REVIEW: 'Unnatural Order' #1 by Chris Yost, Val Rodrigues, and Dearbhla Kelly

 

UNNATURAL ORDER #1

Writer: Chris Yost

Artist: Val Rodrigues, Dearbhla Kelly

Letterer: Andworld Design

Publisher: Vault Comics

Release Date: November 1, 2023

Chris Yost, co-creator of X-23, writer of hundreds of X-men issues and films and shows like Thor: Ragnarok and The Mandalorian, returns to comic books with Val Rodrigues to weave together Dark Fantasy and action-packed SciFi in UNNATURAL ORDER!

After the fall of the Britons and the Roman invasion of Hibernia, the captive known only as the Druid is released, sending a darkness across the world...an age of horrors, of fire and entrails. As the innocent burn in the Wicker fields, those who would resist learn of the existence of a man who even the Druid fears. For it is this prisoner, a soldier from a different time, who alone knows the Druid's secret: this is not how the world is supposed to be.

Score:

★★★★☆ (4/5)

QUICK REVIEW: If you like your fantasy dark and your villains evil as sin then 'Unnatural Order' is for you. Chris Yost, Val Rodrigues, and Dearbhla Kelly provide their own sinister twist to the sword & sorcery genre with a fast-paced adventure pitting a band of warriors against the Druid, the omnipotent figure who cast darkness across the world. There's a blend of familiar fantasy tropes with some wonderful surprises near the end of the issue that help elevate the by-the-numbers adventure. The sorcery part of the book shines in the hands of artists, Rodrigues and Kelly. The composition of scenes and the transitions from magic are so fluid and sometimes haunting. The action choreography is quick and efficient but some of the more horrific details of the story are gory and grotesque. Rodrigues' attention to detail and Kelly's use of color make this one of the better-illustrated comics you'll see in any genre. Some of the characters do need to be fleshed out a little more but the world-building is incredible and fraught with danger. Vault Comics should be very proud of this new title. It's a dead-serious dark fantasy without quips or levity but with the sole mission to entertain and excite. 'Unnatural Order' comes out swinging with a dark adventure and a powerful villain that looms large over the book. Prepare to immerse yourself in another solid Vault title.