His family was charged with slaying an ancient evil or to die trying. Now Sigurd, the last of Clan Volsung, will take up his sword to fulfill the familial debt. Can he succeed without following so many who came before? Find out in DRAGONSBLOOD #1 from Zenescope Entertainment.

DRAGONSBLOOD #1

Writer: Nick Bermel
Artist: Jason Muhr
Colors: Maxflan Araujo & Grostieta
Letters: Kurt Hathaway
Cover: Marvin Coccolo & Ivan Nunes
Publisher: Zenescope Entertainment
Release Date: May 01, 2019
Cover Price: $3.99

Previously in DRAGONSBLOOD: First introduced in GRIMM UNIVERSE PRESENTS 2019, the story of DRAGONSBLOOD was introduced to us as the tale of a dark, evil warrior lord who had terrorized all of the countryside. He was heartless, cruel, and evil. The bard telling the story was in for a shock when he discovered that one of his audience KNEW the man called Sigfried Dragonsblood, and called the storyteller out on having gotten every aspect of the story wrong! Now, we find out what really happened as we follow the young warrior named Sigurd in this first issue.

DESTINY IS WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT

The young warrior Sigurd has begun a journey that will end in either his death or the death of another. Either way, destiny will be fulfilled. Riding deep into the Fjallen Mountains, Young Sigurd’s destination is in Jotunheim, where he will embark on a fight he has prepared his whole life for. He stands at the mouth of the cave, his armor and weapon secured he walks into the mouth of the ominous cave, as have so many Volsung’s before him. His thoughts go back to the words of his brother. Your destiny may be set, but the road there is up to you. He remembers ten years prior when his brother showed enough confidence in him to let him take down a deer with a shot of his bow. He remembers how several years later that same brother, clad in armor and a red cape, went out to fulfill the family destiny in the hopes Sigurd would live a better life for it. He was alone, left with the one known as Regin as he watched his brother’s red cape disappear in the distance. It is the same red cape he finds on the floor of the caverns he now travels. He dons the cape, feeling that connection to his departed brother. He travels deeper, fighting creatures which would make the strongest most able warrior cower and he emerges triumphant. Further, he travels. He comes upon the bones which are oddly familiar. He recognizes the garb of his mother, who died so that his sons may live, and his father, whom the family obligations took away from him before he ever knew him. He also finds the blade of his clan, Wrath, and takes it. He is ready for his revenge. Finally, he comes to his objective: the dragon Fafnir. Will Sigurd defeat the massive black and burley dragon, or will his bones litter the golden hoard of the giant wyrm?

OH, DEATH! WHERE IS THY STING?

As with many of the titles in the Grimm Universe, the tale of Dragonblood is inspired by an existing legend, in this case, of the great German warrior Sigurd (also called Siegfried), who was said to have killed a dragon and possessed the treasure of the Nibelungen. He was also the focus of the German composer Richard Wagner’s opera Siegfried as well as Gotterdammer, the last of his four-part The Ring of the Nibelung saga. With Dragonsblood, writer (Grimm Tales of Terror, Grimm Universe Presents 2019) begins to weave a tale which is inspired by, but not beholden to, those ancient tales. His Sigurd is a young man who knows what his fate most likely holds and goes forth to confront it anyway. He does not run nor try to think of a way to change it, he simply goes and lets fate decide. But fate decides something different for him, and here we see the beginnings of what may be an inspired story.

Artist Jason Murh (Voracious: Feeding Time, Doctor Strange/Punisher: Magic Bullets) returns to Zenescope with his art for this issue, and it is solid. One of the issues I have with many Zenescope titles is how the majority of them stick to a very specific house style. Muhr’s art has the feel of a Zenescope book, but it stands out as you can see more of his individual style. There are good panel designs here, and the flow works to assist in the dynamic storytelling which makes this issue/

BOTTOM LINE: SOLID START

This issue is good. It is not mythic good, but it gives is a distinct and entertaining story with enough familiarity that you want to know what happens. Sigurd has not been fully fleshed out as of yet, but there is enough there to know that he is a character you want to succeed. How the events unfold is one of the hooks that will bring you back, and I congratulate the creative team for bringing us an enjoyable book.

Dragonsblood #1 is not quite epic storytelling, yet, but you can see there is a hint of greatness on those action packed pages.