Rowen is out for blood. By taking over the pirate crew “The Rebel Army”, he has given himself a force to finally kill Maxim Maresh! Maxim must gather support to stop this army. Find out if he can survive this attack in Shades of Magic: The Rebel Army #2 by Titan Comics!

SHADES OF MAGIC: THE REBEL ARMY #2 (OF 4)

Writer: V.E. Schwab
Artist: Andrea Olimpieri
Colorist: Enrica Eren Angiolini
Letterer: Rob Steen
Editor: Martin Eden
Publisher: Titan Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 18th, 2019

Previously in Shades of Magic: After Maxim defeated Rowan, Rowan sought out a bold new plan of vengeance. He took the rag-tag pirate fleet known as the “Rebel Army” and turned it into a formidable and ruthless force. As he defeats town after town, he recruits any magician who are willing to fight for him. Maxim Maresh is now aware of the army on the coast and must figure out what he can do to stop this pirate fleet.

A TIME OF WAR

The Rebel Army is gaining more and more momentum and Max needs a plan. Sitting in the city of Verose, Maxim and his men realize that they may not survive an attack with the resources they have. A bold plan was developed, Max will try to appeal to the city to stand up and fight with him. However, the cities are filled with people who hate him and would find any chance to kill him. As he makes his speech, many people do in fact try to kill him but his mages keep him safe. Through his words, he is able to get quite a few people on his side and anyone who doesn’t want to fight will be safe and out of the way. Maxim’s men is also able to capture a messenger who is trying to sow dissent among the people. The messenger reveals, Rowen and the Rebel Army will be here tomorrow. The time to prepare is over, now is the time to fight.

WELL WRITTEN

So this book has a lot of history to it. There is a whole other arc that cements the characters and their personalities. Despite this, I did not feel lost in the story and I picked up quickly on their personalities. Maxim and Rowen both showed their characterization and mindset quickly and I understood their actions and why they did them. This shows strength in the writing and the art style. The amalgam of strong art and writing allows us to focus on the plot rather then trying to guess what happened prior to this story.

I liked the theme of the Prince who is more a soldier then a leader and that fact makes him a better leader. Somehow being down to earth and talking to people seems to make him more understanding. I think the best teachers, politicians, and soldiers come from people who can walk among the people and connect with them. I’m unsure if Maxim will take his throne at the end of the series but if he is, he will be a great leader.

BOTTOM LINE: A GREAT FANTASY TITLE

I really like a good fantasy title that focuses on people. While this is my introduction to the series, I think it will check all my checkboxes on what I want from a good speculative fiction story. I’ll be sure to backtrack and check previous issues and try to get through this full story. There is something special about a story that can captivate you at any given moment of entering a series. 4.5 out of 5 for Shades of Magic: The Steel Prince #2 by Titan Comics!

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