Incursion #1
Kenneth Bowden
Recap
Since the dawn of man, the Earth has selected one special candidate to wield the power of the Earth itself in its name and defense. This special candidate is known as "The Geomancer" (think Swamp Thing meets The Phoenix meets Doctor Strange kinda deal). The current Geomancer is a girl flung to the present from the far future known only as Tama. By her side is the appointed immortal guardian of the Geomancers, Gilad also known the Earth's Fist and Steel--The Eternal Warrior! Together these two do the "will of the Earth", taking on mad scientists, necromancers, undead dragons and the like. If you've never checked them out before rejoice my friends, Incursion is an amazing point to begin your journey into Valiant.
Review
Diggle and Paknadel get right to the nitty gritty with this one, when it comes to mysticism and horror themed books there tends to be a lot of build up for who the bad guy actually is and what they are about. In just the first few pages we meet our villain Imperatrix Virago, a mistress who wields slow agonizing death like a weaponized plague. This femme fatale necromancer from deep in outer space, shows zero remorse, compassion or any sort of niceties, aside from sadistic humor, as she wipes the life forms off entire planets.
Keeping this as spoiler free as possible, Virago and her “herald” soon lockdown the location of Geomancer Tama, the one who’s literal power over life may finally sustain her faux immortality and thirst for raw power. Needless to say the main man Gilad has something to say about that and not one to sit out a fight, Tama is also ready to bring the pain. Problem is….things definitely do not go according to plan leaving us on a pretty wild cliffhanger going into #2
Final Thoughts
If you've been a fan of the Eternal Warrior for decades or if you're just starting out, this issue is for you. If you're a completist and want to go into this story fully armed with the history of the pair, then definitely check out the insanely well done tales: The Valiant, Book of Death and Wrath of the Eternal Warrior in that order. Gilad does appear as a somewhat big plot point in the most recent final arc of Ninja-K but I wouldn't consider it essential reading. Valiant Entertainment has always prided themselves on being extremely fan friendly in terms of accessibility and this event is no different. In just 34 pages you get all you need to be won over and ready to ride this rollercoaster through to the end. Diggle and Paknadel do an amazing job drawing you into this world quick, making you feel invested and the beautiful (even when grotesque) art of Braithwaite is yet another layer of dopeness to this. With the unique blend of sci fi and magical elements there's something for just about any fan of comics regardless of the genre you prefer.
Incursion #1: Death Mirrors Life
- Writing - 8/108/10
- Storyline - 8/108/10
- Art - 9/109/10
- Color - 8/108/10
- Cover Art - 7/107/10
