Wrath of the Eternal Warrior #7

By Robert Venditti, Raul Allen, Patricia Martin.

“A man who is a master of patience is master of everything else…”
― George Savile

Valiant Entertainment’s Wrath of the Eternal Warrior #7 is a well conceived, written, and artistically rendered book that succeeds on a variety of levels. Writer Robert Venditti has created a very interesting villain with the “‘Labyrinth” story arc that is intelligent, patient, methodical, determined, and fully capable of executing his master plans to their intended effect. It is refreshing to read as the history and events unfold page after page with the high quality art created by the team of both artist Raul Allen and colorist/letterer Patricia Martin. Wrath of the Eternal Warrior #7’s story is unique amongst what has been seen in the Valiant Universe since the 2012 re-launch, and while it visually appears quite different than most other Valiant titles, it possesses an artistic quality that shouldn’t be ignored.

Artistically, Wrath of the Eternal Warrior #7 appears visually along the same lines as issues #1 through #4, which isn’t surprising as it utilizes the same creative team. It is penciled and colored with a simple but effective style that, while not common with Valiant titles, is certainly recognizable to fans and readers of this series.

Allen’s art style matches well with the pace this story; effectively showing action, movement, and emotion while creating an interesting mechanical and sterilized setting for all events to take place. It has been said in previous reviews that Allen’s artwork is quite good, which is demonstrated yet again with his work on this issue. Each page placing the spotlight on what is actually occurring and the characters involved. While Allen’s art is certainly not intended to be photorealistic in anyway, readers my find themselves completely immersed in this story which is perhaps the best indicator of how Allen’s art supports the writing, but further succeeds as a whole.

Martin is again a perfect match with Allen. This is a story where the colors greatly influence how this story is told and provide visual cues to the reader indicating locations of the events throughout the story. There are the earth tones used for the outside world; a spooky used of greenish blue for the “Labyrinth” with a contrasting use of reds and pinks for events happening behind the scenes with the antagonists of this tale. In many ways, greens are used for The Eternal Warrior, and reds are used for the forces that oppose him. This creates a visual masterpiece of contrasting color that works fantastically. Martin further provides the lettering, which is a vital component of comics that is often overlooked.

Wrath of the Eternal Warrior #7 is a masterfully written story that is artistically crafted in such a way that gets better with each consecutive reading. It is entertaining, interesting, and surprisingly strong in such a way that the future of the title appears bright and inviting. While some fans and readers might have initially been taken aback with this title, Wrath of the Eternal Warrior appears to have found its stride and has evolved into a finely crafted product that provides fans and readers a completely entertaining story.