The knights of the round table. Lancelot. Percival. Galahad. Danny Landau?
What happens when you mix the drama of baseball with the chaos of King Arthur times? A wild, vulgar and entertaining adventure is the answer.
MEDIEVAL #1 by Neil Kleid (“Nice Jewish Boys”) & Alex Cormack (“The Devil That Wears My Face”) throws the first pitch into the lake of Avalon.
Let’s take a closer look at what’s happening here.
MEDIEVAL #1 by Neil Kleid & Alex Cormack (Comixology Originals)
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
Readers get much more than bargained for with this chapter (in all the good ways). Opening with Danny Landau and Gina Rabinowitz enjoying some Y*nkee* baseball, the tone mirrors the best rivalry in sports. Dialogue is sharp and unapologetic. It is everything you would expect with Boston in the Bronx. One home run later and everything changes in a New York minute.
Once the story heads into the past, it really finds its’ groove. The writing plays into the fish out of water theme with Danny. His New York Swagger never leaves his side. This plays into his first shown conflict one year later. As trouble finds his bar, Danny answers accordingly. Readers watch as the approach isn’t cordial. It allows a release of his anger for his life being lost. This moves into the closing pages.
After reflecting and venting, Danny’s plight becomes more grounded. Seeing his actions haven’t gone unnoticed, the final panel shakes everything up. There are many moving parts to figure out, but enough to lock in another inning of storytelling for sure.
Cormack captures the energy of a Bronx bleacher creature in the opening shots. The panels are filled up with the heated emotions of the rivalry. It spills into the back and forth banter. This builds up into the moment Danny’s life changes. From here, the tone takes a different route but hits the same punch.
The lead-in for the bar fight comes to a head with dramatic flair. Danny’s full page image takes everyone into the wild action sequences. Readers watch as things get brutal with the violence. These panels are not for the squeamish. Its’ fallout teeters to a more realistic view of events. Danny’s frustration is clearly looming overhead. This changes with the final pages in Camelot. A few surprises are thrown into play before departing. It caps off a one-of a kind intro with much room to expand.
FINAL GRADE: 8.6
At its core, “Medieval” is a fun and blunt display of clashing times and emotions. Kleid’s writing takes risks for huge wins. Cormack’s art doesn’t miss in bringing the vivid imagery to life. Step up to the plate on NCBD for this one.
Let me know your thoughts on Medieval #1 in the comments below. Thanks for reading!