Birdking, Volume 1

October 24, 2022
Freedman and CROM reunite (after Raiders) to forge another fanciful dark fantasy populated by evil sorcerers, fallen kings, and magical swordsmiths. Bianca, a boisterous hammer-swinging, statue-smashing blacksmith’s apprentice, questions why she’s the only youth not sent off to war by the kingdom’s ruler, Aghul. She longs for adventure despite her master Thonir’s warnings about the horrors at the front. When Thonir is ordered by Aghul to fetch rare ore to repair a magical “wraith weapon,” Bianca’s delighted at the opportunity to finally see the world she’s only read about in books. But then Aghul’s henchmen insult Thonir upon his delivery of the restored sword, and Bianca attacks them; in the resulting tussle, she’s burned in a transformative fire, revealing that she’s secretly from the rare “Sintered” tribe—with “embers in her.” This sets the henchmen after her and sends Bianca on the run. Accompanying her is Birdking, a once forgotten ruler now given new life by the wraith weapon. CROM’s character designs are memorable, and he balances cartoony and artsy details with dramatic battle scenes. The rough inking style and Moebius-lite aesthetic recalls Andrew MacLean’s Head Lopper series. Though the plot leaves many unanswered questions, this energetic series opener will keep readers on the lookout for the next one.

Starred review from November 1, 2022
An evil empire. A murdered master with a secretive past. An apprentice looking for escape and a meaning behind her magical gifts, long thought forgotten. A silent sentinel sworn to protect her. This could be any number of stories, and though Birdking treads over common ground, it manages to never feel overburdened by tropes or, worse yet, stale. Freedman remixes the classic plot points into something new and fresh, but he counts on readers to know those stories and fill in the blanks rather than stuff the panels with unneeded details. Instead he focuses on establishing beautiful characters with uncertain futures and pasts and hurling them into epic battles, pausing from time to time to offer eerie quiet moments of contemplation. It's in these moments of reflection that CROM's artwork truly shines, deftly mixing inspirations and art styles to create something altogether gritty and at times horrific, yet still somehow adorable and approachable. Onomatopoetic sound effects and rushing anime backgrounds make the battle scenes sing, while the use of monochromatic backgrounds and vivid facial expressions make the quiet moments incredibly powerful. About as carefully paced and deftly balanced as a story can get.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.