War is coming, but it was never supposed to get to this point. Peace between the Sethoru and the Rahtumi had been reached and the next great age of magic had begun, but a terrorist named Onyx who is an exiled member of the Sethoru would have none of the peace and coexistence. In the third volume of Soulfire from Aspen Comics, Onyx will do anything to put the Sethoru back on top. Writer JT Krul and artist Jason Fabok get the action started in this futuristic fantasy world set in the year 2212.
Malikai, the chosen one who started this age of magic with his powers, has exiled himself until he can better learn to control his powers. With Malikai gone that leaves only Grace, the last survivor of the previous age of magic to defend Anantia from Onyx. With Onyx more powerful than ever thanks to her release of forbidden dark magic, Grace is going to have more than her share of problems restoring peace and prosperity to the kingdom.
Soulfire issues 0-4 are on stands of comic shops now. The series feels like you are walking into a sequel of a movie without ever seeing the first movie. The characters are already established with long back stories and you will only be able to get the gist of who they are. It is established that Grace is good, Onyx is bad and Malikai is worried about what he is capable of.
The lack of defining who the characters are takes away from an interesting plot and some very cool concepts in the story. The Age of Magic and the constant struggle between the two races is interesting but why do they hate each other and what makes them different.
The art of Jason Fabok is beautiful. He draws strong and stunning women with a textured energetic style. Fabok works heavily with shadows and plays with the darkness to really create depth in his art. The story definitely plays upon Fabok’s strengths with settings in the jungles of South Africa and the frozen streets of Russia mixed in with the fantasy heavy world of Anantia. The art for the series is consistently beautiful.
JT Krul writes some fun dialogue in these comics. The tone and the attitude of the story is set by the characters and their like and dislike of each other which is conveyed with hyperbolic statements that add punch to the scenes and helps to showcase the art. The story does feel like it starts in the middle and there is little catch up as to what is happening, but Krul does give a plan of where the story is going and that is to war with lots of action.
The decision: Soulfire is a fantasy action adventure starring strong and likable female characters. The art of Soulfire issues 0-4 is eye-catching. Background of all that has happened before would be appreciated since this is the start of a new series which encourages new readers. Fans of the original volumes of Soulfire will find this to be an exciting new volume in the mythos of Aspen Comics’ signature series.
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