Articles from - Fortress of SolitudeAge of Darkness #1 Review2013-11-25 18:11:58 Byron Hendricks

Imagine a dilapidated world filled with all sorts of undead creaturesall craving the taste of living flesh, welcome to Age of Darkness #1.

The world has fallen victim to a zombie virus that affects all species, so prepare tosee some terrifying animals! In the midst of it all we have a team of survivors(Chavez, Tish, Baldwin, Choirboy and Baby) that still believe that there is a lifebeyond this disaster. They believe that there is hope no matter how dire the situationmay seem. These survivors are not the type you have become familiar with in thecurrent zombie trend and craze. They seem to be military trained and have the solepurpose of restoring hope. The story opens with us meeting this group of survivorsas their military vehicle makes a routine stop after a hard fought battle against ahorde of zombies. It is here in the opening that we are given a glimpse into the typesof characters that make up the band of protagonists. They are all protecting a seedknown to give life to “The World Tree”, a gift from the Brotherhood of Yggdrasil andhas became a symbol of hope. But when the team receives a radio transmissionfrom an encrypted frequency, one that will lead to them to the location of the nexttransmission, the games begin.

Some people have described it as being a “quest” but upon arriving at the location ofthe next transmission, it is made known that our team of protagonists are beingtested. The World Tree is one big metaphor and our heroes will need to prove theirworth in order to be accepted and earn “Successful Passage” into the Brotherhoodof Yggdrasil. They have ten minutes in order to complete their next objective beforethe doors lock and they are locked in with the enemy. A siren sets off and drawszombies towards them. Will they survive? Will they make it before time runs out?The colouring and pencilling in this issue is great. The story is filled with darkercolouring with the only light colours being used in gun fire, bomb blasts, zombieglares and stares. The one daylight scene is used to show how the world hasbecome dry and decrepit. The graphic violence and action scenes are well drawnand fast paced. You feel that adrenaline rush as our heroes fight for their lives asthey horde off zombies. Everything feels rushed. The reader feels as though he orshe is there experiencing the very moment with them. The feeling of chaos is furtherenhanced by the layout which changes from page to page. Titanium Comics havegiven us a great and highly entertaining story with great characters. For a first issuethis one is relatively strong and definitely worth the read if you are seeking anadrenaline filled thrill. With plenty of violence and blood this book fits right in with thezombie apocalypse genre. I mean, who doesn’t love a zombie reindeer?

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