A review by nightxade
Artesia Volume 1 by Mark Smylie

4.0

Artesia is an epic, Eisner-award nominated masterpiece of story and art. The world, its people and its pantheon are so richly detailed, but as the title says, this story is about Artesia. What an incredible character she is, embodying all aspects of the female, from priestess to warrior to daughter to sister to concubine and eventually, reluctantly, queen. As both concubine, priestess and captain to the king, Artesia begins the story obviously wielding a lot of power and influence. Even the gods have touched her and those that follow her do so out of the purest respect. She may seem too perfect, which is exactly why certain people want to see her brought down. But the conflict they bring is only part of her struggle. The inner journey that she takes as she struggles to accept all that is thrown at her, and more importantly, all that is expected of her, whether she wants it or not, is beautifully depicted in word and images.