Review: Sovereign #1 – Spoiled

Beware the spoilers in this one!

Who doesn’t love an epic story of swords and sorcery? There are a lot of movie and TV shows that bring us huge beautiful worlds, differing peoples and cultures, and magic, but not that many comic books that bring us the same sort of thing. Enter the world of Sovereign.

Set in three acts, Sovereign #1 begins with a story of the Luminari. Brother Swift, Sister Wren, and Father Griffon are traveling through the world when they come upon a group of people who were attacked. These “lowlanders” are spoken of with disdain by Brother Swift, but Sister Wren talks the two into staying and taking care of consigning the dead to their proper rest. This means certain rites must be performed. Unfortunately, when they are circling each villager with salt, dismembering them, and burning their remains, the other bodies come to life. Brother Swift moves to protect the others while they work, but the horde of zombified villagers may be too much for him…

Act Two takes us to the open plains to follow Janramir Rhan, son of the great horselord, as he hunts massive beasts with his men. Night after night he remains on the plains instead of going home. He speaks of the life of royalty with disdain and would as well give it up than have to deal with the politics. The parties and balls are not the way of life he wants. After a great hunt, Janramir returns to camp to hear that his father, who had been ill, has finally died and now he must return home to take up the mantle of leadership.

Now, to the ocean as the final act of our story focuses on an unlikely traveler, Pol Ravenstone who looks more comfortable in a library than on the deck of a ship. His companions on the voyage are Lady Joslyn Evrendon and Commander Argus mag Donnac. They are heading to the court of the Rhan, as Lady Joslyn is the envoy of Queen Zarabet. Commander Argus is the lady’s bodyguard and the head of the Highland Scouts. Their journey is interrupted as a massive sea creature attacks the ship and is finally vanquished. The strange thing about the creature, as Pol points out, is that is it is some sort of undead finback, like a giant shark although mostly decomposed.

A strange new world has been introduced in Sovereign #1. The creative team of Chris Roberson and Paul Maybury has painted very broad strokes for this first issue. The writing is smooth and easy to follow and the art, while not bright and vibrant, helps to show the state of this world that is being visited by a strange darkness of undeath. An epic tale is in the making and so many questions are handed to us, as they should be, with this first issue. Will the Luminari survive the onslaught of undead villagers? How will Janmir handle the death of his father and the weight of being a leader? What is Lady Joslyn’s mission to the court of the Rhan and what role does Pol play in it? All of these and more will be answered and added to as we, too, embark on the fabulous journey that is Sovereign.

My Rating: 4/5

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