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The Sword-- Volume 1: Fire

Reviewed by [Kaos101]

Date: 9/8/08

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   The Sword-- Volume 1: Fire is the first story arc of the 'The Sword' 10 issue series, consisting of issues 1-6. The story was written by 'The Luna Brothers'(also responsible for comics such as 'Ultra', 'Girls', and 'Spider-Woman: Origin'), and illustrated and published by 'Image Comics, Inc'. Unlike the four issues following this one, which are priced at 2.99 USD, this issue is charged at a whopping 14.99 USD. The question here is: Is the quality worth the price?
   The first inquiry that should be looked at is the storyline. It plays out as a young college girl who is thrusted into continuing and completing her murdered fathers 'timeless' journey, with the help of a sword of extraordinary power. For fantasy and medieval era fans(like myself), this is a very entertaining read to get into. While set in the modern era, it blends powerful magic and swordfighting with guns, street violence and police helicopters. This issue mainly focuses on developing origins, introducing protagonists and antagonists, and showing off just a little bit of what's to be expected in future issues. All in all, I feel the story is a little blocked off, as it seems as if they just find wild excuses to get from one scene to the next. However, I still find it to run smoothly enough to be considered entertaining.
   Another thing that felt troubling was the realism of the whole concept. I suppose I should take the overall story into consideration before making an opinion on this, but I feel like the stunts that were pulled in this comic were strongly over-exaggerated, much like many comics, including those of famous characters, are guilty of when looking to write an entertaining story. This sword, the weapon of choice and focus of the story, supposedly can grant eternal youth, grant the strength to(at the least) slice through people like play-doe, and grant the speed to block several speeding bullets. I find this to be a fabrication and not justified of the story, but perhaps it is best left in imagination land, instead of brought into questioning like a trial case.
   When thinking about realism, it brings to mind the acceptance of the characters personality, versus their respective role in the story, and how they play it. There is one girl(the main character), her two friends who end up traveling with her(although they are ordinary and do not have any outstanding abilities), and three siblings who serve as the villians. These villians have amazing powers and are ancient in mental age, but not in physical appearance. While the three siblings are depicted as apparently even with each other, it seems like one keeps in control of the other two and calls the shots when things need to be done, and when objectives must be realized. The main character is thrust into this journey, out of a world of being handicapped and striving to become an artist. Unlike her newly aquainted partner, who is struggling heavily to adjust to their new 'lifestyle', the girl seems proud and ready to engage, even after the tragedy the villians had caused her. Perhaps it is thirsted by revenge, and if so, it is understandable. But if not, this is uncharastic of her. It should be left to one's own interpretation.
   The question brought up when asking about this book(easily much larger than other issues) is: Is it worth the price? Personally, I feel that it is indeed worth the price. It is not only a thrilling story for comic readers, it is also an engaging medieval meets the 21st century battle, with many exciting happenings sure to come. The story has great artwork, very diverse characters, and many unexpected twists and turns within the story to keep the reader guessing. I reccomend picking up this story, and believe it will keep you busy for the entire 1-2 hours it may take to read this, whether or not you are a hobbyist comic book reader.


References: www.lunabrothers.com / www.imagecomics.com

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