MATT LOWDER Reviews BRIAR

Guest review by Matt Lowder . . . . .

BRIAR #1 - #3 by Christopher Cantwell and German Garcia (Boom! Studios, Fall 2022 - Winter 2023) Matt's Rating: 4 out of a possible 5 stars.  (Trade paperback collection coming in May 2023)

What if Sleeping Beauty never got her happily ever after... and instead had to save herself? Risen from the dead and pissed! Set in a brutal fantasy world that time forgot, we get vengeance, secrets, power, justice, and solidarity. Plus, knights, witches, resistances, and a touch of raunchiness. Stylistic art and strong, emotional color theory are major selling points.

BRIAR is one of the few books I can say has a ton of potential. It remains to be seen what the next arc (better be out a.s.a.p., Boom!) can narratively accomplish, but it could be a 24-issue series as much as a 6-issue series, depending on development intent. 

 

The sketchy, gritty strokes of the pen and the colors are really nice. Confident, far from over-worked. For me, the style and flow really work. Looks easy. The technical application is something I'd love to watch occur in real time. In theme, I think this is feminism done really well and not heavy-handed like it could have been. Tone is sarcastic without being “angry.” 

I think each issue had surprises, with steady world-building and humor. The writer effectively establishes Briar and her blue-skinned friend as heroes to root for. I care about how this ends.

It’s unique, funny, and the black ink is rendered amazingly well. If you want a fantasy-adventure that modernizes one of the classic stories of Charles Perrault, I think this is well worth the money in the shop or a borrow at the library. For fans of GRIM, MONSTRESS, BIRTHRIGHT, ECHOLANDS, and SAGA.FOUR STARS.