Review: ‘Birthright #44’ Delivers Blockbuster Movie Level Action And Excitement

In this corner, the terror of Terrenos, the God King Lore! And in the opposite corner, the Chosen One himself, Mikey Rhodes! With the fate of two worlds hanging in the balance, who will emerge victorious in this epic showdown? Get your popcorn ready because Birthright #44 is a powerhouse blockbuster of a comic.

We’ll get to the story aspect of this epic encounter in a moment. First, we have to talk about artist Andrei Bressan’s amazing work in Birthright #44. Every image in this issue is a full page spread. That is an impressive feat in and of itself, but it’s made even more so by the incredible detail work shown in each shot. Seriously, you can spend a ton of time just staring at these gorgeous pictures. Bressan has outdone himself.
This is really the blending of two worlds with aspects of Earth and Terrenos on display. The fantasy elements definitely shine through with giant unnatural monsters, pulsing magical energy, and fascinating creatures. Lore alone is worth the price of admission as this villain transforms into increasingly frightening versions as the battle continues. It’s clear that he’s pulling out all the stops to put down Mikey once and for all.

The thing is, Mikey is doing the same, but the difference is that he’s aided by his family. Despite being surrounded by a fierce army, Lore is all alone. He has no one to support him. That’s the case with Mikey, who has grown more powerful and confident with the help of his loved ones. That’s the heart and soul of Birthright and it definitely comes into play. Mikey has faced Lore once before and lost, but he didn’t have his family cheering him on and supporting him that time.
Writer Joshua Williamson packs Birthright #44 with so much heart. This makes each crushing blow feel more impactful. Everything is on the line here, both personally to Mikey with the safety of his family, but also with the worlds themselves. He’s already failed once and he cannot under any circumstances allow himself to come up short again.

The intensity of each image is amplified by Adriano Lucas‘ colors, particularly with the way magic is shown on the page. It bursts on the scene with an electric energy, making it clear that this is a strange and powerful force that is capable of a great many things. This is very much a war zone with an added layer of grit, dirt, and blood. Smoke fills the air, casting a dreary haze across the battlefield and drowning out all hope…except for this young man ready to take on his destiny.
Lore’s words are as twisted and menacing as his body. Letterer Pat Brosseau gives the villain a horrifying voice shown in scratchy red-outlined word balloons. You can just imagine the sounds echoing from his hideous maw.

Birthright has already delivered many epic fantasy moments throughout its run. As it nears its conclusion, it sets the bar even higher with this powerful and stunning issue. If you ever had any doubt as to how comics might handle giant blockbuster movie level action and intensity, just pick this up and flip through its pages to see how jaw-dropping this can be. This book is incredible.
Birthright #44 from Image Comics and Skybound is currently available at your local comic shop and digitally through ComiXology and Amazon Kindle.