Arya #1

Published by: Antarctic Press

 

Unlike other comics, I will be separating the reviews for Arya in two. This new comic from Antarctic Press is an anthology series that will be showcasing strong, new female talent. So, let us begin.

 

Adventure Quest by Akimiya

 

In the first story we are presented to two young girls: Emi, a young girl having fun playing tag and Helen, the new girl sitting on the park bench all by herself. Asking Helen to come play, Emi is surprised to be turned down by Helen. However, she soon discovers that Helen is enjoying a game on her Wintendo 3TS (heh): Adventure Quest XXI. Luckily enough, Emi also has this game and offers to play with Helen.

 

From there, we get to discover that Helen, who up to date had seemed to be a very introverted girl, comes out of her shell when playing this game. She shows off to Emi how good she is at this game and Emi is loving the experience.

 

Reading this first story, I couldn’t help but smile throughout. It reminded me of the good old days when I first began playing Final Fantasy XI and how I was able to make so many lasting friends from the game. The same is true in this story. You can tell after having fun with the game that these two girls will become lifelong friends.  

 

Grocery Quest by Sofia Davila

 

In the second story, we are introduced to a girl named Anais who is tasked by her brother to go shopping for some groceries to allow them to make some real food for their mother. After reluctantly agreeing to go, Anais is accosted by strange dog-like creature who challenges her to a quest. Mistaking the creature for a child, she ends up accepting and getting transported to a world not her own.

 

Now in a strange land, she needs to get her wits about her and begin to collect the items that have been asked for in order for her to complete the challenge. Along the way, she meets an onion-headed woman who explains to her that she has no way home and that she will have to complete the challenge whether she likes it or not.

As a debut issue in an anthology. Arya did its job in grabbing my attention and giving me a reason to continue reading. I will admit I preferred Adventure Quest by Akimiya but that is only because of the fact that it reminded so much of my past with my friends: a big plus for a comic.