Posted in: Comics | Tagged: daniel wong, fantasy, fiona, HRL, jackie, joes books, jonathan williams, riftworld legends, shim, thora

Riftworld Legends #4 Review: Fun Fantasy With Interesting Backstory

Fiona is excited by the prospect of her confirmation, but her grandmother tells her of a previous action of the Regency which sours her eagerness.

Elsewhere, Shim and Jackie are ambushed at their camp, and Thora is faces her own trials aboard the ship.

One thing that struck me from the outset of Riftworld Legends is the fact that this is a fantasy world that coexists with our world. Not only that, it is happening next a specific time period, as we learn from Shim's backstory. That's pretty interesting and allows for this fantasy environment to be contextualized by things that happened in our history.

The backstory given about the Regency by Fiona's grandmother is pretty gripping and has some interesting and Lovecraftian implications about that organization. It would have been preferable for this issue to expand more on those details, but it seems that will have to wait for future issues.

Shim and Jackie make for a fun duo, even if Jackie is a little annoying. The action scene we are given with these two fighting what appear to be orcs is pretty sweet. You don't often get muskets and orcs together.

The Thora plotline opens up with a pretty shocking moment, but isn't allowed to advance very far. She is essentially in the same place at the end of her part as she is in the beginning.

The Fiona bit chooses to conclude with yet more mysteries, which is pretty disappointing given that her grandmother seemed intent on really opening her eyes to what her granddaughter is getting into here.

Daniel Wong's artwork is great. The cultists in the opening are intimidating, the orcs look great, and the characters are highly expressive both in the face and body language. The world is textured and detailed, even if there are some moments where the characters look like they are standing before a green screen. Those moments are few though, and the art manages to hold together throughout.

Nino Vecia's color work is bright and balanced well. This is a vivid world we are peering into, and Vecia helps make it so.

Riftworld Legends #4 is a solid fantasy read and dives at least a little deeper into the world we are being presented. The characters are mostly entertaining, and there is enough comedy to keep everything light. It's not the most brilliant read, but it will give you a solid time. I can recommend it, and you should check it out if you're especially interested in comics in the fantasy genre.

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