Hello and welcome to a new feature called Why aren’t you reading? In which we look at some great books that aren’t getting the attention they deserve.
Today, we’re throwing the spotlight on one of Josh’s favorite comic series Birthright, a fantasy series like no other.
Who’s it by?
Joshua Williams and Andrei Bressan
What’s it about?
Mikey is a young boy who goes missing on his birthday. During the preceding year, following a media circus and increasing suspicion leveled at the father, the last person to be seen with him, his family is torn apart.
One year later however, Mikey returns, but as a changed man. He is a fully grown fantasy warrior who has returned to our world from a land called Terrenos in order to hunt down some people who have escaped. He was the destined chosen one, but now that his adventures are over he just wants to see his family again.
Mikey’s family have some trouble believing this, though his father is convinced it’s their son and is overjoyed. Unbeknownst to Mikey’s family however, he has actually failed at his destiny and is being controlled by the god king Lore, who wishes to take over our world using Mikey as his vessel for destruction.
What makes it so good?
Birthright’s mission statement has always been “what happens once the adventure’s over?” and Williamson weaves this concept masterfully into his script, breathing new life into the fantasy genre. The book has a very Flight of the Navigators type feel to it, with the family trying to reconcile this unrecognizable beast of a man as the son they lost. There’s a lot of great family drama involved, with Williamson giving every character a great amount of depth and purpose to the story over the current issues. It’s a great emotional heart that grounds a lot of the fantasy without removing any of the fun or imagination.
Birthright expertly combines grounded reality with fantasy craziness.
Of course, what really elevates the script is how much Williamson has twisted the traditional tropes of fantasy. As stated, Mikey is not here as a savior, he is the forefront of a full on other worldly invasion with one of the most terrifyingly drawn villains in a comic (Bressan haunts my nightmares). It lends a great amount of suspense and shock to situations that would normally be rather generic or just par for the course in a fantasy story. We can never really trust Mikey, as his end goal is to bring destruction, yet he’s still in control and wants to protect his family as he loves them. It leads to a fantastic dynamic, where due to the emotional ground work we want to see Mikey’s family believe and trust him after all they’ve been through, but we know he’s lying and feel uneasy with what he might do to them, or even more worryingly, to “protect” them. Whenever Mikey is fighting “invaders” from Terrenos to protect his family, we feel a pang of pain knowing these are actually good guys Mikey is slaughtering, and even though his family begin to admire and respect him, we want to yell at them to get away and not trust him, when we’d normally be rooting for him. It makes traditionally unlikable characters like the “sceptical and cautious mother” the character we end up hoping to succeed as she’s the only one seeing through the lies, with the overly optimistic father who loves his son ending up doing more harm the good. It’s a terrific way to offset such long held tropes and to see this sort of story in a truly different light. It’s truly genius and makes reading Birthright an emotional experience like no other.
Bressan nails monster designs in both creativity and creepiness
What really kicks this book into twelfth gear though is the jaw droppingly gorgeous art of Andrei Bressan. There’s not enough adjectives to describe the shock and wonder his art brings, there’s just something about it that fits so well with the fantasy setting, making it feel at once instantly recognizable (helping mess with your head as it feels like a story you SHOULD know, but it isn’t) while simultaneously having its own unique style. I’ve lost count of how many times during the story I’ve had to pause and soak in every beautiful landscape Bressan presents, filling the book with life and energy. He also has some utterly fantastic character and monster designs, the eventual reveal of the full power of God King Lore and his kingdom still haunts me to this day. He manages too, just like the script, to offer the perfect blend between mythic fantasy craziness and grounded family drama. Mikey and the creatures of Terrenos never look out of place in the real world setting unless it’s deliberately intentional. The story works as a thematic whole as Bressan is so good combining the multiple elements and ideas into a cohesive world. He makes exploring the vast wonders of Terrenos fascinating, filling the vast lore with interesting characters and places, while simultaneously bringing a brilliantly tense yet cinematic quality to the real world thriller angle.
Birthright really fires on all cylinders, it’s quite simply one of the most gorgeous looking fantasy books on the stands and has quite possibly the most simple yet originally brilliant premises the genre has seen in years.Every issue adds some new wrinkle to the story, something new to the lore which makes you want each new issue more as you see a beautiful tapestry unfold before you. It shows no intention of slowing down anytime soon and to not read it would be a disservice to yourself.
Where can I start?
The first 10 issues of the series have been collected in two trade paperbacks which are available now, with the monthly series set to return in November with issue 11, giving you plenty of time to catch up.
Which then leaves us with only one question:
Why aren’t you reading it?
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