Ordinary Earth girl, Amy Winston, isn’t necessarily cut out for the life as Amaya, the sword swinging princess of the House of Amethyst in the mystic realm Nilaa.  Following last issue’s battle, Amaya is now battling the urge to vomit after slaying enemy warriors, sent to kill her and her mother Graciel, by her aunt Lady Mordiel.  Graciel and Amaya are currently residing in Manipoor, the domain of the House of Citrine, which serves as the great library of this world.  Amaya has already begun bonding with Ingvie, the daughter of Citrine’s ruler Senshe. Mordiel attempts to corrupt Amaya and it looks tense for a moment.  When that fails, she enlists aid from the House of Onyx.

We also meet Amaya’s paternal grandfather Lord Firojha, of the House of Turquoise and learn of her parents’ relationship.  Once more, there is an interlude featuring the House of Diamond, that… well, I’m sure it’ll make sense eventually.

The Beowulf backup feature was once again, quite fun.  There are some fun references that further establish this tale as being set in the post-apocalyptic DC Universe.  The art, by Jesus Saiz, is simply gorgeous!  He renders horrific and beautiful equally amazingly!  It’s a fun twist on one of the earliest stories in human history, with a healthy splash of comic book fun.

But of course, the main feature is Amethyst and this issue further cements this as one of my favorite comics!  Only three issues in, and it’s clear that writer Christy Marx is building a whole, complex mythology here.  A lot is revealed about this magical world and its history, both as a whole and personal, yet it doesn’t feel at all like an info dump.  It flows very well and is peppered with character building.  Amaya’s reaction to the “delicacy” they are feasting on results in a fun interaction between her and Ingvie.  There’s very little action in this issue, but it isn’t missed.  The huge amount of background revealed was a fair enough trade-off.

Aaron Lopresti’s art, once again, is amazing!  Like I said, there isn’t much action in this issue, but he manages to service the “talky” tale perfectly.

This isn’t a super hero comic, so if you’re slavishly devoted to those, maybe you won’t like this.  But if you are a fantasy fan or are looking for just a GREAT comic regardless of genre, grab this!  It’s fantastic!

 

SWORD OF SORCERY #2
Written by Christy Marx (Amethyst) and Tony Bedard (Beowulf)
Art by Aaron Lopresti (Amethyst) and Jesus Saiz (Beowulf)
Cover by Lopresti