Titan Comics 2019
Written by V.E. Schwab
Illustrated by Andrea Olimpieri
Coloured by Enrica Eren Angiolini
Flatted by Cassandra Peirano
Lettered by Rob Steen
With each new conquest, Rowan conscripted magicians. The willing joined his cause and his army grew, until its might began to rival that of the Maxim Empire. Learning of the Rebel Army’s unchecked advance, Prince Maxim Maresh tried to send help to the neighboring coastal town of Milos. Before it could arrive, Milos was destroyed in a single terror-filled night of violence and death, leaving the fate of Verose and the defense of the entire Maresh Empire solely in the hands of Maxim and his Garrison...
One of the things that I love about Titan Comics is that they aren't afraid of taking on an already existing franchise. I never would have known much about Assassin's Creed without them and they've managed to equally impress me with The Steel Prince. Though I am now intrigued and wouldn't mind reading Schawb's novels now, if I am not mistaken my father and would enjoy these immensely. I like the idea behind the story and seeing Maxim sent away and in essence being forced to grow up. Being sent to a place this far away where few respect the crown let alone him by any stretch of the imagination yeah I am fully behind that.
Thus far I have enjoyed watching him grow into manhood and while he may not have entirely won everyone over I do believe he's well on his way to becoming someone worthy of respect. I like the way that this issue opens as we see what the standard modus operandi is being utilised to swell the ranks of the Rebel Army ensures their victory in each port. The story & plot development we're seeing through the sequence of events unfolding is extremely well done. The character development here is phenomenal to see and how the dialogue and the way characters interact with each is beautifully handled. The pacing is superb it's strong and as it reveals the twists and turns it all creates this really nice ebb & flow to the book.
There are various pieces of the puzzles that we see in play here and as a few fall into place we start to see how the future is going to unfold. I like the realistic way that Maxim is approaching what is happening and what he plans on doing about it. It also what is almost a slow burn to it, in this I mean that the action isn't immediate but it doesn't have to be because it manages to build a really delicious kind of tension and anticipation. So we still get all these emotions and this tightness in the shoulders for what's going to happen before it does.
The interiors here are really really good. I like the strength we see in the linework as well as the varying weights being utilised to bring about the attention to detail. I am very impressed with the way the composition inside the panels is brought to us. With the backgrounds and different vantage points we get this great depth perception, scale and a size and scope to the book. Plus the creativity and imagination in how we see the architecture is fantastic! The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a good, solid eye for storytelling. I like the colour work we see here as well. There are moments like the figurehead or the clouds that really have those qualities that stand out. Plus seeing the fire and just the overall way the maps come alive beautifully and it captures the mind, imagination and this creativity.
This is one those books that combines so much to create something unique. There's mystery, drama, action/adventure/thriller and personal growth that we see throughout the story. The characters are incredibly well thought out and their evolution and growth is interesting to watch occur. This is a beautifully written and illustrated book that continues to demonstrate why I hold Titan Comics I n high regard.