October 7, 2021, marks the release of Far Cry 6, and it’s not a moment too soon. With a delayed release, avid fans of the popular first-person shooter series have had somewhere to turn, revisiting the favorite villains from Far Cry 3-5. The three-issue miniseries, Far Cry: Right of Passage, has filled the void by introducing upcoming villains President Antón Castillo and his son, Diego, who is also his successor of the fictional country of Yara.

Far Cry: Rite of Passage #3 – The Power of Faith is the last of the series and, in this reviewer’s opinion, the most powerful. Hardcore Far Cry fans have declared the Seeds the ultimate antagonists. This comic shows Castillo giving Diego a lesson in having faith, and who better to use as an example than Joseph Seed himself?

I usually don’t discuss the cover art first, but there is no way around it. The cover is brilliant on Joseph Seed’s level. The image of Seed with Castillo and Diego reflected in each lens of his trademark glasses… It gives me goosebumps thinking about it. Because even though this series is about the Castillos, Seed seems to loom over all, even long after his reign. That Castillo chose Seed as an example for his 13-year-old son on how to rule and live by faith is exemplary while a highly disturbing foreshadowing of the evil to come. The creators of the comic and all those behind the story and art knew exactly what they were doing. Joseph Seed will never die in the eyes of gamers, and Dark Horse capitalizes on this fact.

Just because the cover is a standout doesn’t mean the rest of the comic suffers for it. On the contrary, the cover simply indicates what the reader will find between the covers: Far Cry perfection. We start out with Diego in danger from an alligator which his father uses as another “lesson.” He transitions from the close call with death to a tale of faith. For the first time, gamers are able to see hints of the beginning of the Seed Empire along with Eden’s Gate, and it’s quite terrifying. Previously, this information was only privy to the first 2000 gamers who ordered the Mundo Edition of Far Cry #5 in The Book of Joseph. While one can now read The Book of Joseph online (and this gamer highly recommends it), there is something quite different about watching his history play out in comic panels. The fact that Dark Horse and writer Bryan Edward Hill made Joseph Seed’s history readily accessible in this comic feels like a hint that we may see something in the gaming world on this very topic in the future. Or maybe it’s just a lot of blind faith on my part.

For those fans of Faith, Jacob, and (most importantly) John Seed, don’t fret. They have small cameos on the pages, leaving me salivating for more. I cannot get enough of the Seeds, and I’m not alone. As with the previous two issues, the art in this one brings them to life, just as much as the Castillos. I felt as if I were playing the game all over again, and once I finished reading, I was itching to get my hands on my PS controller and pop in the game. It’s a testament to the talent of Geraldo Borges, as well as all the others in this comic. It’s not often we find media outside of the original video game that holds up this well against it.

I, like so many others, never want to leave the Joseph Seed era of Far Cry; however, we must, and from the preview we receive through these comics, the Castillos look as if they might overthrow Seed as the worst Far Cry villains to date. I hope I’m right. I really do.

Creative Team: Bryan Edward Hill (Script), Geraldo Borges (Art), Michael Atiyeh (Colors), Richard Starkings and Comicraft’s Jimmy Betancourt (Letters), Matt Tayler (Cover Art)
Publisher: Dark Horse
Click here to purchase Issue #3.