Artesia Volume 1
by Mark S. Smylie
192 pages
Artesia Mark Smylie is something of a best kept secret in the comics industry. That needs to change. Artesia is an impressive mature first work from a clearly talented author and artist. While it would be too glib to describe it as Joan of Arc via Robert E. Howard, that does capture something of it. Kingdoms war to expand their territory, but their plans are made real or broken upon the battlefield. Artesia serves as captain of King Branimir of Huelt's army, with sword and passion... and her eerie gift. But as a priestess of Yhera who gets answers to her prayers, the gratitude for her successes veils suspicion. While sometimes dense reading when Smylie is building the mythology of his world, his unflinching and complex storytelling of intrigue, sex, strategy, and death carry the day. And his lush combination of line art and painted colour brings beauty and fierce life to it all.
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Young Artesia was blessed (or cursed) with many paths from which to choose. As the daughter of a famous witch who was burned at the stake (occupational hazard), Artesia has learned and wields considerable magic, but she chose not the path of Magic. As a beautiful woman who enjoys sex in all its aspects, Artesia indulges herself when opportunity presents, but she chose not the path of Eros. As a worshiper of living gods, Artesia has received numerous spiritual (and material) blessings and benefits, but she chose not the path of Worship. Possessed of an inquiring mind like her brother, Artesia has sought out and acquired considerable knowledge, but she chose not the path of Scholarship. Instead Artesia chose the path of War, and that has made all the difference.
Attracted by the artwork and having developed a soft spot for sword and sorcery, I decided to give Artesia a try and was amazed at what I found! This is no pale imitation of Howard or Tolkien; this is a fully developed world with fully developed histories and back stories, fully developed magical powers, fully developed religions, and fully developed powers and empires with which its characters must contend.
Having risen from refugee to concubine to warrior to commander of an army, Artesia has begun to frighten and make jealous her king and lover who plots to betray her. Unfortunately for him her powers have made her aware of this, but even she fails to grasp just how low he will stoop. Then in the midst of all this comes word from the south: an ancient enemy is on the path of conquest again, and choices must be made.
Mark S. Smylie has given us quite a story here, or rather the first part of quite a story. Objections about unrealistically able female warriors are met first by magic and spiritual aid and second by good generalship. Few individual combats are shown; instead we see army against army, where better discipline, better training, and better leadership can rather easily defeat superior individual abilities.
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