An epic fantasy in the tradition of Game of Thrones, SOVEREIGN is set in a world which once knew gods, demons, and magic, and to which all three are returning. New York Times bestselling author CHRIS ROBERSON (credits TBA) joins artist PAUL MAYBURY (credits TBA) to tell the story of masked undertakers facing the undead with swords, of civil wars and cultures in collision, of ancient threats emerging from the ashes of history to menace the future...
When it comes to comic books, I'm not a huge fan of the fantasy genre. But I can not deny that I was captivated by the writing and the art, which succeeded in equal measure, all throughout this book. This world is in turmoil and I want to know what happens from here. Read Full Review
“Sovereign” reveals its treasures in bite-sized pieces, which as I already mentioned, comes off as something of a double-edged sword. You'll be clamoring for more of each of these stories by the time you're done, but you'll also feel like you probably didn't get your claws in deep enough to any of them. If this comic keeps delivering on the deep epic-fantasy foundations its building in issue #1, and Maybury keeps his design-sense sharpened, “Sovereign” will absolutely be a long form story worth investing in. Read Full Review
Like the start to Brian K. Vaughans “Saga”, this new world birthed in “Sovereign” #1 gives the impression of being vast. It feels like there is a good deal to explore, experience, and exploit. Sword-wielding masked monks, dead monsters at sea and hunting parties make for a great start to a fresh feeling fantasy epic waiting to grow with each coming issue. Read Full Review
Sovereign #1 will rank up there in toughest comics for me to review. Stating this bluntly, Sovereign is worth reading. Any criticism I have of this is the fact that we are in the land of the first chapter. Why this is as high as it turns out to be is the fact that I like this idea, I want to see where Chris Roberson and Paul Maybury take this. At this stage though, it's a great idea that could use a couple more issues to germinate into a great comic. Read Full Review
This initial issue of Sovereign is a toe into this world. Like all good fantasy, the real nature of the story and the world it takes place in is only revealed over time. Impatient readers might want to avoid a title like this, because it will most certainly be a slow burn. Those who can read novels a thousand pages long without breaking a sweat will understand the pacing, but will they be willing to invest in the breaks between issues novels do not have? If so, they have the potential to be rewarded with an intricate world populated by interesting characters, all with problems we can simultaneously understand and never have. Read Full Review
A strange new world has been introduced in Sovereign #1. The creative team of Chris Roberson and Paul Maybury has painted very broad strokes for this first issue. The writing is smooth and easy to follow and the art, while not bright and vibrant, helps to show the state of this world that is being visited by a strange darkness of undeath. An epic tale is in the making and so many questions are handed to us, as they should be, with this first issue. Read Full Review
Judging Sovereign on this first issue is a hard task. There is still plenty of details to be revealed about this luscious world and the main plot has yet to be revealed. After reading this issue of Sovereign, it leaves the reader wanting to know more because you feel the potential in each of the storylines. This truly does feel like it's only the beginning to a much larger and expansive story. Only time will tell what stories will unfold on the pages of Sovereign, but I can say from my perspective they hooked at least one reader with this debut Read Full Review
Paul Maybury’s art is excellent, especially for this kind of series. The work has a distinct and specific look, one that draws on inspiration from old, classic stories like The Three Musketeers or The Man In The Iron Mask. His pencils are thin, but exquisitely detailed. There is a rustic quality about every panel, which allows for Roberson's story to really come to life. Hopefully, that story finds stable ground and Sovereign finds an audience. Read Full Review
The narrative structure can work well with longer works, but its shortcomings are highlighted here. First up is the most curious: A band of wanderers called the Luminari encounter the unseemly problem of the dead rising with a thirst for carnage. The next section focusing on the horselords has definite Dothraki (intentional or otherwise) and shows a prince torn between his desire for glory and the need for political maneuvering. The third and final section brings us full circle to the undead attacking, but the liberal peppering of terms like "devout Lorianist" do little to flesh out the world. Read Full Review
Sovereign has potential. There are a few kinks that need to be worked out before it can really be as good as it has the potential to be, but theres a very solid foundation for a fantastic story. Right now it reads a bit like A Game of Thrones with less satisfying characterization, but Robersons writing has good direction, and I have high hopes. If you like fantasy, give this story a shot. Read Full Review
Had Roberson chosen to focus on one group for each of the first three issues, the story could have felt much more enticing and given a better scope of just who these characters are. While this problem could easily be remedied as the story progresses, Sovereign #1 has no choice but to suffer because of this new strategy. Stay tuned to We The Nerdy for more news and reviews from Image. Read Full Review
Overall, Sovereign has some way to go. There are the obvious mistakes and the not so obvious mistakes. The simple visual and structural problems need to be fixed before the comic can begin to attempt to reach full creative potential. Read Full Review
The three narrative threads is an interesting concept, especially when their relevance to one another is eventually revealed. For a #1, however, his ambition gets in way of storytelling, giving readers a little of a little. Over time, I am sure he'll do the type of worldbuilding he wants to do here, and that there'll be a payoff for the split narration. Framed within a serialized floppy book, it doesn't fit like it should. Readers need to commit to get Roberson's story. Read Full Review
There's been a handful of debut comics that have kicked ass right off the gate, and this just isn't one of them. But, if magic, monarchy and monsters is your cup of tea, there's no reason to stop sipping on Sovereign. You can bet I'll be at the counter looking for my monthly fix. Read Full Review
Sovereign #1 is okay, but could be much better. It offers three different stories each with their own strengths, but also with big weaknesses. The lack of background knowledge, poor story structure, and the general feeling of boredom plague each of these stories separately and hurt them quite a bit. There is potential here with each tale and the next issue could easily correct these problems, but as it is, Sovereign‘s first issue feels more like a preview of things to come rather than actual first issue. Read Full Review
Despite this, the basic story shines through the unclear artwork. Overall, this is a strong start to what promises to be an interesting series. Sovereign is a must-read for all fans of good fantasy. Read Full Review
Perhaps the team behind "Sovereign" sees the multicultural, multi-layered nature of its story as the series' real selling point, and that's why this issue is structured to reveal so little about each group. If so, in some ways they're right. It's at least sold me on the next two or three issues. However, I do wish they'd sold it more strongly on the world and the characters themselves -- because they all look quite interesting. Read Full Review
Chris Roberson and Paul Maybury have created in Sovereign a fantasy world that is vast, complex, and mysterious. That said, the characters were somewhat uninteresting to me in this first issue but I can't deny that the creators have laid down a fertile ground for these characters to shine moving forward. I'll just have to wait and see how this plays out over the next few issues. Read Full Review
This book left me delightfully confused during my first reading of it. I enjoyed what I was reading but this issue basically drops the reader into a new world and lets you figure everything out on your own. The characters often make references that you wouldn't know about. On top of that there are three widely different and disconnected perspectives in play, and without knowing how they all fit together it's hard to give things context. That being said, if you don't mind reading the lore in the back of the issue and re-reading it once or twice you will understand the book more and appreciate the depth of the setting. The issue was a little hard to follow on the first read through but it introduces a unique and interesting world that I'm curious to see more of. Read Full Review
Still, the fantasy world on display here is well rounded and with enough depth to allow a lot of interesting stories. Read Full Review
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