There’s no gimmicky cover here, but the first issue of Eternal Warrior committed the biggest sin of the ’90s: starting an entirely new series in the midst of a company-wide crossover. That said, this isn’t necessarily a problem limited to 90s comics, but it’s definitely a problem that was pretty prevalent in the last decade.
Despite this problem, is Eternal Warrior #1 worth reading? Let’s find out!
Gilad Ani Padda is the strongest warrior in his tribe and the bravest defender of his people. His younger brother Aram, although brave and incredibly strong, always felt like he was living in his brother’s shadow. When the brothers start their own families, a tragedy causes them to go their separate ways. But Gilad and Aram are about more than just strength, resilience, and fighting ability. They appear to be immortal. As such, they find themselves at the center of a war that threatens reality itself.
Frank Miller’s cover of Eternal Warrior #1 is pretty cool, but not particularly representative of the issue in general. Instead, it feels like an almost Biblical epic, with a dramatic flash-forward to the modern world occurring on the final page. Gilad doesn’t seem like a very likable person. He seems to be an arrogant and quite angry character, and given the misogynistic views he espouses (along with some unnecessary hints of sexual violence in the artwork), I’m starting to think that this was a problem with early 90s Valiant, who tried to feel edgy and mature but ended up coming off as even more childish.
There’s a crossover element happening at the end of this issue, which doesn’t hurt too much in that it’s the second part of the overall Unity saga, but I can’t help but feel it’s a bit disjointed and missing important details (why on earth are Gilad and Aram immortal? Certainly not featured in this issue at all).
That said, the historical sequences are really well done, not to mention more violent than expected, and the dodgy (but almost certainly period accurate) sexual politics aside. John Dixon’s artwork is great, especially in the grand Old World scenes, and Paul Autio’s colors give it a suitably painterly look.
If this issue had been a little more specific about the reason for Gilad and Aram’s immortality, it would have been a more interesting read. All that being said, it’s a fun, timeless romp that elevates the series nicely. It’s a shame that it doesn’t work on its own without Unity being bolted on, but we’ll see where this leads in the next issue.
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