We are still pretty new to the comic book review/community, and have only gotten our hands on a couple of advanced copies of books. So, when Henry Barajas reached out regarding Helm Greycastle, we were all in! Being Latinx myself, when Henry said that this series that he is going "to share some Mesoamerican history while mixing it with swords and sorcery," I was all over this. Like him, I wasn't raised knowing a ton of history about the indigenous people from my family's heritage. So, to see the way he used Aztec warriors and gods... it was truly great to see in a comic! So, let's take a look at the first issue of what looks to be an epic adventure of D&D colliding with Aztec Gods! Montezuma's Revenge Indeed
Helm Greycastle reluctantly leads a group of misfits to save the last dragon prince from his kidnappers. With a twist from your usual swords and sorcery tale, they find out that the kidnappers were not a band of rogue elves, but Jaguar Knights from Mexia! After battling their way through the gates of New Tenochtitlan, they find things aren't quite what they seem. There is a resistance rising against Montezuma. A few of the other Aztec Gods want to enlist Helm's crew to help. So, now Helm needs to make a decision. Will he save the dragon prince and run or stay and help the resistance? You'll have to read to find out! You can tell Henry did his homework for this series. You have to create a world where the Aztecs defeated the Conquistadors. He included Aztec Gods whose names are tough to pronounce but folded them in, casually as if they were heroes of any mainstream title. Also, with his roster of outsiders, you know that Henry loves some good old-fashioned RPG. There is also a lot of great representation in this book. What I liked about it too, is that it wasn't forced or in your face, but just flowed well with this story. Let's talk about the art from Bryan Valenza. It's easy to see that Bryan is at home drawing Orc and dwarfs with the way he handles the Greycastle's crew. On the other side of it, his treatment of the Aztec Empire is impressive. You don't get to see that world too often in comics. The richness of the colors and detail of the characters makes me think of the movie Apocalypto. Oh, there's no secret too that this book is accompanied by a bonus Latinx one-shot RPG (5E compatible)! This was written and put together by Tristan J. Tarwater (Rolled & Told) and art by Jen Vaughn (d20 Dames). Honestly, I have always been interested in the world of D&D and RPG, but have never really ventured into those waters. While I would feel that most people would think this title is meant for that crowd, I can easily say, that I enjoyed this book thoroughly and want to see what happens next. So, if you are your everyday comic book fan, yes, this book is worth the pickup. I mean come on... orcs and battle axe carrying dwarves fighting Jaguar Knights on the steps of Tenochtitlan... who doesn't want to read that?! Also, check out the alternate covers below. -CBD
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