“Amala’s Blade” is definitely one of those series that grabs your attention. With a first issue – not to mention an acclaimed preliminary run as part of “Dark Horse Presents” – that melded action, fantasy, and a wee li’l bit of romance, there’s already plenty of variety and richness and fun to this tale of a lady assassin and the fractured kingdom she calls home. In this second issue out of four, Horton and Dialynas add a little more depth to the story, and draw us that much further in to this odd and compelling world.
Written by Steve Horton
Illustrated by Michael DialynasMaster assassin Amala targets the royal figurehead of the low-tech Purifiers. Standing in Amala’s way? Twin blademasters. Annoying ghosts. Hallucinogenic poison. And a secret from Amala’s past too unhinged to be believed . . . even by Amala!
Where the first issue centered on world-building and action, this one moves the locus of interest a little closer to the domain of character – and goes a long away toward crafting a likeable and flawed central player. We get both backstory (well, a snippet of it) and a look at Amala’s relationship with those ghosts that follow her around, and the character development compliments the action beautifully.
As for the action, it’s framed and executed with a great feel for pacing. Amala’s job may be all about killing people, but there’s much more going on in her world – from political complications to surly innkeepers – that we maintain a sense of perspective and are never desensitized to the brutality that’s inherent to Amala’s occupation. That’s a tricky balance, particularly since she comes across as likeable despite it all, and it’s one of the things that makes this series so great.
That said, sometimes the variety of this story works against it, and if there’s a flaw to this issue, it’s that it goes a few places too many within the space of 22 pages. There’s definitely a sense of scale and scope that comes out of this tendency toward hopping from locale to locale and situation to situation, but a slightly firmer grip on transitions and a few more explanatory captions would probably make for a smoother read.
Plotwise, there’s a big reveal at the end of this issue with big consequences, and since we’re already halfway through this miniseries, it’s a great moment for a game-changer like this to show up. It’s always satisfying when a story raises the stakes without feeling forced or over-plotted, and the surprise that caps off this issue is a great example of a reveal that pushes the plot in a definite direction while still underscoring an underlying theme.
Dialynas’ art is rich and colourful, managing to be both cartoony and gritty at the same time with its sprawling, detailed backgrounds and broad, manga-influenced character portrayals. In this issue we get both taut, wordless action and wide views of fantastical landscapes, and these and everything in between are pulled off with aplomb. Amala herself is a walking conundrum, forever alert and ready to knock somebody’s head off, but also obviously a feeling human being. The best part is the way her constant planning and calculating comes across on her face, making us feel as though we’re being let in on her mental processes without them being explicitly set out.
The colours are also particularly accomplished, encompassing quite a wide range of tones but still adding up to a unified and recognizable overall scheme. The two nations that make up this world are differentiated by palette, but the line between them isn’t stark, and this tendency suits the politics of the place as we’ve come to know them perfectly.
There’s so much to love about this series so far, from its effortless world-building to its concise storytelling and confident art. And if the last page of this issue was any indication, there’s a good deal of surprises to look forward to as this series moves swiftly to its end. “Amala’s Blade” is one gorgeous and entertaining series, and fast looking to be the best high fantasy on the shelves this year.
Final Verdict: 8.9 – Buy
