Surviving the underworld won’t be easy.
Creative Staff:
Story: John Tsuei
Art: Audrey Mok
Colors: Raul Angulo
Letterer: Jim Campbell
What They Say:
Sera travels the depths of the Underworld with no means of escape. Will the Council of Gods offer a way out or will the Royal Stars be forced to enact a dangerous plan before the stars of Draco seal their fate?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
I really enjoyed the first two issues of this series from writer John Tsuei but had missed out on the third installment. That made going into the fourth a little rough but it connects well enough and in its own way manages to stand on its own overall. A good part of the appeal is once again Audrey Mok’s artwork, especially during the action sequences, as it’s pretty dynamic. I love the design they brought in for the Draco Stars and how they come across, particularly with Raul Angulo’s color design choices. Everything has a strong look about it and the story flows well thanks to how well everything comes together.
Sera’s troubles have lead her to the underworld where her brother, having died, is doing his best to get her to get out of there – especially since he believes that their mother is alive. What Sera has to place her hopes in are the Stars she’s aligned herself with but that’s proving a little difficult as they’re not exactly keen on facing the council of the underworld that exists for help. The journey there fills us in on how dreams over time have formed all of this as the subconscious human mind worked and it’s definitely interesting to see how Tsuei brings it all together. But the reality is that they do have a real problem in trying to leave because Sera is actually a true human, with a sky being in her, and that’s the absolute last thing that should be in the underworld. She didn’t come here in the right way and these ancient beings are all about the rules, when it’s convenient.
While there’s a lot of arguing here, which showcases personalities well, things fall apart fast with the arrival of Eltanin and Rastaban. The stars of Draco are intent on taking down Sera and they’ve followed here to accomplish it. This forces Sera’s hand into a dangerous attempt to get out that’s certainly not wise but it would help circumvent the problem of the council. While she faces her dangers there, which is really nicely illustrated, the focus of the fight has Antares protecting the group along with Fomalhaut. Mok’s layouts and the flow of the fights are great and it’s a good bit of fun that puts in just enough quips without overdoing the whole thing. I really like Fomalhaut’s design and just how he/it carries themselves throughout this, but mostly it’s just appeal of design and the single hidden eye.
In Summary:
I continue to really enjoy this series though it’s gone big and wide very fast considering the more familiar and almost mundane elements of the first issue. This one takes us further down the underworld and delves into how all of it came about and some of the rules of its existence and how it’s overseen. There’s a good chunk of fight material here to help provide for some solid action elements but it’s well-balanced overall and gives us some good tension to work with while Sera attempts her big and risky plan to escape this place.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 12+
Released By: Vault Comics
Release Date: October 23rd, 2019
MSRP: $3.99
