After putting down this issue, I had two immediate thoughts. The first was, “Man, that was awesome!” And the second was, “Why the hell did it take so long to get here?” This issue had everything I would expect from this title. Warriors fighting the good fight against hordes of mystical characters. Heck, there’s even a wizard fight as well. But after seven issues of build up, I can’t help but feel like this story could have been a bit more compacted. Is it true that I know most of these characters pretty well? Yes. But could I also have gotten to know them as well through two story arcs in seven issues? Absolutely. When I invest in a team book, I don’t expect to know everything right away. Those moments take time, and I’m willing to give the benefit of the doubt to writers as they work through those stories. Maybe Cornell and DC didn’t feel like they had that sort of opportunity with a new IP, but I’m sure this pacing of this book probably turned off a few readers.

It might sound like I don’t like the series, but the truth of the matter is that I like the series alot. Issues like this one remind me of what I was so excited about when they first announced this title, and this issue does not disappoint on the fighting, action, character, and magic that would be expected from this time period and these characters. There seems to be a sense of heavy loss at the end of the issue even though our heroes prevail, and it seems like now we’ll get the series moving as our heroes are gathered for their trip to the big city.

Enough can’t be said about the artistic endeavors that Neves brings to the title. He has been drawing the hell out of this book, and there’s no doubt that he’s a big part of what keeps this title going. His panels are big and dynamic and they’re bristling with detail. Never once did I feel lost with his storytelling and you could almost feel every punch or cleave that happened to enemies.

This title continues to keep its grasp on me despite its slow pace. I hope the series can learn to move a bit faster with a bit more effeciency, but I also hope it can keep this high octance fantasy setting that’s been on display of late.