Creative Team:
Writer: Steve horton
Artist: Michael Dialynas
What They Say:
A behemoth pirate ship is captained by a pirate with a fat price on his head. And out for that head is Amala, Naamaron’s greatest swordfighter (according to Amala). The odds are against her, but that’s the fun . . . if only the ghosts of Amala’s past would shut up and get out of the way!
The Review:
After a run in the first part of 2012 in Dark Horse Presents, Steve Horton and Michael Dialynas are kicking off a new series with the character introduced there, Amala. Starting with an issue zero, we get a relatively self contained piece that lets us see the artwork, general dynamic of the structure of the series and the kind of banter that it’ll have. And a robot pirate monkey. I hadn’t read the previous installments in Dark Horse Presents so this was my first exposure to the title and it’s one that generally works well, even if it follows a familiar layout with the story told in flashback for most of it with just a bit in the present serving as the bookends. The series takes place around a land mass called Naamaron where there are a number of cities and two very distinct waters that surrounds it. Going by the map, the Purifiers operate out of the north while the Modifiers work out of the south, giving clue to a battle that’s going on for some time.
In the middle of all of this is Amala, a young woman with a blade who makes her living as a hired assassin with plenty of skill to back it up, but also an ego and confidence to let everyone else know it as she claims to be the best. She has a mired history that gets touched on a bit here as we learn how she was intended to be the one that would unite the Modifiers and the Purifiers, but for reasons only hinted at, she left that path quite some time ago and carved out her own. With a good bit of loss in her past, we see that she carries it with her as several of those that were important to her are still a part of her life even though they’re dead as they continue on as ghosts that talk with her. Often in the midst of fighting which leads to some amusing banter as she battles it out. And while she does claim to be the best, she has her problems along the way as well.
This prologue issue involves her sneaking about a pirate ship named the Behemoth in Modifier waters where she’s been tasked with an assassination. While she does start off stealthy and has some good hits along the way, it all becomes a public spectacle and that makes for some fun to watch as some of the pirates have a good bit of strength behind them, such as the second in command who gives her the most trouble. That fight lets us see more of how Amala really fights but also clues us in to some of the more physical differences that exist with the Modifiers. We don’t get to learn why she’s been assigned to kill these pirates, but we do get to learn that it’s from orders by the Vizier which at least gives clue as to where some of the series will go.
The main thrust here is to showcase the artwork and the dialogue and how the two blend together with a good flow about it. Michael Dialynas gives things a good, raw sense here with the rough nature of the pirates and their ship but also the blending of a steampunk style technology about it, evident by some of the gear they wear and the monkey that has a brief but comical appearance. That hints at more of what’s capable in this world though and it’s certainly interesting. The layouts for the issue are pretty clean and following the action is easy and definitely appealing. It’s also made enjoyable by Horton’s dialogue, which while familiar definitely has the kind of smoothness and lightness to it while also bringing out minor bits of character background that offers a few hooks for Amala and her position in the world.
In Summary:
Amala’s Blade doesn’t break new ground here but it has a sense of fun about it that could be a bit infectious as it progresses. Amala’s explored about as much as you’d expect from an issue like this but we get a few ideas of what defines her in the present and some of the troubles she’s had in the past that has lead to this. With some good dialogue, an ease of banter and some fun quirks to the world that we see here with its pirates, steampunk and ghosts, it’s all brought together with some fun artwork that gives it a bit of weight and is reminiscent of how I felt about some books years ago like Grimjack where it was presenting a bulkier and obviously less than clean world. With the team working on this, I can definitely see some potential if they work what they have here and give it a deeper world and expand the cast in the right way.
Grade: B-
