A farmhand lives a simple life until village elders insist he set out for the capital with a dangerous stranger. Their mission? Kill the murderous viceroy of Transylvania! It’s Dracula meets Berserk in this dark fantasy series full of sexy entities and betrayal. Regicide #1 delivers a debut issue that goes in directions that are unexpected and weird.

On its surface, the concept of Regicide is rather simple, a mission to topple the murderous leader of a nation that has brought an evil to the lands. But, as Regicide #1 progresses, the series turns from an action adventure into a twisted dark fantasy.

Written by Patrick Kindlon, Regicide #1 is an intriguing start, introducing a world that’s far more dark and sinister than the surface level would have you believe. And that’s part of the point of the comic. A dark entity has corrupted the land and those within. That becomes quite clear and is emphasized over and over as the issue progresses.

Kindlon gets to the point quickly as we’re introduced to a simple farm hand and a masked individual who are paired up for their mission. The masked man is mysterious, with little revealed, but the farm hand is made out to be the reluctant warrior who has only battled animals and unsure if he can do the same against other human beings. We find out whether he can as the duo come across those who would oppose them… and it’s all very… weird an unexpected.

What easily could just be an action story with a fantasy setting, dives deep in the fantasy as individuals are revealed to be far more than human during battles. The craziness of it all is illustrated by Ludovic Lalliat who delivers an oddity to the characters, each with stories to tell on their own. A woman is revealed to be far more, a guard the same, while a farm hand shows off amazing feets of strength and ability to battle. All of which is given a slight indie style to it, a little unpolished in a way, almost like the story is being recounted by someone else.

But the comic features more from Kindlon with two more short stories tied into the main one, with art by Pramono Estu and Matt Bataglia. Each is a fine edition, fleshing out the characters and world a bit more and surely setting up something to come.

Regicide #1 is a fine start with an intriguing concept and a world where it feels like anything can happen. It leans far more into dark fantasy than the action I initially expected. And with that, it keeps me guessing as to where the series could go from here.

Story: Patrick Kindlon Art: Ludovic Lalliat, Rio Oka, Pramono Estu, Matt Bataglia
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Read

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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