I was introduced to Birthright (Image), written by Joshua Williamson, art by Andrei Bressan and Adriano Lucas, by the manager of a comics shop in Atlanta called Oxford Comics. It’s a great store, and his was a great suggestion.
The Birthright storyline and characters get under your skin quickly. Mikey, the main character, gets lost as a boy, leading the community to think his irresponsible father may have killed him. But he shows up a year later as a muscular warrior from another dimension — and all you-know-what breaks loose.
In this spread, warrior Mikey uses his weapon, the Flaming Sword of Mount Blood, to kill a wizard who has entered our dimension from Terrenos, the world to which Mikey was kidnapped as a boy. But is Mikey the hero he claims to be, or will he submit to the evil presence he has brought to earth with him?
Mikey’s brother, Brennan, who has joined his now giant brother in his quest to rid our world of the Terrenos wizards, must decide if this stranger is who he says he is. In fact, Mikey’s entire family must decide this, as his disappearance has ripped them apart over the past year.
Birthright is equal parts fantasy adventure and family drama. This combination will give you a lot to ponder as you devour the quick-moving story and gorgeous art. The characters and monsters in this story are well-developed and visually appealing. Williamson uses great page-turn cliffhangers to keep you turning the pages.
I won’t ruin the story for you, but in the second volume, one of the characters you fall in love with in volume 1, Rya, turns up in our world … pregnant. She claims Mikey is not all he says he is, so we, too, must decide if he is helping or hurting his original world and family.