From Aspen Comics, JT Krul, Mike DeBalfo, Jonathan Marks, Nei Ruffino, Josh Reed.
Pages two and three have the most spectacular, jaw dropping, stunning drawing of a dragon I or anyone else has ever seen in a comic book.
Oh. You probably want to hear a bit more than that.
This title does for magic what Game of Thrones did for swords. Nothing is as simple as it outwardly seems. Everyone believes in their actions and truly believes it to be the right one. As if being a powerful magical being who then becomes possessed by an even greater also magical being isn’t bad enough… this being believes that his/her/its reactions are not only justified, they are needed for the universe.
The possessed form of Grace becomes a rare and great villain. The type that the reader can understand and agree with up to a certain point. Paradise Lost. Doctor Doom. Soulfire. Maybe the spiritual beliefs in higher powers, be they gods, magic or science, have been in control for too long and its time to try something new. Grace’s call for chaos, a return to raw matter, is understandable in a way. However, its the call for death, destruction and violence that really puts her at odds with everyone else.
Its the failures in this issue that really drive home the call for change. Whether its the hero’s body, mind or spirit that was broken, they all take a loss in unique ways. Everything they try fails, and things are so bleak second thoughts have come up at least three times.
My only complaint about the title is that it proves difficult for a reader who has not read Soulfire from the start. Which includes me. I’m in the process of tracking down every back issue and once that task is complete I’ll reread these current issues as part of the larger story. Even a big character, like Benoist (dude on the cover if you don’t know) took a while for me to fully understand, because I of that gap in my reading.
That is not a big complaint by any means. Please, no one at Aspen needs to reboot this title with 52 variant covers. I find enjoyment in reading a comic and getting thrown in the deep end. There is nothing deeper than a universe spanning battle between order and chaos. Soulfire brings the largest battles and the deepest thoughts each and every month.
