The Quest #1 Review

Story/Script Assists/Illustrations/Lettering/Design: Jonathan Luna
Story Assists/Script: Crystal Wood
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 2nd, 2023

A new high fantasy series steeped in Southeast Asian myth debuts in The Quest #1. Princess Anya and Prince Devyan, deeply in love, get married, but during the ceremony, demons called The Iniquitous attack, carrying Devyan off to their realm. Anya, seething with rage, immediately plots to find and rescue Devyan, but runs into resistance before she can even get started. This first issue is filled with exotic magic, ancient demons, martial arts and swordplay. Check it out!

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The Story

The Quest #1 begins with the marriage ceremony of Princess Anya and Prince Devyan, beginning the story where many other stories would end. It’s not long before The Iniquitous attack and as the book progresses, we see that it’s going to feel a bit different from other sword and sorcery-style tales. The Iniquitous are a trio of demons that look like they leaped out of an ancient dark tome from Eastern mythology, one looking ape-like, one hawk-like and one looking like a massive serpent, all of them crowned with helmets that look like mythic temples. This was my favorite scene of the book, as Anya and everyone around her battles the demons, trying to stop them. It’s a brutal battle, as the Iniquitours dispatch several soldiers in hideously grotesque fashion, using both magic and the edge of their swords. It signals that this series isn’t going to be a light “Princess Bride”-type book, it wanders more into “Game of Thrones” or “Conan” territory.

Anya’s a great lead character and anyone can relate to her rage at her parents and her desperation to find her husband. It’s explained at one point in the book that she’s been training in fighting arts since she was a small child, so she’s as adept (if not more adept) at combat than her bodyguards, one of whom (named Tor) seems to be in love with her, as he hangs on her every word and is unfazed by the abuse she hurls at him in her frustration at her parents, who threaten to imprison her if she risks her life in pursuit of the Iniquitours. Her parents aren’t portrayed as overbearing or vicious, they genuinely seem to care for her and want to keep her safe, but they’re going about it in the wrong way. Anya’s confrontation with her parents in the royal hall as she’s still covered in blood from the battle with the Iniquitours, is powerful stuff. The issue ends on a high note with the promise of lots of adventure ahead.

The Art

Jonathan Luna’s art on The Quest #1 is his usual brilliant work, crisp and detailed. The demons, the world and the people who inhabit it are all wonderfully exotic and the artwork makes you feel like you’re truly reading an adventure taking place in a far-off fantasy world.