Inkblot is a new ongoing fantasy series at Image Comics from Emma Kubert and Rusty Gladd.
The series follows a powerful sorceress known as The Seeker, the keeper, scribe and librarian of all knowledge on her magical family, especially her brother, the king, Xenthas Voidbreaker. Her family has existed since the dawn of creation, hunting for knowledge, power, and of course, magic. The first issue deftly set up the magical world wherein our story takes place, a mystical universe not unlike the Nine Realms of Asgard.
Inkblot Begins
The story of Inkblot begins when The Seeker falls asleep, knocking over some magical items and accidentally bringing a mysterious and magically powerful cat into being. After appearing, it quickly opens a portal into “The Mountainlands”. Narrowly escaping some hungry and aggressive giants, The Seeker and the Cat flee through another portal apparently manifested by the mystical feline. Back in her home, The Living Castle, The Seeker begins to search for the cat, as the little scamp scurried off as soon as the portal closed.
The second issue opens with an elven child and his mother having a discussion in a marketplace. The child tells his mother about a conversation he had with a sorcerer, much to her dismay. She explains that the sorcerers are not friends of the elves, that they impose their will on their kind simply because they are stronger. Following her foreboding comments, she is quickly taken by a sorcerer, abducted against her will to “serve the king”, and separated from her child.
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Our hero, The Seeker narrates as the cat wanders the lands outside of The Living Tree. She explains that Elven society and biology centers around Matriarchs, with daughters gaining the memories of their female ancestors. We come to find out that the woman abducted earlier was the grandmother of an elf named Arabella who encountered our furry friend. After telling her mother about dreams of her grandmother, she exclaims that she must still be alive. Arabella’s mother continues to express the same disapproval and distrust of the sorcerers that her mother exhibited just pages before.
While rallying together to discuss the sorcerer problem, a dragon appears and begins to attack the elves! Arabella’s mother fights with fierce intensity, though she surely would have perished had her daughter not pulled her away from the flames of the wraith. To the amazement of the elves, the dragon is distracted by the magic black cat. Climbing over the best, the cat eventually chases a mouse out of the dragon’s snout, prompting the dragon to flee.
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The villager’s response to this bizarre spectacle is hilarious and painfully relatable. The aftermath of this battle has some very exciting implications for issue #3 of Inkblot, which will arrive at a comic book store near you on November 4th, 2020. The second issue was a surprising departure from The Seeker, as she only appears as narrator on a few panels. The worldbuilding combined with Arabella’s story totally justifies the narrative switch-up, and I am certain we will see The Seeker again sometime soon.
2020 has shaped up to be a fantastic year for fantasy comics, as this series joins the ranks of Monstress and Reaver. Inkblot is as whimsical, wonderful, and gorgeous as I would hope a comic book following a magic black cat could be. Another fascinating aspect of Inkblot is the developmental process. The soft, cartoonish artwork is all laid out before the script is added to the book. By utilizing the Marvel method, Kubert and Gladd have crafted a fantastic new ongoing series that shines in terms of both visuals and plot.
Pick up Inkblot #2 at a comic book store near you today! After reading, let us know your thoughts on our social media pages!
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