The Forgotten Queen #1-4
Recap
Long ago, the mighty generals of the Mongol Empire rode from Siberia to Carpathia and conquered all who stood in their way. Legends tell of a witch who walked with them, who could infect the hearts of any warriors in her midst with an unquenchable thirst for battle and bloodshed…a War-Monger. And now she is walking again.
Review
Tini Howard creates a tale of immortality and how it affects the mind of its main character, a bisexual woman of colour, and the force responsible for the Mongol Empire’s fierceness in this story. Lost memories, the irrationality of love and an extreme anguish expresses in these pages through one of the most original character centered tales that have been created in the 21st century, and one that could certainly cement the myth of the War-Monger way beyond Unity’s pages and this mini.
The Forgotten Queen is an existential tale about Vexara, the War-Monger, that doesn’t pride itself in giving a moral conclusion, but boldly explores her life, fears, trauma and psyche over centuries. Revered by some of history greatest conquerors and terrors, like Genghis Khan or Vlad Tepes, Vexana survives centuries of history with a profound existential dread and grief that follows her every move, and with a passion that transcends time. She eclipses every other character in this story, even with the incredible invited cast of historical legends and two astounding love stories that explore her bisexuality and her inmortality-influenced approach to passion and love, and Howard makes sure this ride is worth it, directing every plot of this episode to an exalted ending that serves as character background story and revelation of her profound relationship with death.
Amilcar Pinna’s art is beautiful, bloody and crude but also filled with detail and raw expression lines. That, plus Ulises Arreola’s incredible colour work, which really does bring justice to the historical surroundings of this run, with metals and swords and castles brighting over characters’ expression of suffering, grief and fighting. It all comes together in serve of a story that is exploring some of the highest questions about inmortality and myths with a very crude approach.
Final Thoughts
After this run, you're not going to forget Vexana, the War-Monger. Incredible character work in an existential tale about dread, anguish, love and blood. Please, Valiant, give us more of her!
The Forgotten Queen #1-4 : A Tale Of Inmortality and Memory
- Writing - 10/1010/10
- Storyline - 9/109/10
- Art - 9.5/109.5/10
- Color - 9/109/10
- Cover Art - 9/109/10
9.3/10
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