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• Price: $3.99
• Rating: 15+
• Pages: 32
• On Sale: March 14, 2018
• Writer: Sean Lewis
  
• Artist: Steve Uy
  
• Publisher: Aftershock Comics

From the Publisher – Welcome to the World of Betrothed! Kieron and Tamara are both seniors at the same high school. They’ve never paid much attention to each other, even though they are the only kids at school who are orphans. On the eve of their eighteenth birthdays, they discover a lifelong secret: in a dimension far away, they are each the leader of an army that is at war with one another…and what’s more, when they turn eighteen, they’re to be Betrothed or Fight to the Death!

Our We Talk Comics WeView – There is a lot of references in Betrothed #1 about Romeo & Juliet, which is totally understandable based on the concept of the story. But given that science fiction and Romeo & Juliet are two of my favorite things, I’m wondering how Sean Lewis managed to get into my head? The tag line suggests that Betrothed #1 is a mixture of Archie and Saga (a couple more of my favorite things) and I’m hard pressed to disagree. I may be quite a few years removed from high school, but this concept definitely speaks to me.

Sean Lewis’ script is a joy to read. The writing is clever and amusing with a light touch where it is needed and a darker tone when that is required. The dialog provides insight into the characters, though the narration does most of the heavy lifting when it comes to the exposition. There is a lot of story that has to be told in this first issue, and I never once felt like it was too much to unpack. It’s an inventive combination of plots that should open up ample story opportunities along the way, and I look forward to seeing where Sean takes it.

The art by Steve Uy has a manga feel to it, which is well-suited to the story being told. The high school scenes are well-lit and definitely have a completely different vibe from the rest of the book, but that is a positive, not a negative. The colors adapt for each new area we visit, but even though some of them are quite dark, it never gets muddy. I think that one of the best things I can say about the art, is that even when it veers into the sci-fi armies at war element, the tone of the art is still consistent with the high school scene that the book has at the beginning.

Even if I wasn’t sold on the story after reading the majority of this comic (which I was), the ending of the issue was more than enough to make me a fanboy. It’s a fun concept, with interesting characters and a huge universe to grow into. The sky is the limit based on Betrothed #1 and I hope they keep pushing their boundaries and continue giving us a great comic story. Betrothed #1 is an excellent read, and I definitely recommend it for fans of Saga, which is pretty high praise indeed.

Rating – Very Fine/Near Mint (VF/NM) or 9/10

Review by Brett

Love the review? Hate the review? Disagree with me? I’m happy to talk comics on twitter @Brett_WeTalk

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