Birthright #2

by Joshua Williamson, Andrei Bressan & Adriano Lucas

Sometimes when a series has a strong first issue it is common for the second to be a little more toned down. Keeping that in mind before reading Birthright #2 this week, my expectations were blown away. The Rhodes family is still dealing with the news that a barbarian is in police custody claiming to be their lost son. He claims he was lost in a fantasy world where he was raised as the hero who would save Terrenos. Now it seems he has work to do in our world and he is tired of being held in the police station.

Joshua Williamson has really made a name for himself at Image lately cranking out great horror comics like Nailbiter and Ghosted. When he brings his intense style and mixes it with the fantasy genre it makes for a surprisingly unique concept. Williamson keeps the story rolling and doesn’t waste much time. Showing both the present timeline and flashing back to Mikey’s time in Terrenos has made Birthright feel incredibly rich and deep for only being two issues so far. Williamson has really hit the jackpot with this series and I think has really found his niche.

Birthright looks absolutely amazing. Balancing the dark fantasy tones with a story set in the present time. Everything looks so incredibly detailed and feels real. There is a particular page that has a large panel filled with an array of Mikey’s weapons that was just remarkable to look at. Andrei Bressan’s meticulous inking with Adriano Lucas’s bold color palette are the ideal combination to bring Birthright to life on the page.

Birthright is proving to be an incredibly strong series that could easily turn into the next runaway hit. It has elements of all sorts of genres that all readers should be able to enjoy and delve into. I had to keep reminding myself that this was only issue two because of how quickly Birthright captivated me. Say hello to your new favorite series.