Master & Apprentice: Act I is a compilation of Master & Apprentice Issue #1-4 by Daniel A. Becker. Due to this being four issues in one I’ll be giving a very broad overview to prevent hard spoilers. This is a fantasy tale that takes place in an area that resembles the ancient Middle East. Our story begins with Master Tecum and his apprentice Hamzah as they approach a tomb in search of a special blade. Because of a misstep while scouting the area Hamzah is badly burnt and is forced out of commission until he heals up, leaving Tecum to proceed on his own. This blade, known as the Alter Blade, is coveted by many different entities. We have a group of bandits attempting to acquire the artifact for a client and while they are the leading rivals, there are many others that we have yet to see. We’ll also meet some friends along the way, as there are other master and apprentice pairs out there. This comic has great world-building, with the magic abilities and various places of great importance. This story is thick with lore that isn’t fully explained, interesting characters, hidden motivations, and story-explaining flashbacks. There is great dialogue with realistic banter, it can get wordy and over-explain things at times but overall it’s great.
The locations in this comic are something else. We have a tomb that chooses which laws of physics to follow, various towns with unique identities, various encampments, but the true star of the show is the desert. The dry and visibly hot landscape, ruins that litter the edges of the canyons, and scarce greenery. The environment helps emphasize the desperation and struggle of the characters. Speaking of the characters, their outfits are quite varied, colorful, and functional. Some are dressed from head-to-toe in garb that looks unfit for the weather, while some dress light so they can move more swiftly. It’s not hard to tell where the real life inspiration for some of these wardrobe’s came from. When it comes to the people themselves it’s easy to see they were drawn as unique as possible. From the various skin types, hairstyles, tattoos, heights, and henna-like art, you will not confuse any two people. The faces are very expressive here, terror and fear being the most prominent.
“Is this worth reading?”
Yes.
“Would I like this?”
If you like fantasy tales like Sinbad or Aladdin with a more mature lens you should pick this up. Also for those who like protagonists with the odds against them.
“What would this comic’s film rating be?”
R, it gets a bit bloody.
“Could I get a quote from the comic?”
“What kind of kid tries to stab a beautiful woman anyways?!”
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Kickstarter Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/invisible-ink-studio/master-and-apprentice-act-i-chapters-1-4/description
***IN-DEPTH COMIC STATS BELOW***
Probably Contains Spoilers
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Actual Pages(not counting covers and credits): 106
Violent Pages: 36, for 34% of the comic
Sexy Pages: 0, for 0% of the comic
**The levels below aren’t necessarily maintained throughout the whole comic, but they were definitely reached**
Violence Level – 3
“Wasn’t no tussling at all.”
“Sometimes you gotta hit somebody.”
“I’m getting charged with how many counts of assault?”
“This was a tournament arc.”
“All my life I had to fight.”
Gore Level – 3
“The only thing leaking out your face is tears.”
“Looks like somebody spilled some ketchup.”
“Might need to soak that up with a bath towel.”
“That isn’t supposed to be outside the body.”
“This is a slaughterhouse.”
Death Level – 3
“And everybody lived happily ever after.”
“We might have gone to a couple funerals.”
“It just LOOKS like a serial killer was here.”
“Yeah this was a tragedy.”
“Think Gettysburg.”
Porn Level – 1
“Everybody kept their clothes on.”
“I guess it was too hot for a bra.”
“Sometimes you got to let everything air out.”
“This is like late night Cinemax in the early 2000’s.”
“Oh. This is porn.”