Christian Gossett

EVen though the plot and themes of this graphic novel are absolutely predictable (war, loyalty to the State, loss, questioning authority) I was absolutely impressed by the sohpistication of the artwork and the overall book design. The use of colour is exactly what people mean when they refer to a "painterly" art style, and it is this mastery that gives the lacklustre story an emotive depth. Having a beautiful sorceress protagonist (and her equally endearing rugged soldier husband) as the focal point draws away from some of the blood and brutality of war - giving the scenery a much needed positive counterpoint and carefully placed I'm sure to draw in the fan boys. In a lot of ways I would have preferred for the author to just stick to illustration and not play at a plot, since clearly that is his strength. This is only the first volume though, so maybe he gets a bit more interesting later on.… (meer)