Aspen Comics 2018
Written by J.T. Krul
Illustrated by Michael Sta. Maria
Lettered by Micah Myers
In the thriving kingdom of Janna, a young princess named Ara is raised by her loving parents, King Kenaq and Queen Luna. Her life is one of joy and safety until an invading army led by King Graim storms the kingdom, aided by a mysterious sorcerer named Torinthal with a hidden agenda all his own. During the course of the battle, Luna hides Ara away in a private chamber while she stands against Torinthal and his assailants. Unbeknownst to Ara, Luna reveals her own secret in defending her family. She is a d’jinn, a mystical being from another realm. Luna tries to attack Torinthal, but he has gained possession of her vessel and thus now controls her. When the assailants discover Ara in hiding, the trauma of her impending doom triggers something in her and for the first time in her life Ara experiences a transformation of her own - becoming something quite other. She’s not human. She’s not d’jinn. She’s something in between, and she’s powerful. She defeats the assailants and helps turn the tide of the battle for Janna, saving her kingdom. But, the damage is done. Her mother, the queen, is gone. As her father, King Kenaq, struggles to go on after the devastating loss, Ara takes it upon herself to embark on a quest. For her father, for her kingdom, Ara will find Luna. She will bring the queen home.
You would almost think this could be our past when we see the things that are going on, the majority of the town in the Fernaldi Plains has a very Egyptian feel to it thanks to the way the locals dress as it pertains equally regardless of race. That if it weren’t for Ara and her background that is. When you meet her you can feel her presence and how not different she is but that she is one who commands attention. The fact that there is a lot to like about this franchise among them is that it really feels like an adventuring series that has elements to it you’ll find familiar and others that won’t.
The way this is structured is extremely well done, from the first page to the last it has a very nice ebb & flow to it. The mixture of story, action and interesting revelations all happen naturally so as nothing feels as it is forced. Also if you haven’t read anything of previous arcs then you are completely in luck because this is a great jumping on point for new readers, yes I mean it’s new reader friendly. J.T. manages to bring the past into the present so as to better understand the d’jinn of this reality and how they came to be here. This allows for the reader to be able to really join in and feel as if they didn’t miss anything and can enjoy this for the adventure that it is. Now if you went back and got the first two afterwards well that wouldn’t be so bad either.
Michael’s interiors are pretty stellar as well. I like the attention to detail and how the use of colour can make a moment pop, stand out and leave that indelible impression. The way page layouts are utilised and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows off a really nice eye for storytelling. Also because of the environment of the world here backgrounds aren’t always feasible but then they they are used perfectly! Plus the attention to detail there matches if not exceeds the work on the characters and for an example check out that crazy library work room! Plus the fact that his rendition of Asa makes her strong, powerful and a force unto herself adds to her characterisation beautifully.
If Asa were to allow others to join her on her quest it might a little more like a proper adventuring book, I mean alone is great with a few others is better since it opens up avenues of storytelling a single person cannot provide. Otherwise I will wholeheartedly admit right here and now this is much more entertaining than Xena is and not just because she’s part d’jinn either. It is however more than likely that this fresh, new, exciting and ever so different in a few key areas.
J.T. and company provide some extremely fine work here to bring this character and her story to life and joining her for the journey is recommended.