REVIEW: ‘Strayer #1′ is a comic that can be more than just Action Fantasy

In case you haven’t heard, a new comics publisher has entered the game called Aftershock Comics, bringing in some big name talents to their initial release of titles. One of them is Justin Jordan (Spread, The Legacy of Luther Strode) and Juan Gedeon (Ghost Riders) with an action fantasy comic called Strayer #1.

Taking place in a world filled with magic, strong muscular warriors, and titans, Strayer appears to have all the ingredients to make a fun adventure comic. The comic starts off setting up that the world used to be prosperous with The Old High Ones reaching the peak of their power. Not everything ends well as the world turned to ruins and had their powers locked away. Now, Mala Tenboom, a sorcerer from what I understand, is seeking a worthy warrior to help her rebuild what was lost and return the world back to its glory days. Here’s where Strayer comes in; he introduces himself as Strayer, but it’s unclear whether that’s his actual name or a title. A bit cliche but a relatively compelling story on paper that ultimately falls flat in its execution.

Writing fantasy stories relies heavily on world building. And it’s quite difficult to successfully create a massive world especially within a limited number of pages of single issue comic. Jordan tries to cram as much exposition as he can into this issue, which is understandable, but it becomes a problem when we just have to accept them at face value. The foreign titles and characters have no meaning at this point other than they sound important so why should we fully care?

On the plus side, Juan Gedeon’s art is perfect for a comic like Strayer. His character designs fit right into the setting, and are very reminiscent of other popular fantasy franchises like Shadow of the Colossus. His art is at its most beautiful during the fight scenes with the Titan; the action is very dynamic and the panels flow smoothly to the next. Furthermore, Tamra Bonvillain‘s colors adds more life to the pages and allows the art to breathe. It’s the best thing about this comic for sure.

Strayer #1 is an average action fantasy comic book, but it doesn’t have to stay that way. The potential is there; the characters, visuals, and more importantly, the world all seem very interesting. However something is lacking to make us care for everything that’s going on. Hopefully, things smooth themselves out in the subsequent issues.