Vanya: The Lost Warrior #8 is a comic written by Mike Tener with illustrations by Zoran Jovicic and colors by Bryan Magnaye. The battle between the Galactic Federation and the Torridians on the planet Terra finally begins. This is a futuristic science fiction comic with heavy violence, lore drops, a lot of dinosaurs, and a large cast. The leading lady here is Vanya, she was a Time Guard in training but she’s now one of the key figures in this conflict against the Torridians. Vanya is very resourceful and has fought and snuck her way through many dangerous situations. Serah is Vanya’s friend who was also a trainee but she arrived a few months after her. She was implanted with a chip by the Bone Tribe that’s been giving her visions and dreams along with other abiliites. The Torridian leader on Terra is General Tora, she is hard, determined, scarred, and she’s concealing an illness that seems to be killing her. She and her people harbor a deep hatred for the Galactic Federation. There are a number of other important people here from commanders and soldiers to witches and scientists. This story begins with Vanya being shown a dragon by the strategist Relo Quarr. Relo tells Vanya of the Galactic Federation’s history with dragon and how they used them to destroy the Torridians’ home planet of Valen. Some of the Torridians who were off-planet on ships made the decision to land on Terra(the humans’ planet) in the past, which has resulted in this current conflict. This takes place in prehistoric times with dinosaurs and the like. The action is very gruesome with a lot of blood and gore. The pacing is steady with shifting perspectives and a futuristic sci-fi tone and Star Trek/Stargate vibes. There are many violently and dramatically intense moments with a lot of suspense. The dialogue here is very conversational with mid-battle quips, tech talk, lore drops, and a bit of narration from Vanya. There are no word-heavy pages here. This an exciting and informative issue that serves as the climax for what has been building for a few issues now and we’ll see just about every character in a violent or dangerous situation.

            The art here is drawn in a mostly smooth, lightly rough, realistic modern style with a particular focus on lighting. The overall color range is a mix of the cold-toned “Sci-Fi” and the earthy “Jungle” palettes. For scenery we have thick forests, caves, and rocky hills. The main location is the Galactic Federation’s military base which is high tech and has many different areas from control rooms to medbays. Most of the scenes take place outdoors as there is a large-scale battle. The backgrounds tend to show the immediate surroundings but due to the nature of the conflict there can be a lot of smoke. The expression level here is on the lower side as just about every character here is a hardened soldier-type. Emotions here are generally on the aggressive side with anger and rage as well as fear and pained looks. The faces have an overall above-average amount of detail with realistic features so most expressions end up being clear. There are a number of alien creatures but the Torridians are most prominent with their large bodies, purple skin, and horse-like legs. The weapons used here include cannons, firearms, dinosaurs with robotic attachments, tanks, and other large vehicles. There are many gruesome attacks that lead to heavy gore and plenty of blood. The action scene is lengthy with a lot of sequences, shifting perspectives, and a decent flow.

“Is this worth reading?”

Yes, if this is up your alley.

“Would I like this?”

If you like futuristic science fiction stories that star women and feature a bunch of alien-like creatures with heavy explosive violence, gruesome gore, and time travel elements then this is for you.

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

NC-17. Violence, blood, gruesomeness, gore, nudity, sexual scenes.

“Could I get a quote from the comic?”

“Going to war, Commander. I suggest you do the same.”

 

Digital Link: https://badbugmidnight.com/products/vanya-the-lost-warrior-7-digital-copy?variant=46942603837661

Kickstarter Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/badbugmedia/vanya-the-lost-warrior-8-a-prehistoric-sci-fi-adventure/description

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

Probably Contains Spoilers

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Actual Pages(not counting covers and credits): 36

Violent Pages: 16, for 44% of the comic

Sexy Pages: 5, for 14% of the comic

 

**The levels below aren’t necessarily maintained throughout the whole comic, but they were definitely reached**

 

Violence Level – 4

“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 – 5

“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 – 4

“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 – 5

“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.”