Broken Bear, available from Caliber Comics, takes us on a vast journey.

It’s about a young woman named Selm. Squire Selm, accompanying Bear, the armoured knight, finds herself on the olde long and winding road. It’s a road with no rest, no purple prose, no glowing rose. Deftly composed by Frankee White, this tale breaks with some of the normal sword and sorcery routines and tropes. And then breathes new life into, expands, contracts, twists, and negates others.

The visuals by Adam Markiewicz are solid. The characters have weight, mass. Proportionate. The swords are heavy, the castle walls impenetrable. Selm’s movements, dilemmas, and expressions are sharply rendered. Nice art. And colouring? A.H.G. works the subtleties, keeps the blood-red streaks of power. Sets the swamp and high tower. The nights are dark, the dungeon darker.

It’s strongly written, with sparky, salty dialogue. It’s thoughtful. A sudden twist of fate and the story’s direction pivots, on its heels, tiptoeing into a new diorama. The visions of torture, the games people play, every night and every day. How to escape certain death over and over. Crimson, clover, ducking, and weaving. A sudden thrust, sudden-death overtime, and who to trust to work with, as you try to redeem your mistakes. Find your fortune. Finding freedom is another word for nowhere else to turn.

This one is solid, full of promise and unexpected complications. The simplest of phrases turn themselves into much, much more. Check out Broken Bear. Sword, swearing, sorcery, scheming, slavery, and salvation.

http://www.calibercomics.com/broken-bear.html

Caliber Comics, Broken Bear, $19.99 for 114 pages of content. Assume Teen+

By Alan Spinney

After a career of graphic design, art direction and copywriting, I still have a passion for words and pictures. I love it when a comic book comes together; the story is tight, and the drawings lead me forward. Art with words... the toughest storytelling technique to get right. Was this comic book worth your money? Let's see!!

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