DC Comics recently released the second installment of Sword of Justice, their new five-part series set in the world of Diablo, Blizzard Entertainment’s hit ARPG.

Issue #2 picks up right where its predecessor left off. Jacob ends up killing his father in self-defense, but it seems as if the old man’s mind had been poisoned by some mysterious ailment. With his last breath, he warns Jacob not to touch his blood. Back in the present, Jacob is still in the mysterious cave he discovered in the previous issue, staring at a glimmering sword that protrudes from the ground.

Jacob pulls it free, much to the relief of the hooded woman who had been guarding it. She introduces herself as a wizard named Shanar, and unlike most comic book females, she is actually somewhat modestly clothed. No chainmail bikini for her! She delivers some exposition about the sword, but her spiel is cut short when thugs from Jacob’s homeland pay him a visit. Jacob is reluctant to see them killed, so he forces Shanar to pull her magical punches.

In a nice nod to Diablo III, Shanar fights with wizard spells that will appear in-game, such as Electrocute and Wave of Force. Of course no good deed goes unpunished, and Jacob is rewarded for his mercy by being knocked unconscious and taken prisoner. Thankfully, Shanar returns to Jacob’s side and helps him to escape his captors. But the bad guys prove to be persistent, and Shanar uses a teleportation spell to whisk herself and Jacob from their grasp.

They end up in the Black Marsh near the Forgotten Tower (two areas that will be familiar to players of Diablo II), but the issue’s last panel suggests that they might have exchanged the frying pan for the fire.

The first issue was understandably a bit heavy on the exposition, but scriptwriter Aaron Williams has toned it down in Issue #2. He has also done a nice job of incorporating some of the newer lore that has been developed for the Diablo universe. The bit about the Crystal Arch in the High Heavens fits in nicely with the Book of Cain.

And speaking of lore, it is interesting to note that Williams told IGN that he had originally planned to have a scene in the Forgotten Tower. He ended up dropping it because the Tower apparently shows up in Diablo III and he did not want to create continuity problems. If the Tower does indeed make a comeback in Diablo III, it would be nice if we actually got to see it; in Diablo II, we only saw the (rather expansive) basement!

Despite Williams’ obvious talent, there are some plot issues that left me scratching my head in confusion. Take the battle in the cave, for example. Jacob tells Shanar not to kill the thugs, which seems spectacularly unwise given the circumstances. His decision to show them mercy might have been more believable if he were trying to reason with them, but he makes no such attempt.

Instead, he fights in moody silence and refuses to deliver killing blows. But what does he hope to gain by holding back? Does he hope his enemies will just get frustrated and leave him alone? Perhaps Williams was trying to show Jacob as naive and good-hearted, but instead he comes dangerously close to being ‘Too Stupid To Live’.

Similarly, when Shanar helps Jacob escape after he is captured, it seems hard to believe that she would not attack the thugs while they were busy dismembering their dinner. They were totally distracted; it would be the perfect opportunity for Shanar to take them all out. At the very least, she and Jacob should have discussed some sort of counterattack. Instead, she and Jacob just run off into the woods. That sort of behavior seems to be dictated by plot necessity rather than logic.

Those matters aside, Issue #2 was an enjoyable read. Overall, the story remains compelling, and it will be interesting to see what else Williams has in store for Jacob and Shanar.

The article Diablo III: Sword of Justice Issue #2 Review appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Fans of the Buffy: The Vampire Slayer spinoff Angel will have yet another taste of post apocalyptic London with Angel and Faith. Set after the death of Giles and Angel’s return to sanity, he is joined by Rebel Slayer Faith Lehane. The two combat the forces of evil in a post Twilight world where earth is completely cut off from magic after the events of Buffy Season Eight.

Fans will remember that in season eight, Angel and Buffy were manipulated into giving birth to an apocalyptic dimension called Twilight. During these events Angel adopts the villain name Twilight in order to combat Buffy after she inherits godlike superpower. There’s no confusion with sparkly vampires here, that’s for sure.

In Live Through This issue number 4, Angel is still haunted by the acts of horror he committed during Twilight with the death of Rupert Giles hanging over his head constantly. At this point he is knee deep in his quest to bring Giles back from the dead. Angel is bereft of his usual bevy of ally’s Buffy Summers, Dawn, Xander Harris and Willow Rosenberg.

His one remaining ally has thus far been the surprising but steadfast Faith Lehane. A slayer just like one other, she breaks more rules than she keeps but is loyal to the fight against evil. She is not only his partner on this adventure but also his insurance policy, which Angel openly admits. Should he ever become so obsessed, he knew within reason that Faith would knock some sense into him.

In fact, Angel seems to be counting on it. She notices how Angel’s personality changes, adopting some rather bookish reading habits. Nash and Pearl, the sibling demons who crossed over onto earth, are magic users that battle Angel at every turn. They take pride and joy in making his life difficult while advancing their plot for the next supposed step in evolution.

Their view of Angel as a traitor to their cause is less evident in this issue but they still threaten Angel that they have more power than he’d seen before. Far from being the standard issue enemy the character of Nash is protective of his sister and Pearl definitely has a sensual quality about her.

Whistler, fellow demon to Nash and Pearl, is more diabolical than his campy nature would seem. His long history with Angel further complicates matters since it was he who initially convinced Angel to take the mantle of Twilight in the first place. The character of Whistler himself has evolved over time, his true face of vengeance against Angel showing through.

His work with the demon siblings his brought him a vial of Mohra Blood, the Blood of Eternity for his nefarious purposes. One concern is that this series should remain fresh and original, rather than devolve into a campy mess of vamp vs demon combat. The emotional elements of the 4th issue, little as they are, serve to highlight the storyline and its characters.

The 4th issue in this series is available now, with issue #5 releasing on December 28th, now available for pre-order here through Dark Horse Comics. Fans will want to keep a watch for this series on the rise since issues 6 and 7 are also available for pre-order as well.

Written by Christos Gage with artwork from Rebekah Isaacs, coloring by Dan Jackson and cover art by Steve Morris, this is a great team that has worked on the Angel and Faith series since the very beginning. With mastermind creator Joss Whedon having provided an excellent backdrop with tons of characters that makes for a very easily advancing plot line.

The next few issues seem to be shaping up for a grand showdown of epic proportions with a few hidden surprises being foreshadowed to fans in these recent pages.

The article Comic Review: Angel and Faith Issue #4 (Steve Morris Cover) appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Although Diablo III has been postponed until 2012, fans of the series can tide themselves over by picking up the first issue of Sword of Justice, which hits the shelves this week. Set in the same dark-fantasy world as the game, SoJ is a five-issue comic series published by DC Comics which takes place during the twenty years that elapsed between the ending of Diablo II: Lord of Destruction and the beginning of Diablo III.

The issue starts with a nice little summary of the overarching story of the Diablo universe.  Sanctuary (the world of mortals) was created by angels and demons as a place of refuge. Despite the best intentions, Sanctuary was almost destroyed twice, and each time it owed its salvation to Tyrael, the Archangel of Justice.

We then segue out of the past and into the present, where a young wanderer is confronted by an old beggar who claims to be able to see the future. He knows that the young man’s name is Jacob and that he is being pursued by hostile men. He tells Jacob to seek out a mysterious mountain.

At first, Jacob doesn’t believe the old man’s ramblings, but after almost dying of thirst in the desert, he stumbles upon the mountain that the old seer described. Inside, there’s a great cave whose walls are carved with scenes from his past, and a shining sword protrudes from the stone.

Seeing the scenes on the wall bring back painful memories for Jacob, and the reader finally starts to understand what the young man is running from. Video game tie-ins often leave a lot to be desired, but SoJ manages to be a compelling read. Scriptwriter Aaron Williams has a done a nice job with Jacob’s characterization, and he has a knack for incorporating subtle humor into the dialogue.

The story he’s crafted appears promising, and it will be interesting to see how SoJ fits in with the storyline of Diablo III when it’s finally released. The art, however, may not be to everyone’s liking. If you’re one of the fans who thinks that Diablo III isn’t dark and gritty enough, then you might want to steer clear of SoJ.

Joseph Lacroix’s work is visually appealing, but his highly-stylized drawings may not appeal to those looking for gritty realism. All in all, SoJ is a promising addition to the world of Diablo. It could have easily become a cliched ‘young warrior finds a magic weapon’ story, but it looks like they’ve managed to create something fresh and new.

The article Diablo: Sword of Justice Issue 1 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.