A.GUARDIAN #3 – Comic Review

A.GUARDIAN #3, from Source Point Press on December 28th, 2022, recounts the Guardian’s origin from the time of Gwydion the wizard. Meanwhile, the Tomb of Livia receives an unexpected guest.

The Details

• Written by: Eastin DeVerna
• Art by: Kay Baird, Grim Wilkins
• Colors by: Kay Baird
• Letters by: Shawn Daley
• Cover art by: Kay Baird
• Cover price: $3.99
• Release date: December 28, 2022

Is It Good?

A.GUARDIAN #3 is not bad, but most readers are going to struggle because the narration and dialog are wildly overwritten. What does that mean? That means a moment of expression or single thought takes several narration captions to get through because there’s so much extraneous, flowery language. You’ll find yourself tuning out. There’s nothing wrong with expressing a thought with rich language, but concise clarity must take priority every single time.

In fairness, there is a good story here. We learn the history of when the Guardian became the Guardian. We learn how the Blood Knight was conceived. And we get a first peek inside the legendary Tomb of Livia, even if it is only just a peek. By any measure, this issue goes a long way toward building out the mythology of the world and filling in the characters’ backstories.

However, the language is going to be the biggest hurdle to your enjoyment. With limited page space and panel count, the script takes unnecessary time calling out names, kingdoms, religions, and titles of people (sometimes multiple titles for the same person) we’ve never seen and have no bearing on the story. All to make the world feel detailed and ancient. The overwritten narration and dialog aren’t necessarily confusing, but it’s frequently tedious.

Baird and Wilkins flex creative muscle in the action department with this issue. Multiple fights are depicted against a wide array of unequally matched characters, yet the fights are energetic and thrilling. The color palette sticks with muted pastels, which give the comic a washed-out appearance, but the visual structure of the comic is solid.

Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

Check out our A.GUARDIAN #2 review to find out why the Blood Knight was summoned.

We begin with a flashback to the early days of the kingdoms when Gwydion and King Bledig struggled between the forces of war and peace with Sul. Gwydion discovered a terrible secret that could end the war but only at the expense of countless lives. Gwydion placed the secret inside the Tomb of Livia, and young, witless Aylward was chosen to become the tomb’s guardian.

Now, the Guardian fights against intruders and loses, falling off a cliff’s edge. Elsewhere, King Hywel requests a parley with the king of Sul to avert a coming disaster. King H’Ruylh is aware of Hywel’s prophetic warning, but he knows more than Hywel is aware.

Elsewhere again, Delyth recalls how the Blood Knight came to be and now must unmake what she has made to save her true love. We conclude the issue with pain, suffering, and an open door.

Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.

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