Writer: Ryan O’Sullivan
Artists: Daniel Bayliss & Sid Kotian
Colorist: Laurel Dundee
Letterer: Nathan Kempf
Editor: Phoebe Hedges
Art Director: Oz Browne
Cover Artists: Alan Quah, Ivan Shavrin, David Barker, Alex
Moore, & Sid Kotian with Prasad Rao
Publisher: Titan Comics
Price: $4.99
Release Date: November 6, 2024
When Larryr seeks refuge from a snowstorm inside the Flying
Horse Inn, he sees the Storyteller has returned. As he purchases a frothy mug
and sits at a wooden table, Larryr wonders what story he will hear tonight.
What will the Storyteller’s tale of the Godsword tell him about his world?
Let's strap on our armor, leap into RuneScape: Untold Tales of the God Wars #1,
and find out!
Story
The Storyteller whets his listeners’ appetite by sketching
the history of their world. After ancient beings created the cosmos, new
peoples and gods arose. The God Of Balance brought men, dwarves, gnomes, and
fairies to live harmoniously on Gielnor. Other gods followed Guthix but for
less noble reasons.
When war overtook the planet, the Armadyleans forged the
Godsword in the Temple of the Lost Ancients. But Zamorak, the God Of Chaos,
decided to use their assassination plan against them. So Zamorak forged a hilt
for the Godsword and charged K’Ril Tsutsaroth with finding the blade. As K’Ril
led the Zamorakian army against the Armadyleans, the demon entrusted the
necromancer Sherok with transporting the Zamorak’s hilt in his caravan. But in
RuneScape: Untold Tales of the God Wars #1, Sherok also has plans for the
Godsword.
Despite his ambitions, Sherok lacks focus and a thorough
grounding in his art. As a Human, Sherok believes he outranks the demon
warlord. Sherok assumes that all the soldiers batting the Aramdyleans are there
to serve him. The necromancer may not be an expert in any particular field, but
Sherok knows enough spells to serve his needs. His familiar Maro bolsters
Sherok’s beliefs by sugar-coating how others see the necromancer.
Amid Ryan O’Sullivan’s tale of a demon general and a
scheming necromancer, Maro emerges as the most relatable character in
RuneScape: Untold Tales of the God Wars #1. Mystery surrounds him. Not even the
Storyteller knows his origins. Maro may be unique, yet he’s tired of his job. The
familiar dislikes being ordered about by odious people less intelligent than
himself. Maro has tired of this bespelled existence among people who revel in
death. He may be just a skull that floats through the air and has no prospects
for a better future. Still, Maro doesn't let his circumstances get him down.
Art
The burly bartender polishes a mug as Larryr enters. Tables
await customers who likely want more options than the casks of ale behind the
bar. A hood obscures the thin Storyteller's features. His metal-covered hands
and arms emerge from his dark cloak as he tells of Guthix. The horned God Of
Balance stands as a giant among his fellow immortals. His face dominates the
horizon as he gazes down on the land. After Guthix watches people as they
emerge from a Stargate, other gods greet arriving elves, goblins, and demons.
As the gods study maps and lead their forces into battle, a short, winged
Aramdylean hammers a scrollwork blade on a mighty anvil.
Green foliage shines under bright blue skies as Sherok
drives his brown caravan through the woods. Gray and purple fill the skies when
the sun sets on the battle in RuneScape: Untold Tales of the God Wars #1. The
muscular demon K’Ril, adorned in maroon and gray armor, carries a sword that
evokes a meat cleaver. After maroon spills from a captured Aramdylean, a green
spirit rises toward the ceiling as Sherok continues an interrogation wearing a
black robe and a yellow crown. Pink energy surrounds Maro and trails behind him
as he floats from the brown caravan to address the purple demons guarding
K’Ril’s gray and brown tent. An eerie green light animates the skeletal
warriors who guard Sherok’s caravan.
Amid Daniel Bayliss & Sid Kotian’s involving art and
Laurel Dundee’s attractive colors, Nathan Kempf conjures large uppercase
letters into white dialogue balloons and beige narrative boxes. The
Storyteller’s words are bold and darken further for intonation. Spirits speak
white letters into black dialogue balloons, and K’Ril utters red ones while
question marks surround Maro wherever he goes. Thanks to Titan Comics for
providing a copy for review.
Final Thoughts
When the Aramdyleans forge the Godsword, the followers of
the God of Justice set off a contest for the ultimate weapon. As the
Zamorakians slay the winged warriors for the power to kill a god, an animated
skull could prove the Aramdyleans’ only hope for survival in RuneScape: Untold
Tales of the God Wars #1.
Rating 9.6/10
For more covers and a look inside see my preview at The Dragon's Cache.
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