Written by: John Williams
Art by: Daniel Wong
Colours by: Nino Vecia
Letters by: Andrew A. Thomas
Cover by: Toma Feizo Gas
Published by: Joe Books
The established team of Jonathan Williams (Story), Daniel Wong (Art), and Nino Vecia (Colours) return for the fifth instalment of Riftworld Legends. Last time, we left our heroes Jackie, Shim and Thora in mortal peril, as in the framing story, the day of Fiona’s confirmation drew closer.
It’s this last aspect in particular which issue five expands upon in its opening panels. Fiona practices her vows to the statue of Daeon, Lord of the Harvest, but even with the confirmation on the horizon, her frustrations soon bubble to the surface. She disobeys her family and visits her grandmother, who quickly transports us back to a time where Jackie and Shim sit imprisoned in a Grall carriage. Issue 5 sees a lot of development in this department, as bit by bit the full scope of the Riftworld Legends plot becomes clear. The Grall armies are preparing in secret for a large-scale assault of the native villages. The colour palette on show here is all primitive—earthen browns, bone whites, greens as sour as twilight. It’s a tone which very much highlights how far Jackie and Shim have fallen. For Thora, on the other hand, the extensive use of light promises us a much more satisfying character development. Confined to the prison of Captain Sebastien’s home and the company of his elitist daughter, Thora shows strength and determination to escape. Given the more passive role she has played in the storyline to date, it’s an exciting twist in her character arc.
Back in the framing story, the larger the regents hope to play in both Fiona and Valbrea’s future as a whole emerges from the mist. But with one of their agents closer to Fiona than she knows, can she see through the deception before it is too late?
Overall: 8/10
Kyle is a pharmacy graduate who spends most of his free time playing with words. A fan of sci-fi and fantasy, he runs a blog over on yourelisteningnow.com and is currently working on his first novel, Mist Rock (italics). In the past he wrote with the award-winning UCC Motley magazine and was nominated for the 2016 Colour Writer of the Year at the SMedia awards.
