Birthright Vol 1 Review (What happens to those kids in fantasy stories when they have to go back to real life?)
I forgot to mention that I sorta, kinda broke one of
my cardinal rules. I bought a comic book that wasn’t needed to complete my
Action Comics collection. Well maybe I bought 4. But I have a good reason! I
received a gift card for Amazon so I bought some digital comics. I guess I
could have used the money to get one of the comics I needed from Amazon, but
the last big ticket comic I need – 521, the first appearance of Vixen – cost more
than I had. So I’ve been squatting on this gift card balance and buying a specific set of digital
comics I've been interested in as they go on super sale. Starlight was an example of the
ones I bought, but it slipped my mind to mention it at the time. Oh well.
Oh! An important heads up. Comixology is owned by
Amazon so I was hoping I could use my Amazon gift card on Comixology’s website,
but this doesn’t work. I was hoping maybe linking the accounts would fix it,
but no dice. Comixology only accepts Comixology gift cards. The good news is that when Comixology has a sale, it normally also
appears on Amazon, but I have noticed some exceptions. Just a word to the wise.
But I’ve bought my comics on Amazon and then linked
them to my Comixology account to use the Comixology reader app. The Kindle app
is not my favorite on my computer but it would probably be ok on a handheld
device, but why get two apps if I already use Comixology.
Anyways, one such title that caught my eye is the
one I’m reviewing today. I debated buying for quite some time, but the premise was
so interesting and the cost dirt cheap due to a super-sale on Volume 1 that I couldn’t
resist.
From
the Longbox - Birthright Volume 1
Joshua
Williamson
Andrei
Bressan
Synopsis:
An
ongoing series from Image Comics’ Skybound brand, volume 1 of Birthright
collects issues 1 through 5. Aaron Rhodes is playing catch with his youngest
son, Mikey, in the park when Mikey goes missing in the woods. As they police
investigation drags on, the only suspect is the father, Aaron. With the passing
months, the family is torn apart. Aaron spirals into a drunken hermit as his
wife, Wendy, files for divorce and older brother, Brennan, is stuck in the
middle. One year after Mikey’s disappearance, a mysterious man appears near
where Mikey disappeared.
While
Wendy and Brennan both question what this man did to their son Mikey, Aaron
knows the truth…
Mikey
was whisked away to another world, Terrenos, as the chosen hero to defeat the
god king Lore. Returning victorious he is looking for fugitives from Terrenos
that have escaped to earth.
Birthright
is a two layered story. The first layer is in flashbacks of Mikey’s adventures
in the fantasy land, Terrenos. The second layer is about the son returning home
as a mighty warrior to chase fugitive magicians hidden in American society all
the while picking up the pieces of a broken family after the truth is revealed
that Mikey has returned. Volume 1 takes us up to and including the showdown
with the first fugitive magician.
Birthright
asks the intriguing question that most fantasy stories ignore. What happened to
the family left behind and what happens once the hero returns to a normal life?
Who
would like it:
Fans
of fantasy adventures especially if you’re curious about the collateral damage
of the people left behind.
My
Opinion:
The
fact that I bought this volume based on reading a sample of issue 1 is a good
sign. The fact that I bought volume 2 as soon as I finished volume one is even
bigger. It’s a classic fantasy adventure with a twist. My only complaint is
that this comic is rated 15+ because it can be quite gory at times, but for the
most part it’s done as a plot point than just to be gross. It could it be toned
down quite a bit, but it add some realism to Mikey’s difficult transition back
home.
Reason
to read (SPOILERS):
As I
was deciding if I was going to buy Birthright with my Amazon gift card, I
remembered I had downloaded a free copy of issue #1 from Comixology. So I
cracked it out and started reading. It was an interesting twist seeing the “chosen
one” returning home.
And
then I was hit with the last page of the first issue…
Wait…what?!?
Chosen hero Mikey is actually the bad guy?!? Well that just tore a hole in
everybody’s faces. How did he get here? And what’s gonna happen now? I couldn’t
resist the need to find out what happens next. Unfortunately this volume won’t
get you that closure, but it does end with another surprise.
Reflecting
on the Hero's Crossroad:
The common question
for every member of the Rhodes family is how far would you go to keep these
family ties? What rules would you break to keep your family together? What
broken rules would tear your family apart?