Eternal Warrior #1

The Team

Writer Greg Pak Artist Trevor Hairsine

After recently speaking with a jaded of fan of Valiant, it seemed clear that The Eternal Warrior is going to be a tough sell for most. Thankfully, the publisher has been taking some time to introduce an ongoing title for the character. The use of him in the recently X-0 Manowar issue, showed me how the character could have legs in a different sort of context. If anyone besides writer of the aforementioned title Robert Venditti could make the character interesting, it is the actual scribe of the title known as Greg Pak. Pak has been taking some of the dull and forced ideas in the DC villain’s month issues, and making them look like they were essential to the mythos of the characters. Obviously, this is the type of writer who could perfectly capture the troubled character. Does Pak deliver? Does the strange art of Trevor Hairsine hold him back?

It is great to see Pak take the route toward the character introduced by Venditti. It is also refreshing to have a solo action title with a character is indeed noble. The Eternal Warrior is definitely a flawed individual, but readers are clued into his wisdom through some interesting voice over delivered with restraint. Giving the main character a specific new trait also opens him up to a world of possibilities, as well as making him easier to identify with as a reader. In fact the biggest complaint about this issue that I have, is it left me wanting more. In a medium of entertainment that is as serialized as this one, that is actually quite a compliment. A slight amount of context is given to the character in this issue, along with a slightly tragic backstory that unveils a hidden facet to the brute.

Trevor Hairsine is a troubled staple in the Valiant staple of artists. His loose style can make an entire comic book come to a grinding halt in the storytelling. In the preview pages of this title a different side of the artist was shown, Hairsine showed a cleaner method to his brand of art. While by no means is he my favorite artist in the medium, there are definite signs of growth here from the penciller. Some moments are look much better than others, but on the whole this is the best I have seen from the artist. It seems that when the main character or people are drawn in frame the art seems better. There is also a fun splash page featuring some awesome looking Elephants. The scenes indoors towards a wooden house feature some really great visuals that are very clean. The last page is crisp and shows more potential for the art of Hairsine to get even better,

This issue is put together in a fascinating manner by Hairsine and Pak that makes readers hungry for more content. As mentioned before in the review, this is not going to be an easy purchase for most people. Those seeking something different, in the form of a savage who actually thinks about his actions should examine this title.