CORT: Children of the Round Table #1 – Tom Taylor, Writer; Daniele Di Nicuolo, Artist; Rain Beredo, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: It’s rare to see new creator-owned concepts out of DC, and even rarer to see them outside of Black Label/Vertigo these days. That’s why it was pretty exciting to see Tom Taylor and his Seven Secrets collaborator Daniele Di Nicuolo teaming up on a new all-ages adventure based on Arthurian mythology in the modern day. This feels like it’s inspired a lot by cartoons – maybe a fusion of modern cartoons with their focus on characterization, and the 1980s adventure cartoons that often saw a tight-knit band of kids getting pulled into an epic quest. As we kick off, the kids are engaged in a tense battle…of soccer. Driven, slightly arrogant Connor is in a duel with brash redhead Fel, and when she wins the duel, we get a little glimpse of their family dynamics. But they’re friends off the field, and they then head off with some other kids for their regular “quest” – hiking into the California mountains.
The first half of this issue is just getting to know the kids, finding out their personality quirks – and then a giant meteor falls out of the sky, with a huge sword sticking out of it. As it gives way for one of them, it becomes clear that these aren’t alien weapons – they’re the actual weapons of the Knights of the Round Table, and the big one is Excalibur – and it has the spirit of King Arthur within it. Each of the kids winds up with one weapon that fits their interests and personalities – and a ghost mentor of sorts to go with it. While one is yet to be revealed, it’s pretty clear to me what’s happening here. Overall, this first issue is a lot of fun. The lead characters are interesting, the concept is strong, and the visuals are great. Given the ads for all-ages graphic novels in the back, I think this might have worked better as one of that line, as the first issue sort of ends just as the fun begins – but I’m definitely here for more of this.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
