Titan Comics 2016
Written by George Mann
Illustrated by Tazio Betin
Coloured by Enrica Eren Angiolini
Lettered by Rob Steen
The Calaphrax Cluster: cut off from the universe by a warp storm for ten thousand years, now suddenly accessible again. Sent by Lord Azrael to cleanse the region, Baltus and his fellow Dark Angels Space Marines made planetfall on Exyrion, where they tracked a mysterious signal to a cavernous hive – one infested by twisted warpspawn! On a diplomatic mission to Tintaroth, Altheous is trying to persuade its isolationist nobles to enter the war. Watching from orbit, the Iron Warriors, Space Marines consumed by Chaos, sent an asteroid slamming into Exyrion, cracking the underhive open! As the ground battle commences and the Iron Warriors chase down their prize, Baltus and his squad head deeper into the dark of Exyrion. And above them, Inquisitor Sabbathiel has discovered the remains of an ancient squad of Dark Angels..
I’ve long said that Titan has this great way of turning franchises into comics that can appeal to a wider audience. While I’ve only known OF Warhammer, i’ve never played or been introduced to it, this series has so far been a wonderful introduction to it. I mean George obviously knows this franchise well, he’s written novels based on it, so that he’s making this so new reader friendly without feeling it’s a guide for dummies well that’s fantastic to me.
He’s been giving us these great looks at each faction in play here while reinforcing their stance and how they feel about each other. All the while there’s been this huge story with side plots that just flow naturally. The way he’s structured the story and used the characters and their characterisation to further the plot has been spectacularly done. He’s made this for me a brand new world I want to get to know better and that is what a good, solid and talented writer does he gets you involved and invested so you want to know more.
The interiors here are utterly marvelous as well. I love the mix of victorian attire and the giant mechanical suits the characters wear. There’s something wonderful about the mix visually that captures the imagination. The use of page layouts through angles, perspective and the use of backgrounds really help tell a fuller story. Plus the creativity and imagination on display with new species or mutated people is really impressive as well.
For me this a new universe to sink my teeth into and explore. Who better than George to really get our feet wet with the factions, what they represent and what they ultimately strive for? The characterisation is strong and you get a sense of who’s who but not necessarily who's right in their thinking so it’s an ever changing thought process of who benefits and which faction is the one we should be behind.
This is an exciting new franchise in comics that is fraught with action/adventure and the unknown spoils of war. Jump on board for an interesting new series that has everything you could hope for.