When reading through Lawful #1, I couldn’t help but think about all the Dungeons & Dragons sessions I’ve been a part of. That wasn’t just because this is a comic set in a fantasy universe, but because of D&D’s alignment system. For those who aren’t familiar with its rules, D&D’s alignment system can grant a player a set of choices or close them off entirely; someone who’s “Lawful Good” would obviously behave differently from someone who’s “Chaotic Evil.”
Greg Pak and Diego Galindo shape the world of Lawful with an interesting thought experiment: what if your choices affected you physically instead of just mentally? In this world, whenever you make a mistake you undergo a physical transformation – inching from human to monstrous with every sin. Even something as simple as jaywalking could trigger a change. Sung and Eris were born into this society, with Sung striving to follow the rules and Eris breaking them whenever she can. Years later, their friendship is about to be put to the ultimate test.
Pak has a great gift for character work, making Sung and Eris feel fully fleshed out within the space of a single issue. He also draws distinction between the two: Eris is rather carefree, despite her changes, while Sung struggles to live up to society’s expectations so that he can be in a position to take care of his ill mother. Through their interactions, and the way they interact with the other members of their society, Pak is interrogating how the world can force people to fit into a box…and what happens when they burst out of that box.
I first stumbled upon Galindo’s work during the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Shattered Grid crossover; even though he only drew a handful of pages, he had a gift for drawing big, bombastic action and more quieter, character-driven moments. In Lawful #1, he tries a different combination: the urban meets the fantastic. Towering skyscrapers and street lights are often dwarfed by people with horns, claws, or fangs; Sung is often shown wearing a cape and tunic while others wear more modern clothing. Irma Knivilla utilizes a wide array of colors to bring this world to life, especially the night sky which mixes green, blue and purple into a stunning night sky.
Lawful #1 explores the weight of society’s expectations through a fantasy lens, resulting in a compelling debut. I have a feeling that this might impact how Dungeons & Dragons players approach their next campaign…or that it might even inspire a few new ones.
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