Eternal Warrior #3 Review
Publisher: Valiant
Writer: Greg Pak
Artists: Trevor Hairsine/Diego Bernard/Alejandro Sicat
Colorists: Brian Reber/Guy Major
Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Review by Josh Gillam
I just recently discovered Eternal Warrior, and the captivating story and stunning artwork has me hooked. This issue continues to deliver same levels of bloody battle scenes and dysfunctional family issues that I’ve come to love.
In this issue we see the Eternal Warrior, Gilad Anni-Paddo, come out of retirement after six thousand years. The start of the book shows Gilad and his estranged daughter, Xaran, shopping for weapons. In what has to be my favorite page of the book, we see the two pushing a shopping cart full of guns.
In a change of pace from the first two issues, the story in this book is mostly linear, with the exception of a few narrated flashbacks. These are centered around Xaran and what she has been through in the past six thousand years. In one scene we see the aftermath of the first battle in issue #1 and the effect it had on Xaran. In another change of pace, we see a lot more guns than spears and blades in this issue. I particularly enjoyed this because I feel it shows how well the Eternal Warrior adapts to whatever weapons technology has advanced to.
The primary story follows Gilad and Xaran as they search for the Geomancer that they have both worked with in the past. Since both of them are harboring a grudge against the Geomancer, it doesn’t turn out to be a very happy reunion. During this reunion we see the intense hatred and resentment Gilad has toward the god that he has killed thousands for.
The artwork in this issue is spectacular. There is an overall dark tone to the artwork that pairs so well with the story. This book is full of action scenes, from swords and spears to guns and explosions, and every bit of action looks sensational. It took me awhile to get through this book, because I found myself stopping on every page and taking in every wonderful detail. There were three specific shots in particular that I dwelled on; a flashback scene where Xaran is devouring an animal, a one page shot of the ‘god of the wild’, and the final page that leaves you hanging on a cliff and awaiting the next issue.
Greg Pak has given us another fantastic read with this issue. He keeps a reader coming back for more with an engaging and thrilling storyline. There are a few things that stood out to me while that I felt were brilliant. First of all, the dialogue between Gilad and Xaran is fantastic. Despite being immortal warriors, they still have a back and forth that you’d expect from an estranged father and daughter. Every exchange they have feels very genuine and it works so well.
The second thing I loved was Xaran’s flashbacks. Her descent into insanity as she becomes nothing more than a wild animal is a great look into what Xaran has been through. This gives the character a lot more depth and you start to see she is more vulnerable than she lets on. The final thing that really stood out is the cliffhanger at the very end of the book. I don’t want to ruin it for any readers, but I will say that it’ll have you anxiously awaiting the issue, as it did for me. Overall, Pak delivers a fantastic and thrilling read that any comic book lover is bound to enjoy.
Issue #3 of Eternal Warrior gives you an engaging story with mesmerizing artwork. This is a great book that readers will be glad they picked up.
Story: 5/5
Artwork: 5/5
Overall: 5/5
Josh Gillam is the creator and writer for the webcomic/comedy project, Cynical Stew. You can follow him on Twitter at @Cynical_Stew