Beowulf #1 is a comic written by Grant Lankard with art by Antonio Brandao, Grant Lankard, and Roy Moon. A discovery in Denmark leads to life-changing events for people in different parts of the world. This is a supernatural fantasy comic with comedy, violence, and a diverse cast. The leading lady here is Hazel, a high school-age girl who has a cat that can talk and knows magic. The main man is a failed writer named Victor Sigurd who goes from job to job and has some sleeping troubles. The story begins with some miners in Denmark discovering a cave filled with gold and lit torches. While searching the cave they come across something terrifying. The violence here is gruesome but not bloody. The pacing is steady and the tone is like that of a low fantasy movie taking place in modern times. There are a few intense scenes due to danger and violence. The dialogue here is conversational with some Old English moments. There are no word-heavy pages here. This is a debut issue that sets the premise and introduces interesting and different characters while providing an intriguing story to follow.

            The art here is drawn in a modern style with a notable overall brightness. The color range is decently wide with plenty of light tones. The scenery has some good rocky shots and nice neighborhood landscapes as well as a forest. The location changes depending on the character we’re following from Hazel’s home to Victor’s apartment he shares with roommates. The backgrounds pretty much always show the surroundings with gradient colors being very rare. The expression level is around average as these characters have realistic reactions to the situations taking place. The main emotion is shock with some more quizzical and inquiring looks as well as fear. The faces have an above-average amount of detail and all the different expressions tend to come across clearly. The violence here involves fire and result in some gruesome, destructive attacks. The action scene flows well and has a decent amount of panels.

“Is this worth reading?”

Yes, if this is up your alley.

“Would I like this?”

If you like supernatural fantasy stories with comedic elements and two leads of different ages and ethnicities as well as some violence then this is for you.

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

R. Violence.

“Could I get a quote from the comic?”

“I never had a cat ask me to do anything before.”

 

Physical Link: https://www.comicsburgh.com/store/p/beowulf-1-of-6

Kickstarter Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mrgrantastic/beowulf-issue-one-0/description

***IN-DEPTH COMIC STATS BELOW***

Probably Contains Spoilers

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Actual Pages(not counting covers and credits): 20

Violent Pages: 3, for 15% 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 – 2

“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.”