A lot of time is covered in a small space.
Creative Staff:
Story: Brian Wood
Art: Mack Chater
Colors: Jose Villarrubia
Letterer: Nate Piekos of Blambot
What They Say:
The Forty Swords catch up to Dag and Elsbeth, and a battle is fought on two fronts: the father fights for his daughter’s future, and an old man’s freedom is paid for in blood.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Somehow I had missed the fifth issue of the series but the way Sword Daughter operates made it easy to slide into this one with the brief recap and just the events of what’s going on here moving forward naturally. Brian Wood handles this kind of decompressed storytelling well, though I’m unsure of the way he shifts between the timeframes here to undercut some of the drama to be built up. Some of that comes from this not intended to be a decidedly long series. Mack Chater, as always, puts together a beautiful book and I just love all the detail and attention given to the fight sequences themselves but also the little expressions in the faces of the cast. Both Dag and Elsbeth get most of the attention as expected but everyone feels well-realized here.
The young Elsbeth storyline does take up the larger part of the book by a little as we see that she and her father have ventured further up the mountain after recent events. It’s here that he teaches her more of swords, with the folding and the way that the cold can ruin even the best of weapons. It’s a lesson for the present and the future, but one that doesn’t impact the Forty Swords hunting them right now. That it shifts to that fight is a little jarring but it plays well with Dag holding them off a bit before he ends up being overwhelmed, getting Elsbeth to finally run and to protect her as best he can in this way. But it’s here that the Forty Swords get their real revenge, not by killing him but by going after Elsbeth and removing Dag’s fingers so that he can never protect her and live his life knowing that he failed her.
That sets up a lot of potential drama down the line, but it gets undercut with the future storyline showing Elsbeth working to free her father years later. Her elimination of the guardhouse plays well, though she ends up with more of a one-on-one fight that Dag might have back in the day, but it fits with how she’s operating and with the goal of getting the key. This new quest for revenge is layered and woven into what was going on in the past but having Dag freed here after just seeing in the past what was going on, and his desire to explain to her things, doesn’t have the buildup it needs to really resonate. I can imagine it and it all fits contextually, but really feeling it like you think you should is just missing here.
In Summary:
I continue to enjoy the heck out of Sword Daughter and this issue is no exception, even with missing the previous installment. There’s a lot to like in story, character, and artwork for the book as it works a good minimalist approach but one with wonderful layouts and detail so that it feels realistic and lived in where it needs to be. The father and daughter journey takes some darker turns here in past and future storylines and I’m excited to see what comes next, all while wanting to know more about the adult Elsbeth and what she’s like after the journey so far. Definitely recommended.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 15+
Released By: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: February 6th, 2019
MSRP: $4.99
