and execution. The story wastes whole pages on sweeping visuals of the landscape, with little to no explication or character development. The reader gets a very general sense that the root creature is “The Lady” and Arclight is a knight of some sort at her disposal. At the end of the story I was still confused as to whether Arclight was male or female. I guessed male but I’m not certain. This is intended, as the publisher advertises the series as containing “Sharp genderqueer knights, blood magic, music, dancing, and a goose.”
This seems to have the potential to develop into an elaborate science fiction story, but it will require no small amount of patience on the part of the reader. I would only recommend this story for very patient readers of cryptic plot lines, although the colors come in a variety of pastels giving the comic a unique look and feel.
For this or other great titles from Image, visit their website. Image Comics
Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.
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