If the first issue was meh, then the second issue was bleh. A real shame too coming from a talented writer like Chris Roberson. Maybe the third issue is the charm? Is it good?
Sovereign #3 (Image Comics)
I’ve got a shocker for you. There are not three stories this time around in Sovereign, just one: “Come and See”. All the stories have finally come together and converged into one: the traveling monks and the envoy from another country meet in the Court of the Horselords, both wanting to discuss their own issues and or deliver a message. Meanwhile, the next successor for the throne must be picked from the old king’s sons.
I see hot babes showering! Thanks dad!
Here’s a bigger surprise for you. This issue wasn’t too bad. Where it succeeds this time around is in the fact that an actual storyline is starting to emerge. By the end of issue, for the first time, we have a real possible threat. All three stories have now merged into one from the looks of it and seem like they’ll now be interacting with each other, lending to some more interesting story developments. Bottom line: The comic is finally starting to come into its own now that the storylines have come together.
There are still some problems, however: the characters are still not fully fleshed out or very interesting, even with a tiny bit of backstory tossed into the issue (which feels weak and bland). The comic continues on with expanding its universe and mythos — but it doesn’t provide much context for everything; it tosses out names, places, ideas, concepts, and more with not much in the way of explanation of what they are or what they mean; which doesn’t feel very inclusive and leaves the audience feeling more on the outside of the story than in. Plus, up until the final third of the book, the comic feels kind of tedious and dull, with us still waiting for something of interest to happen. This may be a book that’s trying to capture the feel and scope of Game of Thrones or some other kind of fantasy, but it lacks a strong narrative, foundation, and cast of characters.
The artwork is still what it is: you’re most likely a fan of the style or you’re not. The characters are ugly, lumpy, have blank expressions, and poor musculatures (there was one woman whose breasts were larger than her head). The layouts and scenery are often dull to look at. To the credit of the comic, the coloring does look good at points, especially with the sepia tone filter for the flashbacks. Also good is the fact that the artist had something interesting to depict and draw this time around, mostly in the final third of the book. Very nice and impressive looking, if a bit hard to follow at points with how vague some things are.
Is It Good?
Sovereign #3 is a step up for the series, but a not a big leap forward. The story is finally getting interesting and seems to be having something going on — but the lack of good character, proper groundwork and helping the audience understand what’s going in its world keeps this book back.
The artwork is also having trouble as well in some areas — though it does succeed in others. This issue appears to be moving the series in a better direction than before, but at the moment, it is still in need of a lot of work to make it acceptable.
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