Dixon captures a sense of the historic and epic here, one that's reminiscent of Braveheart and Gladiator. To be honest, I wasn't a big fan of those movies. I found the main characters from those popular films to be almost alien. The extreme nature of their lives made it difficult to relate to them, and the same holds true of the title character here. Still, the creators convey a vivid depiction of a kind of war to which we're not accustomed in a day and age of CNN and smart bombs. This more hands-on vision of war and tactics is interesting.
Brath mac Garen leads the various tribes of Ureland together against the the Emperor's invading armies. The outlanders have superior weaponry and conveyance, and the odds are stacked against Brath and his brethren. But the Stag God has granted Brath a vision of victory, and as he heeds the tactics it foretold, the tide of battle seems to turn in his favor. But the vision relies on the various Ureland tribes working together as one, and the seeds of betrayal may have been planted already.
DiVito's artwork is highly detailed, and he makes excellent use of two-page spreads to convey the larger-than-life nature of the immense battle upon which this issue focuses. His style here reminds me of the work of such artists as Paul (Fantastic Four, The Flash) Ryan and Bob (Freemind McLeod. Unfortunately, it's a softer style that doesn't really capture the intensity and grittiness of this more basic form of war. It's not that there's anything wrong with DiVito's artwork; it's just that it might be too clean a style for this kind of story. Mind you, his designs for the various characters are striking, and I especially enjoyed the impish twins depicted on the cover and the opening splash page. There's a lot of personality in their look.
Though I find it hard to understand the title character, I like that his primitive surroundings and background doesn't get in the way of intellect. Brath isn't just about brute force. He outthinks his enemies as well, and he inspires loyalty. He's an admirable figure, but now I'm curious about his faults as well. Perhaps we'll see some in future issues.
A key event in the previous issue -- and in Solus #3 -- os the loss of Brath's sigil, and with it, his superhuman powers. To my surprise, that development goes unmentioned in this issue. One would think that it would be a key element here. Why aren't the men worried that Brath is no longer empowered? It's not even mentioned in the inside front cover synopsis of previous events. In an odd way, the issue is accessible for new readers, but it's somewhat inaccessible for those who checked out the previous episodes.
