Titan Comics 2016
Written by George Mann
Illustrated by Tazio Bettin
Ink Assists by Jed Dougherty
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 discovered an ancient, powerful artefact in a cavernous hive – one infested by twisted warpspawn! Now, forces of Dark Angels and the Titans of Tintaroth clash with a speartip of Iron Warriors on the surface of Exyrion, as the Chaos Space Marines push ever-closer to the ancient, buried weapon. Baltus’s squad has already suffered heavy casualties. With only four Marines left to hold off the Iron Warriors pursuing them into the caverns, can the Dark Angels keep the weapon out of the hands of their enemies?
This has been one of those introductions to a franchise in the comics medium that is equally fun for those who don’t know anything about it and for those who are intimately familiar with it. George manages to showcase the various factions and their role in this universe extremely well. While it’s never quite clear which one is in the right it is nice to see that all of them believe that they are. That each faction really believes that they are the god given right side in all this makes for some interesting reading.
I really am enjoying how this series not only establishes the factions and their beliefs but how George goes about keeping them all as ambiguous as possible. It makes me want to know more about the franchise and how it works. I’ve never role played the Warhammer game but this series does go above and beyond in making me want to experience it. Titan has assembled some of the best talent working today to really bring these properties to life so that they effortlessly cross genres and become so much more than the original material made it out to be.
The use of the interior artwork here to bring this to life has been exceptional. The way they manage to work in this armour and weaponry into the designs has this almost awe inspiring elements to it. The use of page layouts with their angles, perspective and use of backgrounds really do bring us into this story wonderfully. The creativity and imagination on display here is really nice to see.
This does what it’s supposed to do and introduces us to a franchise get us involved in what’s going on and leaves us wanting more. I’m looking forward to the next installment as we continue to explore this universe and these characters and continue to learn more about them. With strong writing, premise, and characterisation surrounded by wonderful interiors Titan keeps making its claim to be one of the most exciting comics on stands today!