The Good
Mikey is stuck in an interrogation room, trying to prove he is who he is. He tells his story to his brother, Brennan, and looks for a means of escape from the police station.
Conceptually, I am wowed by this book. Everything about this story reminds me of my favorite movies growing up: Willow, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth. What BIRTHRIGHT does exceptionally well is that it gives readers the story about what happens to the hero after they were called away to a mystic land and shows everyone to how they adapt to the real world. Writer Joshua Williamson takes that concept but doesn't stop there. He shows the reader bits and pieces of Mikey training to conquer evil in the fantasy world too. It's like you're getting two great books wrapped up into one.
The majority of the issue really takes place in the interrogation room as Mikey talks to his older brother, who is now younger than him, and tries to convince him he's really who he says he is. Watching Brennan slowly turn from skeptical to believer, through the stories Mikey tells, is a incredibly interesting part of this issue, especially with the "dark lord" whispering things into Mikey's ear.
That's one thing that's fascinating about this issue and series. There's a ton of stuff going on here, but it's paced out in a way where it doesn't feel overwhelming or like too much is going on. BIRTHRIGHT tricks the reader into thinking it's a pretty simple story even though there's a lot of complex pieces moving, and a lot of that is on how Williamson makes this feel like a very accessible book and story.
Onto the art, which is pretty dang awesome. Andrei Bressan and colorist Adriano Lucas do an amazing job of capturing the darker fantasy feel like some classic films from the 80s. The look of this book feels so familiar, yet brand new at the same time. The panel-to-panel storytelling is vibrant and exciting and Bressan is great and showing movement in his art. Page layouts and panel compositions are nothing new but it gives everything a classic feel to it. The art and writing are a great combination of different eras in comic book storytelling.
The Bad
Throughout being wowed by everything in this book, it's hard to figure out if there isn't anything working the way it should. The book, itself, is steeped in 80s fantasy adventure ideas and concepts that an older generation of readers may appreciate more than the younger generation, but that, in itself, is just an assumption.
The Verdict
BIRTHRIGHT continues to impress. Williamson shows he isn't just a one-trick pony with genre writing as he steps away from horror and delivers a straight-forward book enveloped in fantasy. There are very few current books I'd call a must read, but this is easily one of them. BIRTHRIGHT not only has a great concept, but its executed masterfully. I highly recommend this series.