Ruination #1 is a comic created by Ryan Bis and published by Curious Perspective Comics. This story is about a civilization called Saldyria that has been at peace with a group called The Fallen after centuries of war. Unfortunately after only forty years of this peace the Fallen attack. I feel like I could make an Avatar: The Last Airbender reference here but I didn’t watch the show so I won’t. The Fallen attack a small village and this is where the story begins. This is a heavy debut issue, we get the character introductions and a bunch of drama mixed in. We have at least 5 different characters in the main cast with different goals though some of them intersect. Elene is running, Jalen is protecting, Keila is mad, Nairi isn’t about that life, and Dante is searching. They all have five letter names. None of these people seem flat, and a few of them clearly have a story to tell. The dialogue is nice and realistic and characters act and react in ways one might if thrust into their situation. You’ll be able to tell early that this is going to be a thick story with twists and turns.

            This is a vibrant world full of color and we traverse a decent amount of locations. We have the village of Caldanna, a nice seaside town with thatched roofs and houses on stilts. We have a forest with mystical elements as is normal for a fantasy tale. There is also an additional location with a strong dungeon feel. The outfits shown help us understand what kind of person each character is. Elena is wearing a long dress so we know she’s not about that action, but Keila is dressed to kill. And not like in a sexy way but in a way to maximize opponent death. The faces are expressive enough that most words aren’t needed. Humor, desperation, and a number of other emotions leak out from just body language alone. The special effects are drawn in a different style so it stands out on the page as it would in their world. The only knock against the art is that there is some slight face sameness every now and then.

“Is this worth reading?”

Yes.

“Would I like this?”

If you like fantasy tales and large casts of charters with different goals you should start this series. This isn’t women-led, but 3 out of the 5 main cast members are women. This is seems like one of those stories where the problems are gonna be much bigger than they think.

“What would this comic’s film rating be?”

PG-13. Stab stab stabbby.

“Could I get a quote from the comic?”

“You were really intimidating lying on the ground over there.”

Physical Link: https://www.cpcomics.com/shop/p/ruination-1-physical-main-rio-burton-cover

Digital Link: https://www.cpcomics.com/shop/p/ruination-1-digital

Kickstarter Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/curiousp/ruination-1-new-fantasy-adventure-comic-series