The writer/artist duo of Cameron Stewart and Karl Kerschl caught lightning in a bottle with the first Assassin’s Creed comic series, The Fall. It’s exceptionally rare to find a comic based off a video game that’s not only tolerable, but great. Yet, somehow Stewart and Kerschl were able to perform that miracle, offering up a comic series that catered to both the hardcore Assassin’s Creed crowd and newcomers alike with a set of engaging characters occupying a fantastical world that’s worth diving into headfirst like it’s a pile of hay.
Now, Stewart and Kerschl have returned for a follow-up book called The Chain, which is a direct sequel to The Fall and continues the adventures of assassin Nikolai Orelov in early 1900s Russia and Templar Daniel Cross in modern times. The most interesting aspect of The Chain is that it inverts the dynamics between our lead characters and the people who surround them. Whereas in The Fall, Orelov was shown as a man surrounded by people who loved him and Cross was cast as the loner with no one to turn to, The Chain displays Orelov as the man now on his own and on the run while Cross is treated as sort of a messiah figure for the rest of the Templar order to aspire to. It’s an engaging dynamic shift that puts into perspective how important the people around you are in shaping what kind of person you turn out to be.
But while Daniel Cross might be showered with praise at every turn, The Chain is very much a tragedy on all accounts. This is a story that covers the severing of a family and a man who is truly lost and struggling to find his identity. For Assassin’s Creed fans, these themes are nothing new, but Stewart and Kerschl wrap them in a package that feels fresh while still adding to the overall mythology of the Assassin’s Creed franchise.
Newcomers to the book should also be able to step away satisfied with the story at hand, even if they aren’t diehard Assassin’s Creed fans. The themes, morals, and delicate character work on display from Stewart and Kerschl are what make this story worth experiencing, not just that it’s tied to the lore of Assassin’s Creed.
From a visual point of view, The Chain looks just as gorgeous as The Fall before it. Both Stewart and Kerschl share art duties here, and the final results are quite breathtaking. It’s clear both artists gave everything they had to this project and therefore every page is a beauty to ogle over. The art of The Chain is dynamic, expressive, and a great complement to the story at hand, capturing the energetic highs of the book’s actions sequences and the depressing lows of a family being torn apart.
The one area of The Chain that might irk some is the very subdued finale. The book doesn’t conclude on an explosive high note, but instead chooses to end on a quiet moment to drive home its point. I’ll be honest, I read the book’s final few panels and flipped the page fully expecting more story. Denied. The Chain just kind of stops, leaving the reader to his thoughts about the true intention of the book’s final scene. If you like experiencing fiction that leaves you with a carrot on a stick to chew on far after you’ve finished it, then The Chain’s ending should satisfy. But if you want a definitive stamp on these characters, you’re not going to get it here.
The Chain is absolutely a worthy follow-up to The Fall. Cameron Stewart and Karl Kerschl have done a fantastic job grooming these characters in the vast Assassin’s Creed universe. Better yet, like The Fall before it, both Assassin’s Creed fanatics and newcomers can enjoy The Chain. Whether you fall into the former or the latter camp, The Chain offers a great narrative, engaging characters and beautiful art worth buying into.
You can order a copy of Assassin’s Creed: The Chain through Ubisoft’s Ubi Workshop online store.
Source : feeds.ign.com
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