It’s time to buckle your sheath, boys and girls, because The Last Siege is hilt deep into solving one heck of a bloody mystery. Who is this wandering nomad from the east, and what could he possibly want? Is he in it for revenge? Is he in it for honor? Well, as we trudge forth into the first series arc, we are now that much closer to uncovering a truth that is getting juicier with every stab made into a fighting human torso.

If you have been keeping up with the story so far, then you are likely committed to the goings on of this Game of Thrones-like hierarchy of ruling classes among begging paupers. I won’t say the plot is needlessly complicated, but it would be a shame for the story to get anymore bogged down with the details of this kingdom. By this point, the audience “gets it”, and the book feels aware enough to trust its readers with the backstory they have painstakingly mapped out. This issue is action packed and relatively lean on the exposition.

The swordplay is fun, and this issue showcases a good, old-fashioned standoff between some western villains and our eastern protagonist; however, one might challenge the art direction to feature some more variance between these two styles of combat. The fact that the main character is from another land has not had much consequence on the plot, so this could be an interesting execution on that premise.

If you are a fan of the fantasy genre or if you love Game of Thrones, you should jump into this book as soon as possible. We all know how these stories tend to take twists and turns that can leave a casual reader in the dust. The book is filled with enough fun lore and conniving characters to make even the most grizzled chambermaid blush with excitement; however, the challenge will be if they can make good on the mystery they have built.

Creative Team: Landry Q. Walker (writer), Justin Greenwood (artist), Eric Jones (colorist), Patrick Brosseau (letterer)
Publisher: Image Comics
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