A Review: BLACK ROAD #1

The Fellowship was fortunate enough to obtain a copy of BLACK ROAD #1 from Image Comics. Brian Wood writes, Garry Brown draws, Dave McCaig colors, and Steve Wands letters.

Magnus the Black is a denizen of the Northlands, a hard place to live. Made harder by the death of his wife, and by the coming of the Christians. Magnus is offered money to escort one of these Christians along the Black Road, which leads north to another town. The road is a dangerous one, and the Cardinal falls in an attack. But his “guardian angel” lives, and Magnus’ journey is not over yet.

Magnus is as hard as the Northlands, but likeable nonetheless. This first issue really helps us to get to know him, and it gives us a sense of what his world is like (not pleasant). And it still manages to blend all of that information with some cool action scenes. But the art isn’t just about the action; it handles the environment beautifully, and the color work really builds the different settings.

This is a book about a character in a major period of transition in his life. He just happens to be in a Viking-esque dark-ages setting. Which is a pretty cool twist if you think about it. Pick this one up.

BLACK ROAD #1 is available now at your FLCS or at imagecomics.com.

~Mike ( @MikeyGeek )