VOID RIVALS #26 (SKYBOUND ENTERTAINMENT/IMAGE COMICS)

The Quintesson’s have arrived and finally let their intentions be known. Now it is up to the people and warriors of Zertonia and Agorria to make their decision. Will they bend the knee to their new Quintesson overlords? Or will they choose war and fight for their continued freedom?

Void Rivals #26 - Written By Robert Kirkman - Art By Andrei Bressan - Colors By Patricio Delpeche - Letters By Rus Wooton – Edited By Ben Abernathy - Published By Skybound Entertainment/Image Comics

Credit: Skybound Entertainment/Image Comics

*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***

STORY OVERVIEW:

As Darak shows more guts than brains, he risks his own life to save Garad whose ship was destroyed in the mission to intercept the Quintesson ship on its way to Agorria. His bravery was almost rewarded with both of their deaths until Gamut saves the day. Meanwhile in Zertonia, Premier Zalilak is confronted by Quintesson Judge Naven, who lays down an ultimatum, either kneel before us or choose war. To no surprise Zalilak chooses war and punches the Judge right in the mouth. As the Quintesson forces are unleashed, we get an alliance between Zalilak and Proximus for the sake of Zertonia. Back on Agorria the Quintesson’s have unleashed hell. As Darak tries to get to his father, he gets an unexpected ally of his own.

WRITING:

The Quintesson War really starts to heat up in this issue, laying the groundwork for what’s to come. Robert Kirkman does an excellent job of showing us how both Zertonia and Agorria respond to the Quintesson threat. Through shaky alliances, and just plain bravery the people of both planets choose to fight rather than laying down for the Judges. This choice is surely going to lead to some action-packed issues to come.

The real star of this story is the uneasy alliances made on both planets for the sake of survival. In particular the uneasy alliance between Zalilak and Proximus. The mortal enemies pausing their blood feud to fight for Zertonia not only is the quintessential heroic act but opens up the possibilities for what will happen after the Quintesson War.

ARTWORK:

The artwork in this issue really captures the drama and action of the real kickoff to the war. Andrei Bressan does an awesome job with the action scenes in both worlds as well as in space. Bressan gives the reader a front row seat to the conflict and leaves little to the imagination. Even better than the action scenes are the character designs. Each race of aliens, robots, creatures, and Judges has their own unique look and feel, making this universe feel huge and epic.

The colors used in the artwork really make the art stand out. Patricio Delpeche uses the color schemes to separate the worlds we are in, well also bringing more uniqueness to the character designs. As much as Delpeche’s colors make the pages stand out, Rus Wooton’s letters make an impact as well. The lettering is easy to follow, well at the same time adding depth and tone to the story.

Check Out My Review of VOID RIVALS #25

Final Thoughts:

Void Rivals #26 takes the Quintesson War to the next level, revealing alliances while laying the groundwork for war. The action and drama sequences we get are enough to satiate any comic book fan. The only real drawback is for being part 2 of a 6-part arc, it feels like it slows down at times for no real apparent reason. However, the promise this issue delivers for the future makes this issue a worthwhile addition to your comic collection.

FINAL GRADE: 8.6/10

Let me know your thoughts on Void Rivals #26 in the comments below. Thanks for reading!