Birthright #1by Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 6 Young Mikey disappears on his birthday to the land of Terrenog where he is the Chosen One -- the Hero. At home, his family falls apart, and everyone believes his father killed him. Then, one day a year later, he shows up as a grown man, continuing his mission here and longing to see his parents. At least that's his story.This comic does a very good and realistic job of portraying what can happen to a family when a child disappears and the father is blamed but no outcome or closure is ever reached. It's painful. It's also necessary to truly set the stage for this story because this is the story of what happens here in our world after Mikey has grown up somewhere else -- a dangerous fantasy world. The first half of the comic sets the stage at home. The second half gives us insights into the beginning of Mikey's adventure and mission. There's a whole page from the creator / writer at the end of the comic talking about how this is the story of what happens after Mikey has accomplished his purpose and returned home. If that's the case, I'm both confused and a little disappointed. The twist at the end of this comic would imply that that's not quite the case. Also, I would much rather read about Mikey's adventures than issue after issue of family and real-world drama. I'm willing to give issue #2 a go out of curiosity, but mainly because this is a review copy. In all honesty, I would not have read this issue otherwise because I would have flipped through it, seen all the broken-home stuff, and put it back on the shelf. The art and coloring are phenomenal. I love the design (and name) of the Gideons. There are some amazing sweeping scenes of Terrenog. There's also the stereotypical "hero with uplifted sword in one hand, woman on his other arm"-fantasy page. I wanted to groan at that, but everyone is wearing a surprising amount of clothing. Also, who is the woman on his arm? Mikey and the other two characters are familiar, but she's a mystery! I wonder if we'll get to find out more about her and everyone and everything else in Terrenog in the issues to come .... Written: December 24, 2014
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