Arkon the Giantkiller is fated to protect Auoro, the One True Chosen, so that she may destroy the evil Lord Omin. She just has to survive long enough to do it! Bart Sears pens the story he has always wanted to tell, a tale of brutal sword-swinging action as Arkon seeks to rescue the infant Auoro from her captors.

Giantkillers is the kind of book that comes along and takes you entirely by surprise. I wasn’t honestly sure what I expected when going into the comic, but I won’t pretend that I wasn’t aware of the price tag as I started reading. $8 for a 60 odd page book could be a bit steep if the content wasn’t up to snuff, but there’s no worry about that here.

There are three stories within this book that tell part of the story of Arkon at various parts of his life, all written by Bart Sears with various artists joining him. The mixing of the creative teams adds a flavour to the two comic strips, but the highlight for me was Sears’ prose story, It Begins… At The End, with the additional illustrations to emphasize certain story moments with the prose. I’m not saying the comic strips were a low point of the comic, rather that in a comic full of greatness, the prose was a highlight.

The bulk of the comic is dedicated to Killer, a brutal tour de force that has one man taking on numerous orcs and giants with a delightfully brutal grace. It’s not a story you should be showing kids, but the action is incredibly cathartic and beautifully illustrated.

With Giantkillers giving us a look at three different stages of Akron’s life, you’re left with just enough to tantalize. Just enough to leave you wanting needing more from this world. Bart Sears hasn’t quite crafted a masterpiece, but he has written a bloody fine comic that is worth every penny of the $7.99 that you should spend on this.

Killer
Writer: Bart Sears Breakdowns: Rick Leonardi Finishes: Mark Pennington
Colours: Nanjan Jamberi Letters: A Larger World Studios
It Begins… At The End
Writer & Illustrator: Bart Sears
Kitty, Kitty,
Writer: Bart Sears: Art: Meghan Hetrik
Colours: Nanjan Jamberi Letters: Dave Lanphear
Story: 8.8 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.6 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review