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'Warhammer 40,000: Sisters of Battle' offers ultra violence and worldbuilding
Marvel

Comic Books

‘Warhammer 40,000: Sisters of Battle’ offers ultra violence and worldbuilding

Marvel’s second Warhammer series offers plenty of violent action and interesting world building.

When Marvel announced they’d be making Warhammer 40,000 comics there were two types of people: Warhammer fans who couldn’t believe their luck, and folks who had no idea what a Warhammer was and why there were 40,000 of them. Out this week is the second story arc Sisters of Battle which further fleshes out the universe for new readers while supplying super fans of the Sisters of Battle.

Warhammer is an exciting sci-fi universe as it plunges readers into a galaxy where war is the norm, religion is extreme, and violence is always the right choice. Torunn GrØnbekk opens the story with a man in cobbled-together armor throwing what appear to be religious priests off a very high ledge. The planet of Siscia is under siege, and the city is burning all around them. An emperor rules over the common people who have a low life expectancy due to pollution and the need to work themselves to death. It’s a very dire situation, which makes the violence and immediacy of the Sisters all the more understandable.

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GrØnbekk does well to explore the machinations of politics via some rather compelling and sometimes poetic captions. These drive the narrative via an unseen narrator, fittingly giving the comic an RPG feel. At its core, the heroes of this story are trying to figure out what is going on on Siscia and resolve the violence best they can. Flashbacks are used to flesh things out and show how this epic didn’t happen in a day.

Warhammer 40,000 Sisters of Battle

When at war it seems like a lot of these characters love killing.
Credit: Marvel

Salazar draws a dynamic issue, with little details in clothes, guns, and environments that help sell this sci-fi world. There are a few pages reminiscent of Greg Capullo’s level of detail, and the inks add to that. It’s a darker-toned book, too, thanks to Arif Prianto’s colors. Surprisingly, the book is light on gore, though what the Sisters fight against near the end of the book is undoubtedly frightening.

Both a pro and a con of Warhammer comics is how deep this lore goes, and how the creators navigate that to make it understandable to unfamiliar readers. With limited knowledge of Warhammer, I can safely say this issue offers a compelling world and enough detail to figure things out, but it still feels like I’m missing out on something a hardcore fan is lapping up. These characters are clearly established elsewhere, and it can feel like this book is only skimming the surface. The larger purpose of the planet gets a handy data page, but it’s still tricky to honestly know what is going on here.

At the same time, it’s not that hard to understand the basics. The grimdark is heavy and there’s very little respite in a world where war is cherished and death is constant.

Warhammer 40,000: Sisters of Battle is another good example that Marvel’s giving the Warhammer series the attention it deserves. We haven’t seen the third story announced yet, but if they continue to give creators like GrØnbekk the keys to the kingdom, existing fans and newbies alike will gravitate towards these stories. There are interesting layers to a complex world clearly worth exploring. And while it does feel like a healthy knowledge of the Warhammer universe and its characters would make this a richer reading experience, there’s still enough here to scratch that violent war-loving itch.

'Warhammer 40,000: Sisters of Battle' offers ultra violence and worldbuilding
‘Warhammer 40,000: Sisters of Battle’ offers ultra violence and worldbuilding
Warhammer 40,000: Sisters of Battle
Warhammer 40,000: Sisters of Battle is another good example that Marvel’s giving the Warhammer series the attention it deserves. We haven't seen the third story announced yet, but if they continue to give creators like GrØnbekk the keys to the kingdom, existing fans and newbies alike will gravitate towards these stories. There are interesting layers to a complex world clearly worth exploring. And while it does feel like a healthy knowledge of the Warhammer universe and its characters would make this a richer reading experience, there’s still enough here to scratch that violent war-loving itch.
Reader Rating1 Vote
8.9
Great captions draw you in and they're poetically done
Good art with tons of details in environments and costumes
The general gist of the story is conveyed by the end...
...though this series feels like it's only skimming the surface if you're unfamiliar with Warhammer
8
Good

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