WARHAMMER: FORGE OF WAR #1 by Dan Abnett, Ian Edington and Rahsan Ekedal.
© Boom!
Mania Grade: B-
Issue: 1
Authors: Dan Abnett, Ian Edington, Rahsan Ekedal
Publisher: Boom!
Price: $2.99
Issue: 1
Authors: Dan Abnett, Ian Edington, Rahsan Ekedal
Publisher: Boom!
Price: $2.99
WARHAMMER: FORGE OF WAR #1
By: Kurt AmackerReview Date: Wednesday, July 04, 2007
I admit to having not played Warhammer in over ten years, so I claim little familiarity with its larger universe. Boom! Studios acquired the license for the game a while back and has released a several miniseries. This first issue of Forge of War presents the allied forces of Averland, the Empire, and the Dwarves, as they stand against the forces of the Champions of Chaos, who work to raise the Four Ruinous Powers and bring darkness over the world of Warhammer.
It all sounds like the usual ersatz-Tolkien swords-and-sorcery dreck that constitutes most fantasy paperbacks and roleplaying games, but the issue takes an unusually novel approach in its recount of the battle. It portrays each facet of the allied forces both during and before the catastrophic battle against Chaos. As the battle rages and the line disintegrates writers Dan Abnett and Ian Edington jump back and show each army preparing for the assault. The soldiers prepare for the battle by reciting training mantras and reducing their task to the simplest components – defend this small section of the line and everything will work out. But, their training doesn’t prepare them for the literal and figurative Chaos that descends upon them, as the simple tasks with which they’ve been assigned become increasingly difficult. The writers remind us that no matter how much you practice, war often devolves into bloody chaos where soldiers may survive as much by chance as by training.
Unfortunately, the writers litter the dialogue with enough war and fantasy clichés to make it sound like a real live-action game. Characters make oaths to mighty war gods and yell for the line to hold over and over again. It reads less like dialogue and more like a checklist of aphorisms. Still, the story’s comparison between the orderliness of training and the disorderliness of combat shows a lot of potential for the rest of the series. The issue ends on a bad note that promises lessons to be learned.
If you’re a fan of Warhammer and swords and sorcery, this might merit a look. But, this won’t grab the interest of anyone not already interested.
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