WRATH OF THE ETERNAL WARRIOR #1
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI
Art by RAUL ALLEN
Cover A (Wraparound) by DAVID LAFUENTE (SEP151652)  

One of Valiant Entertainment’s strongest characters, both in actual strength and in content, is getting a new series. Following the deadly events of the 4-part miniseries, Book of Death, which sees a powerful geomancer tearing the world asunder, Wrath of the Eternal Warrior takes us to another dark place. We see him, Gilad, in a hellish environment, fighting an onslaught of… things that speak kind of like Gollum. And then it cuts to a more tranquil setting.

This is a place Gilad has been before. He’s come many times, albeit for very short periods, before leaving to save Earth. The direction of the pages and panels to follow are fully immersive, showing the reader that, to Gilad, this is wholly real experience. Almost as if this is his own personal Nirvana. We see each of his five senses make contact with the apparent reality, but it does feel a bit forced.

The art, by Raul Allen, is less clean and precise than Valiant’s usual fare. This does the piece justice in that it feels more homespun, more natural, and the colors are given some life.

Gilad, the Eternal Warrior, is a difficult character to write, as his backstory contains more mysteries than it does answers, and to start with such a mysteriously misleading first issue feels… right. Venditti knows the character well, and it looks as though he will add plenty to the immersive mythology behind him.

-Advanced Review Copy courtesy of Valiant Entertainment

$3.99 | 32 pgs. | T+ | On sale NOVEMBER 18 (FOC –10/26/15)