Review: ‘The Karman Blade’ #2 May Be The Perfect Fantasy Series
by Tom Smithyman
Overview
It’s pure joy when a great story is united with unique artwork. And that’s what this miniseries is delivering so far. It’s not just a great fantasy series, it’s just a great comic series. Period.
Overall
10/10You almost have to pity Darcy Van Poelgeest. Almost.
Van Poelgeest writes the story for the fantasy limited series The Karman Blade. But it’s not the words on the page that people will notice once they open this exquisite issue. No, they are far more likely to be slack-jawed at Ian Bertam’s luscious artwork.
From the first illustrated page, which features a flashback to a king and his family, to other eye-popping pages that chronicle the king’s downfall and so much more, Bertram amazes. Every panel feels alive, as if everything is organic, even characters’ clothing and the backgrounds. You could easily spend an hour gawking at the details on every single page. (And props to colorist Matt Hollingsworth for perfectly complementing Bertram’s illustrations.)
So you can see why Van Poelgeest may feel left out. The artwork is so beautiful that it’s easy to forget the story of young Anatta, the son of well diggers, who carries the Karman Blade and is destined to kill the evil god plaguing his land. And that would be a pity because Van Poelgeest’s script is also top notch. It’s just that Bertram’s illustrations pack an immediate punch that the words are naturally left behind.
But this story is stronger in this second issue than the first. We start to see Anatta’s hero’s journey start to take shape. We learn about the false king, who failed his family and his land, putting the world into the dire situation with Kalu, the evil god. The story may not be unique, but it is expertly crafted and executed. And at only four issues, it feels like there’s not an ounce of fat on the narrative — at least not yet.
We’re only halfway through this mini’s run, but if the first two issues are any indication, it’s in the running for one of the best series of 2026. So there’s nothing to pity here.
The Karman Blade #2 — written by Darcy Van Poelgeest, illustrated by Ian Bertram, colored by Matt Hollingsworth, and lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou — is available today in comic book stories and on digital platforms from Image Comics.
