Writer: Fred Van Lente
Artist: Dennis Calero
Publisher: Titan Comics
Assassin’s Creed has been a blockbuster franchise ever since 2007, with multiple video game releases and an upcoming movie adaptation. 2016 is a different year for the franchise, however, as this will be the first in which a main game won’t be released. Sure, there are two entries in the Chronicles series, but that’s just not the same. So what should AC fans do in the meantime?
Well, Titan Comics has partnered with writer Fred Van Lente (Marvel Zombies, Iron Man) and artist Dennis Calero (Cowboys & Aliens, X-Men Noir) to create the perfect antidote.
Assassin’s Creed Templars is a new series that forgoes the standard Assassin’s Creed plot and instead follows members of the Templar Order. Of course, seeing how this is a story about the Templars, all of the character’s identities are currently unknown. Well, there is one member of the Templar Order named Darius, but he just seems to be more of a bumbling idiot with a bright future. The newest member of the Templars becomes one of the central characters in Templars as he is sent to Shanghai with an unknown package. This mission doesn’t exactly go smoothly, obviously, and Darius is thrown into an overwhelming situation. Of course, Darius is important to Templars, but most of issue #1 is actually focused on a mysterious character named Black Cross.
This assassin…err…person who kills people seems to work for the Templar Order, but he also has a habit of eliminating some members of this order. Obviously, this is a confusing turn of events, but it’s only the first issue. All that’s known right now is that Black Cross is very effective at his job and China is lovely in spring.
Starting out, Assassin’s Creed Templars is a very interesting comic, but the first issue does suffer from one main problem—pacing. The whole premise of the early story is that Black Cross is taking down corrupt members of the Templar Order, but there aren’t many reasons given beyond a couple crude comments. It would have been nice to have the characters expanded upon to the point that their villainy was showcased. So many comics focus on the different villains and give you a solid reason to hate them. Templars doesn’t do this, at least in the first issue, but the series could switch it up as the story continues.
So far, Assassin’s Creed Templars is a solid comic; the story is interesting, Black Cross seems like a good character, and there is a lot of room for growth. As long as writer Fred Van Lente can focus on the villains some more, then the story should be good to go.
