The Black Hand

by Erica J. Heflin, Fares Maese (Illustrator), Edson Alves (Illustrator)

Victoria Addair's near-death experience gifted her the ability to slay the undead with but a touch. When the Order of the Black Hand sends her north to vanquish a ghost, she uncovers a multi-generational tie to one of the most powerful undead in the world. Assisted by an irritable nobleman and his upstart son, Victoria must unravel their family's hidden connections to the undead and save them from the sins of their forefathers.

Genres: Comics

199 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Methinks I have some splainin` to do. I bought this comic at a convention and added it to Goodreads since I could not find it searching via the ISBN number. Belatedly the thought of reaching out to the creators occurred to me. As I write this review I am also beginning my search to see if this is okay with them. I figured I should start with that in case I end up having to take this down.

Now for the review. Normally I support creators at conventions because, why not? I can see myself in their shoes. I write myself. I just don’t have the courage or the balls to see it to the light of day. For now, my friends will have to deal with me while we play RP games and I DM. I always have my own imagination to fall back and daydream on. So, when I purchased The Black Hand I had less than optimistic opinions going in. Talk about pleasantly surprised.

Let’s tackle the artistry. I’m partial to darker colors, thin lines and the sharpness. There was a blur used to indicate a flashback in the beginning and that was simple genius. I liked the voice that used no speech boxes and spoke in the same fonts usually reserved for onomatopoeia. I like the small things. The art wavers a bit when the subjects are plain. No armor, plain backgrounds, people in pajamas, that’s when the art starts to look…weird. Aside from that these cats got talent. I would love to see more (particularly some action).

Time for the writing. The introduction opens strong. It’s classy even while our main protagonist curses up a storm. During the story there were a few times I was wondering what the hell was going on, but I caught on quickly that it was a sojourn into the past or we swapped to a different set of characters. There’s just enough give and just enough pull when it comes to the mystery enshrouded in worldbuilding. The order of the Black Hand is not yet completely fleshed out. I’d guess they operate similarly to mercenary bands as an elite group of warriors that specialize in the undead.

The story as a whole? It’s okay. The strength of this particular type of storytelling is encapsulating the worlds within worlds. The flashback featured Victoria’s training where we glimpsed an orc/troll-like creature as well as a nightmare ent. We know the order can defeat hordes of undead, but is it only the undead? How far does the magic – for lack of a better word – reach? Are there any other types of orders that people could turn to rather than the Black Hand? Is there magic beyond what we’ve seen, such as sorcery? My initial guess would be necromancy. This is the stuff that ignites the imagination.

We, as the audience, are revealed enough and not too much. I read the excerpts for the next installment and while it doesn’t look bad I can’t really distinguish how the enemy is much different than an army of the undead. Hopefully we get to see some character building and dive further into this world that we’ve been introduced to. I believe that this creative team has talent and would pick them up again. Maybe I’ll get the chance to see them at the same convention. Here’s to hoping!

[Caitlin]

I wanted The Black Hand to be larger, to carry us deeper into Victoria’s world, to follow the boy we meet in the second volume. But it is a magnificent romp through blood and snow and violence, through death and despite it, and Helfin and Maese have together created something truly remarkable.

My full review: https://essentiallyanerd.wordpress.co...