Path of Exile a Brutal World of Fun from Dynamite
It seems like some other comic book companies, besides the big two, have started to hit a stride and Dynamite is no exception. Dynamite is responsible for some iconic comics like Vampirella, Red Sonja, Pathfinder, and adaptations of other mediums like Army of Darkness and Battlestar Galactica, among others. Although I like Dynamite and many of their titles I find their website fairly hard to navigate because of the sheer volume of titles they have. I wish they had a more manageable website, or at least a better search filter, that way when I go to look at their titles I can arrange them to my liking. I feel the site would be better served if I didn’t have to weed through old titles and outdated books to get to see the newest stuff. As of now, when I look at their titles it starts from A to Z and covers a very large catalog. A filter that can put new releases and newer titles first would be a nice feature.
Path of Exile follows in the footsteps of one of Dynamite's titles, Pathfinder, where the world is violent and unforgiving, and filled with menacing people. It starts off with some exposition by the main character, a poet named Victario, sitting in a coffee-house writing. The exposition is short and whispers of a thing called the Purity Rebellion, but Victario quickly moves to a flashback where he is in the background watching a fight between two guys that resemble something from Hawaiian culture. The men have on grass skirts and are tattooed in tribal style. The caption at the top of the page says “Ngamakanui four years ago” so there is no confusion that it is a flashback. The bottom of the page shows an older white-haired man with a sour look on his face folding his arms and all he says is “savagery.” This reminded me of a few different things, first being the Game of Thrones when Daenerys Targaryen was getting married to Khal Drogo. The similarities are certainly there; the tattoos, the fighting for supremacy within the tribal setting, and the judgmental people from a different culture calling them savages.
As the book rolls on its reveals that Victario is on some sort of good will mission to gain the Karui as allies against another threat, Emperor Chitus. I can get a feel for the main character easily through the first few pages, he seems upset and a little stressed out in the first page, but in the flashback he seems confident and cocky as he talks to his superior, manipulates the new Karui king, and eyeballs a Karui woman.
As the two men fight, a plump guy and an in-shape guy, the one in better shape gets the better of the other. Again, the Game of Thrones comparison holds true because the fight was over who should be king. Even the new king’s temperament is that of Khal Drogo, he gets angry at the white-haired man named Voll the High Templar when he attempts to talk strategy of fighting and suggests the Karui use archers. The interaction between Victario the new king and the woman is set up well and foreshadows future problems with the way Voll calls the Karui savages and how hostile the new king is.
The narrative throughout the book is about three nations waging war, but also about Victario and his relationships within the players of the greater story. It’s about Victario and his experiences within the narrative presented, particularly the nation Victario comes from trying to win a war against the Emperor Chitus and the Eternals. This is a very classic trope that has been used time and again but in cases like this I don’t mind as long as the work is done well. I believe they hit mark because all three worlds are intriguing and have something to be admired. The Roman like world of Victario, the English style castles and armor of the Eternals, the hardcore BA fighting style of the tribal like Karui. All of the styles fit well with each other and make for a good story as well as a visually stunning book.
Throughout the book Victario pulls some side stepping stuff to insure a victory and finds himself on the wrong side of the Karui kings favor, but in the end he gets a kiss from the girl and victory. The part of the narrative that is different is the way the things he has done haunts him. He clearly schemes and plots by first getting the Karui King drunk to get him to agree with their plans, but then he convinces the woman he likes to take the Karui woman on a hill and to shot arrows down on their enemies in clear violation of their war policies. I feel like all is fair in love and war but the Karui stick to a strict woman in the kitchen approach to life. I don’t really agree with the Karui style but it is necessary for the storytelling and in the end the woman save everyone, including Victario.
As the flashback comes to an end the Karui go in and slaughter all the Eternals; men, woman, and children. It then flashes back to the beginning where Victario is explaining how the Purity Rebellion started, with the day the Karui won the battle against the Eternals. He calls the day the Karui massacre the Eternals “A dress rehersal” and leaves open a great narrative for the following books with a huge, black, flaming, Karui King, named Kaom. The Poet Victario is visibly upset and has a vision of people on fire all over the streets before he flashes to King Kaom and this foreshadowing is just enough to keep me interested for the second issue.
The book is created by Erik Olofsson, story by Edwin McRae, script by Royal McGraw, artwork by Carlos Rodriguez, color by Tamra Bonvillain, and letters by Marshall Dillon. The book is beautiful and brightly colored. Each race of people has a distinct style that shines wonderfully on every page, with hints of Roman, Old English and Hawaiian styles to the people. The facial expressions work well with each character and portray their individual style well, Rodriguez and Bonvillain also conveys feelings and moods through facial expressions which for me always indicates a great artist. It's not just the people who hit the mark, the fight scenes are pretty amazing as well, great fighting panels with a lot of action and even some good gory bloody panels for a bit of the shock factor.
I usually mention that I’m not a fan of heavy criticism and that is true in this case but for good reason, the book is really fun and the art is on point. I seriously suggest this book to anyone that is into a Game of Thrones style barbaric world. It made its way to list of titles I’m following and even though I will read just about any issue one I don’t always pick up issue two. In this case I'm sure they will have a successful run and I will certainly be reading on.
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