Swordquest #2

Written by: Chad Bowers and Chris Sims
Art and Colours by: Ghostwriter X
Published by: Dynamite Comics

As a fan of video games as well as video game history, Swordquest seemed to be right up my alley when I first heard of it a few months back. For those new to the series, Swordquest is based on the video game series of the same name published by Atari back in the 80s. This comic by Bowers, Sims and Ghostwriter X, seeks to return us to the glory days of Atari comics that have long since gone.

For many, the Swordquest series is synonymous with the Earthworld, Waterworld, Fireworld and unfinished Airworld fantasy settings. Swordquest by Dynamite Comics, however, began with our new protagonist, Peter Case, a man in the “real” world who grew up playing the Atari games as a kid with his friends Amy and Alvin who has now decided, after being diagnosed with a terminal illness, to fulfill his childhood dream of owning the Swordquest sword - which was the initial prize offered by Atari (in this comic as in real life - look it up) all those years ago for completing certain puzzles within their games.

What Bowers and Sims do differently with issue 2 is introducing us to the mythology of the actual Swordquest worlds as told to us by a new character introduced at the end of issue 1: Terry Kimura. He tells the tale of Atara, a world at war that would only know peace once the peoples of the Earth, Water, Fire and Air worlds were brought to heel by their new leader, Rulero (I kid you not) who had created a sword smelted from the relics of these four worlds into what we know as the Swordquest sword. All this, Kimura claims to have actually happened and that the sword was now found on earth in the hands of Atara’s greatest sorcerer Konjuro (I am not making these names up).  

Ghostwriter X continues to deliver on art in this issue. What I’ve enjoyed from their art is the somewhat subdued colour palette and the great use of paneling throughout. They don’t overdo it or make it too flashy throughout. The character design is distinct and they get to play around with more fantasy based creatures this issue which is fun.

All in all, Swordquest continues to be an enjoyable read from month to month. Dynamite has been known to snag up fledgling, or even dead properties, and bring new life to them and this is definitely the case with this new Atari line of comics.