Pomp and circumstance and any mention of the middle ages bring about images of Shakespeare and The Plague. Medieval England, has been romanticized in many books, and was deftly re-imagined in Marvel 1602, an excellent book which took familiar modern characters, and put them in the Medieval Ages, in a world where you have the Xmen speaking in iambic pentameter and Captain America was a Native American. I wish this world where magic, heroism in a highly elegant world was explored more in comic books.

The hero’s journey more than a few times has shown that the hero has many different shades and appearances, and often emerging in the character the reader least expects to rise to the occasion .The best example of this is everybody’s favorite rogue, Han Solo, who at the beginning of New Hope , was your average soldier of fortune, who had a ship he could pilot and was willing to go anywhere for the money, as he was very cynical of Jedi mythology. By The Return of the Jedi, you has not only become an integral part of the Rebellion, but a general and Luke’s best friend. As we catch up with him in The Force Awakens, his not only a witness to this world, but a wary traveler , who sacrifices himself for the greater good, just as any hero would, much like Amberle in the TV adaptation of the Shannara Chronicles.

Medieval sorcery is at the core of this book, as sorcery and supernatural devices are dead center of this story, as we are introduced to star crossed lovers Arabella and Thomas, as they discover a mysterious looking glass, that is more than it appears, leaving everyone involved indelibly marked. Fast forward, we meet Rosalind, the year is 1582, a well to do heiress of an estate I s on her way home to visit her father, she finds him in an uneasy state, were he breaks not one but two big secrets or rather lies that she has been living for twenty years. With the shocking news, she goes to meet the one person who she canf solace, but she meets someone totally unexpected at truly at the most inopportune time. By issue’s end, the reader is faced with the same dilemmas as the characters, what is the shadow glass? And why are the circumstances they way they are?

What started off as another hero in hiding much like Luke in Star Wars or Arthur in the short lived Camelot, has way more surprises and mysteries than when started. The story by Aly Fell, is well researched and very much true to the time period, but most importantly, exhilarating. The art by Aly Fell, is beautiful and enigmatic, evoking medieval paintings in every panel. Overall, a strong start to an enveloping mystery, which as I can tell, will reward the reader with surprises every issue.

Story: Aly Fell Art: Aly Fell
Story:9.5 Art: 9.2 Overall: 9.7 Recommendation: Buy

Dark Horse provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review