Birthright
Jumanji RR Martin
Release Date: OUT NOW!
Publisher: Image Writer: Joshua Williamson Artist: Andrei Bressan
Birthright
moves fire- fast and barely stops to catch dragon- breath. Our hero, Mikey, is introduced as a little boy running into the woods, playing catch with his dad. Mikey doesn’t return, and is declared missing. A search is mounted, and his dad’s accused of murdering his son, which leads to the collapse of his marriage. For a lot of books, that would be enough to fill an issue. Here, it’s the first five pages.
The next time we see Mikey, a year’s passed. Only, he’s not a little boy. He’s a fully- grown warrior, sitting in a police station covered in bad- ass armour, looking like Conan via Jon Snow. Turns out Mikey ran face- first into a fantasy world full of magic, dragons and monsters. Time passed differently there, so he’s now an adult while his family have barely aged. He’s back to save the world ( or is he?). But first, he has to convince his parents he’s the little boy they lost…
And that’s only the beginning. Joshua Williamson has created a rich world, full of detail and wonder. The narrative shifts between present reality and Mikey’s past adventures, resulting in evocative drama on one page followed by epic action on the next. Each reality is compelling, and beautifully rendered by artist Andrei Bressan.
If Birthright keeps up this pace, it’ll be the best book Image has put out since Saga. It’s not fantasy to suggest you’ll be hearing a lot more about this one. Sam Ashurst Birthright is a comic packed with detail. Look closely through issue one for cameos by Conan, Willow and He- Man. Morrison’s Sinatoro – originally written as a movie screenplay – is being adapted into a comic. Issue one’s due in April.