Richly Scripted And Visually Stunning: ‘StarHenge Book Two: A Kiss For Atticus’ #1 Advance Review
by Olly MacNamee
Summary
A strange and imposing city. Two strangers who may, or may not, be known to the reader. It all makes for an abstract mystery that weaves science fiction and high fantasy expertly to create a richly scripted and visually stunning first issue.
Overall
10/10StarHenge Book Two: A Kiss for Atticus #1 is a dark, brooding and abstract debut issue, revolving around an unnamed city and two people – strangers – in a debut issue that seems dreamlike in quality at times, thanks to the prose-rich narrative and interesting and oft-times experimental layout of the pages that dazzle the reader into an organised confusion. All courtesy of artist and writer, Liam Sharp, who mixes science fiction with Arthurian legend to produce a comic book that challenges the reader with deliberate opaqueness.
One character is a middle-aged man shuffling through the dark, imposing streets of a city he cannot remember the name of. He seems lost and tormented, but for know we do not know why. A mystery to himself and the reader.
Equally, our second character – a young, female painter – is also troubled, but in a different way, as her art draws her, and the reader, into a fantasy world of her own making.
Both seem like new character, but surely the artist is Amber, who we met in StarHenge Book One? She seems strangely familiar, but can we be absolutely sure? Yet that is exactly the tone Sharp is aiming to capture. And capture it he does both his art and scripting. Each page of this first issue is a masterpiece in itself. As with StarHenge Book One, and the follow up graphic novel Ore, Sharp uses digital art to better capture his vision, while utilising paintings he’s created in the past to add texture, tone and vitality to the unfolding story. In many ways, this is an issue exploring three different narratives that seem, for now, distinct from each other.
It’s an issue that answers very little, choosing to peek the reader’s interest and offer up mystery and questions while drawing you in with the impressive, powerful, and personal artwork of Sharp’s that is as integral to the narrative as the scripting and dialogue. It is intentionally abstract, but that adds to the dream-like quality of the issue. Much like the Arthurian legends he pulls some of his inspiration from. It’s a bold and strong first issue which will have you pour over each page in admiration, while taking in Sharp’s moody and inventive scripting.
StarHenge Book Two: A Kiss for Atticus #1 is out on July 1st from Image Comics, with FOC on 8th June, 2026.
And, you can catch my in-person interview with Liam Sharp discussing this new series here.
