Review -- SHATTERED REALM

SHATTERED REALM
Written by Robert Brewer
Art by Damion Kendrick
Damage Arts Studio
The first thing you will notice with Shattered Realm in that artist Damion Kendrick has a thing for oversized ears and swords.
A fantasy tale in the tradition of Dungeons & Dragons, Shattered Realm has a tribe of elves, with ears which remind of a kangaroo. The look may sound funny when described, but artistically, they are a rather dramatic feature that sets these elves apart from the norm.
Interestingly, another denizen looks even more like a kangaroo, minus the tail.
Then like a lot of cartoon-influenced fantasy you add some huge weapons, and arcane magical energies, and away you go in terms of the ‘feel’ of the book artistically.
The colouring here is also bright, in particular the reds and greens, so the art really hits the eye with impact.
“The artistic style is a bit americanized anime,” said Kendrick. “When I started the book, anime was a huge influence for what I was going for because I'm a super fan of Japanese animation.
“My favorite comicbook artist is Joe Madureira and he was also a big influence in my work as well.
“So I would say the look I was going for with this particular story was already planned.
“I was influenced by a lot of movies! I like a lot of fantasy stuff, so I was looking at movies like Beast Master, Krull, and Dark Crystal, just to name a couple. Then there were cartoons like He-Man, and Thundercats.”
The storyline, through one issue, is about what you would expect from a fantasy tale. Demonic bad guy, beautiful damsel in distress, unsuspecting hero drawn into the fray. Yes, it has been done.
But, in fairness the strength of the story will only become clear as writer Robert Brewer takes us through subsequent issues. The series will really live and die on his ability to elevate Shattered Realm above a cliched rehash of other storylines. Through one issue it is impossible to gauge how successful he will be.
Kendrick said the story was initially from his concepts.
“The idea for the story was sort of a process for me, cause for a while I was doing another title called ‘Chang Fury’ and I wasn't really thinking of another project to do until I drew a quick sketch of this little elf warrior character for a game of D&D,” he said. “It was actually suggested that I turn him into a comicbook character, and then boom I start working on a story. I’m not the best of writers and I had a lot of ideas for the story. So a friend of mine Robert Brewer took the liberty of turning my story into something 10-times better!”
While the overall impact of the title will have to wait for future issues, the art and impact of issue one makes it worth grabbing. We will hope Shattered Realm goes in the right direction to make future issues worthwhile too.
Kendrick said the title has been a process to get from idea to print.
“The book took a long while to get out and it was a planned four-part series,” he said. “This being the first I'm very happy with how the story started off, but as far as the art, I’m hard on myself about my work and when I look back at it I cringe because a lot of mistakes I see. I have drawn the next three books and the art has gotten a lot better from the first one.”
So there is more story to be told as time allows.
“Hopefully the next issue of Shattered Realm will come shortly, but there are other titles I'm working on at the moment,” said Kendrick. “I'm finishing up a comic for my buddy Eric Kemphfer who did the inking and coloring in the first Shattered Realm. This will be his first self titled project called Stray! So that's looking pretty good!”
Kendrick added he just hopes readers like where Shattered Realm goes.
“I hope everyone will enjoy my book,” he said. “I put a lot of energy into it and will do my best to excite my readers.”
Check it out. Online readers can find the book Shattered Realm at http://www.facebook.com/l/d2d44;www.comixpress.com
They can also find the preview of Shattered Realm there as well.
— CALVIN DANIELS

-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra