Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Book Review: Crusader Vol. 1


A nameless Templar Knight from the Third Crusade finds himself magically transported to a mysterious world filled with sorcery and monsters. In order to survive, the ferocious Crusader must reevaluate his penchant for violent righteousness and make peace with both himself and this ruthless world. But will peace be enough to stop the deathless, power-hungry ghoul known only as The Pilgrim?

Crusader Vol. 1 by Matt Emmons will be published on February 13, 2024. Mad Cave Studios provided an early galley review.

This collection of the four issue series Crusader which was released in the fall months of 2023 was a quick read. For someone who has been into fantasy adventures for decades, I found it to be enjoyable and very much in place with the genre overall.

The story is straight-forward and fast-paced. The art style is not overly complex and conveys the swift and brutal action as it needs to. My only quibble would be the pacing; it seems a lot more story could have been told between parts three and four. Expanding on that would have helped show how the templar knight and come to change his approach to things, thanks in part to allying himself with the members of the Eighteen.

The story works out as a single mini-series, but there are enough worldbuilding elements that could allow for a sequel.

A special shout-out to the stylized script on the credits and chapter pages. If that was the work of letterer Andriy Lukin, it was very nicely done. It really adds the medieval vibe of this one.

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