Advance Review: ‘The Karman Blade’ #1 Allows Ian Bertram To Show Off His Artistic Skills
by Tom Smithyman
Overview
Exception artwork dominates this first issue of a dark fantasy. The story itself can be a little difficult to follow, but the detailed, kinetic illustrations more than make up for it.
Overall
9.5/10Calling The Karman Blade #1 an excuse to let artist Ian Bertram show off his considerable talents is unfair to the rest of the creative team responsible for this fascinating story. But boy can Bertram draw!
Perhaps it’s because Bertram’s flowing illustrations are the most accessible part of this limited series’ first chapter. Or maybe it’s just because the work is beautiful in-and-of-itself. But it’s worth picking up this book just to gawk at the artwork.
The story is perhaps a little less accessible. Written by Bertram’s frequent collaborator, Darcy Van Poelgeest, The Karman Blade centers around Anatta, a well-digger in a land where the water has been stolen by an evil god. Anatta hears the blade calling to him, asking if he is worthy of wielding it and killing the god.
Along the journey, Anatta encounters his parents, whom he seemingly has already buried, his sister, a crow, and a massive wolf. It’s a dark fantasy and time seems to be relative, so it’s a bit difficult to know exactly what is happening.
But Van Poelgeest’s script gives Bertram the canvas he needs to shine. His swirls, which appear frequently, give motion to nearly every panel. Bertram over-exaggerates concepts frequently but effectively. For example, an ill Anatta sweats so much that it looks as if rivers are pouring off him. It may not always be clear what is happening, but you won’t be able to take your eyes off it.
And perhaps that’s what makes the comics medium so special. The story and the visuals don’t always have to be at the same level. One can be weaker than the other, or perhaps just not as straightforward, and the result can still be successful. In any case, it will be a pleasure to follow this series for three more issues, if only to see what Bertram draws for us next.
The Karman Blade #1 — written by Darcy Van Poelgeest, illustrated by Ian Bertam, colored by Matt Hollingsworth, and lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou — will be available in comic book stores and on digital platforms on September 9th from Image Comics.
