Sword of Sorcery #0
Story by Christy Marx (Amethyst); Tony Bedard (Beowulf)
Art by Aaron Lopresti (Amethyst); Jesus Saiz (Beowulf)
Review by Mara Whiteside
I tend to get overly excited when I see comic books with female leads. I geeked out big time when I picked up my copy of Womanthology: Space earlier today, and all my female #0 issues (excluding Birds of Prey) are strewn across my coffee table. That being said, you better believe I was excited to pick up Sword of Sorcery today.
I went into this book completely blind. Not one ounce of research, no reading up on who was writing/drawing it, nothing. Not even looking up Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld on Wikipedia. Blank slate. And you know what? I enjoyed this issue.
Amy is your angsty teenage girl. You know the one: multi-colored hair, baggy clothes, constant relocation, and untraditional family. She spends her free time sparing with her mother (which was never explained in the context of the story—Why was Amy so open to sword fighting? Did she like it? Did she like being the tough girl? Hopefully explored later!). Her mother promised to take her to her real home when she turned 17. Amy expected a place much like the homes she’s had in her 17 years of life. Instead, she gets something completely different.
In Nilaa, an alternate world, a ruler named Lady Mordiel is killing her relatives (those that are a product of sown wild oats, ifyaknowwhatImean) and absorbing their power for herself. Sounds like we know who are bad guy is. Mordiel seems to be on a quest to rule Nilaa with an iron fist.
I really don’t want to give away everything in this issue, though the Amethyst story is pretty predictable and formulaic. This story feels like I’m watching a cartoon when I was a child. That’s not a bad thing. It’s awesome to be able to suspend reality for 10 minutes and think about a world where gems have power, where family does not look out for your best interest, and girls on the fringe of society fight for what’s good.
The issue also comes with a story about Beowulf. Yep, that Beowulf. However, this story seems different. There is a blending of modern and ancient elements, so it’s going to be hard determining how far Tony Bedard will stray from the original text. Beautiful artwork, and a two-page spread that is channeling J. H. Williams III’s style.
THE VERDICT
If you like fantasy and women with swords kicking butt, this is your comic book! From this one issue, I’m getting the fantasy/outrageous feel. Sometimes you just need a fun comic book, and Sword of Sorcery fits the bill.
