By: John C. Mayberry
Ever wonder what The Lord of the Rings would have been like if it had a slightly comedic spin to it? Yeah, sounds pretty bizarre to me too. It’s not often where a mixture of genres works in this way, as I’m sure some of you out there just heavily cringed at the thought of The Lord of the Rings being done as a comedy. I mean, who would even think that fantasy and comedy with a healthy dose of action would mesh well together at all? Several people obviously did, as the creative team behind Titan Comics’ Forgotten Runes: Wizard’s Cult #1 have given us all an entertaining gem of a comic to feast our nerdly eyes upon.
The comic is only part of Forgotten Runes, as it is a massive community of thousands that’s on their way to building the next great fantasy franchise through media like animation, video games, and comics like the one I’ve perused through for you guys. Being the first of a ten-issue series, this inaugural comic gives us all enough fantasy-based action and comedic factor to keep us wanting to see how the rest of this series progresses. I mean come on; you can’t say that a story where a wizard is thrown out of a bar for fighting doesn’t make you a little curious, even for those of you who don’t think mixing genres works out well all the time.
One interesting element I noticed right away was the inclusion of land maps, which to me presented a very Tolkein-like vibe before I even started reading this comic. Including various character artwork and avatars was a plus also, which gives you a glimpse of just how large this community is growing, and further cementing their place in nerd history as the next great fantasy franchise. The collaborative efforts of writer Joe Rechtman and artist Reilly Brown melds everything together perfectly. Panel placement along with splash pages works well in story progression, helping to move the story along at a steady pace.
The artwork by Brown is expressive and on point in every panel of this comic, with the action and funnier scenes visually well depicted and a perfect complement to a story that is already very entertaining. Rechtman’s storytelling in this issue moves along quickly, but not so much so that any element of the story is lost, and with witty and well-done dialogue between characters, you will definitely become invested in not only this ten-issue run of Forgotten Runes, but the rest of the franchise as well. And as well you should be invested in it, because even though this is my first exposure to Forgotten Runes, I’ve seen enough entertainment value in this one comic alone to know that it’s going to go on to be something great, and that will be remembered amongst us nerds for ages to come. So go, begin rushing to your nearest comic shop and find whatever issues of Forgotten Runes: Wizard’s Cult that you can, and be taken in by a world of fantasy that is as memorable as it is entertaining.
