Damsels in Excess #1 Advanced Preview/Review from Aspen..

Story: Vince Hernandez

Artist: Mirka Andolfo

Publisher: Aspen comics

Release: July 23, 2014

REVIEW

Damsel’s in excess tells the story of 5 kingdoms where men have become extinct thanks to the spell of a “deathbringer” that was spurned by her lover the king. This tale sees 5 princesses that come together with the expectation that one will be crowned supreme ruler of all.

The story in this issue is quite an interesting tale we see many things set up and each of the kingdoms rulers clearly have their own agenda and want the power for themselves, some more than others. Each character is given a little time to shine, letting you get a good feel for each of the personalities involved. The only criticism I had with this first issue is that it seems to cram a little too much back story of the 5 kingdoms whilst also trying to introduce each of the characters and set up the story, it can be a little overwhelming for the reader and some of this detail will be lost by the time the second issue rolls around. That said each character has a distinct voice and the whole issue has a great undertone of light humour, Rat Queens fans will be right at home even if they won’t get the usual foul mouthed humour they are used to from that book.

The art in this book fits the script perfectly; it has a very fairy tale vibe to it with bright and vibrant colours that really stand out on the page. Despite trying to cram a little too much into the story in this issue, the art more than makes up for it. The design of each character is also worth noting as each kingdom has its own distinct style that really stands out on the page. Overall the arts elevates what will seem to some as a bloated script as you can spend a long time just looking at each pages and marvelling in the detail of the characters and the settings.

Damsel’s in Excess is a fun read; I think when reading the whole mini-series this tale will flow together really well. Fans of fantasy and fables should check it out and will feel right at home.

3/5

Author Profile

Matt Deery

Matt Deery is an avid comic reader from the UK, relatively new to the writing scene but, enjoying being part of the Comic Crusaders team and getting to talk about some the books that I adore. Will read almost anything Marvel, with Spider-Man and Iron Man being my all time favorite comic book characters and has recently found a love for Image and Valiant books and generally anything Sci FI or Espionage related. Check out my twitter @brujah69ad if you want to stop by and talk comics, video games or movies!