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The Sword #Complete
The Sword: The Complete Collection
Experience the epic story about a young woman who discovers a mysteriously powerful sword that allows her to seek revenge on the three elemental gods who brutally murdered her family. Limited to initial orders, this deluxe edition collects the complete run of The Sword in an oversized hardcover and slipcase format, and contains all covers, including rare versions from extra printings.
624 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2010
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108 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
July 11, 2024
The Sword is an engaging, fast-paced comic book that doesn’t try to be more than it is - a tale of vengeance wrapped in a fantasy cloak, with enough action and drama to make you binge it.
August 20, 2019
This story has it all. The main plot is a simple revenge tale interspersed with a myth about elemental gods. Our protagonist, dara, witnesses her family's murder and uncovers centuries old secrets about her father during her trip to avenge them. Along the way the titular sword brings her ultimate power and we see how quickly that kind of magic can corrupt even the best intentions.
The book also contains an interesting commentary about how a god filled conflict would unravel in a modern age. The media does its best to cover an unexplainable event but it is impossible to be unbiased when everyone's accepted world view is shattered in seconds. Everyone has an opinion and is calling for blood on all sides of a conflict they know nothing about.
It is so nice to see an action packed story that knows exactly where it's going and actually has an ending! Conclusions are so rare anymore and this one is satisfying.
Fair warning, this book is unapologetically violent and drawn in graphic detail. I loved it.
The book also contains an interesting commentary about how a god filled conflict would unravel in a modern age. The media does its best to cover an unexplainable event but it is impossible to be unbiased when everyone's accepted world view is shattered in seconds. Everyone has an opinion and is calling for blood on all sides of a conflict they know nothing about.
It is so nice to see an action packed story that knows exactly where it's going and actually has an ending! Conclusions are so rare anymore and this one is satisfying.
Fair warning, this book is unapologetically violent and drawn in graphic detail. I loved it.
October 26, 2015
I read these as individual comics but I do not have the patience for individual reviews.
It was pretty solid. Every time the story seemed to be falling into a predictable pattern, it broke out of it. The main character was a strong female with no gratuitous nudity (yay?). I'm still thinking through how much I liked two things: 1) The female baddy as a scorned woman and 2) the sudden reveal in the last chapter. A lot of hyper-violence, but it worked with the story.
I enjoyed this series enough that I decided to read Girls...which was not a good decision.
It was pretty solid. Every time the story seemed to be falling into a predictable pattern, it broke out of it. The main character was a strong female with no gratuitous nudity (yay?). I'm still thinking through how much I liked two things: 1) The female baddy as a scorned woman and 2) the sudden reveal in the last chapter. A lot of hyper-violence, but it worked with the story.
I enjoyed this series enough that I decided to read Girls...which was not a good decision.
February 26, 2014
Hands down, this is my favorite! The story and illustrations were amazing! I now have this beautiful edition on my shelf.
September 13, 2019
I definitely recommend this story to anyone interested in a revenge tale featuring gods.
*****SPOILERS*****
A surprisingly phenomenal story that took two mainstays/cliches of the revenge story format (11th hour twist/reveal, and a tragic ending for the protagonist) and managed to make them both integral to the story, giving the story a gut-punch of an ending. You feel for Dara throughout the entire journey of the series, while also coming to understand the late-game “villainy” of the characters (not excusing them, but living under threat for thousands of years is going to warp you, for sure). Malia was a very cunning threat, and Phaistos revealing himself, explaining his story, and then killing himself, was a good tie-up of their story. The ending, while sad, was the best it was going to be - she was on a suicide mission the entire time, and there was never any way out established for her throughout the story, so dying so she can be with her family was a “happy” ending. But with every wound she sustained happening again... god, that was awful.
*****SPOILERS*****
A surprisingly phenomenal story that took two mainstays/cliches of the revenge story format (11th hour twist/reveal, and a tragic ending for the protagonist) and managed to make them both integral to the story, giving the story a gut-punch of an ending. You feel for Dara throughout the entire journey of the series, while also coming to understand the late-game “villainy” of the characters (not excusing them, but living under threat for thousands of years is going to warp you, for sure). Malia was a very cunning threat, and Phaistos revealing himself, explaining his story, and then killing himself, was a good tie-up of their story. The ending, while sad, was the best it was going to be - she was on a suicide mission the entire time, and there was never any way out established for her throughout the story, so dying so she can be with her family was a “happy” ending. But with every wound she sustained happening again... god, that was awful.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2023
★★★★1/2
I have a hard time imagining anyone truly disliking this book. It has all the trappings of an accessible, commercial hit and is also competently plotted and executed. The bones of its plot are pretty simple, beginning as a standard revenge story about a girl who witnesses the slaughter of her entire family and discovers a mystical sword that she vows to use to avenge them. But then the book continues to evolve into a modern fable, complete with deep, developed mythology, multiple twists, and a heroic journey, and ultimately evolves into a tale of family and what it means. It's hyper-violent but with creative action scenes and is a good, mature twist on superhero lore. It presented hard moral questions, challenged me with who I should root for, and constantly subverted any expectations. It was hard not to get sucked into this one. And I'm lucky to have this stunning oversized edition!
I have a hard time imagining anyone truly disliking this book. It has all the trappings of an accessible, commercial hit and is also competently plotted and executed. The bones of its plot are pretty simple, beginning as a standard revenge story about a girl who witnesses the slaughter of her entire family and discovers a mystical sword that she vows to use to avenge them. But then the book continues to evolve into a modern fable, complete with deep, developed mythology, multiple twists, and a heroic journey, and ultimately evolves into a tale of family and what it means. It's hyper-violent but with creative action scenes and is a good, mature twist on superhero lore. It presented hard moral questions, challenged me with who I should root for, and constantly subverted any expectations. It was hard not to get sucked into this one. And I'm lucky to have this stunning oversized edition!
June 15, 2017
Fajny uceleny pribeh o potomkovi Demetria - otroka, ktory zotrocil bohov na Krete. Skoda ze som to necital pred dvoma rokmi pred dovolenkou na Krete. Trosku mi vadila kresba, prisla mi taka, ako keby boli vsetci ako zmoknute kurata. Inac je to klasicka revenge upgradovaneho cloveka proti bohom.
Demetrius ukradol bohom elementov mec, ktory stvorili a ako jedina vec ich moze zranit i znicit. Tymto ich donutil zit 4 milenia ako obycajnych ludi bez pouzivani moci a vladnutia.
Dnes sa ale 3 surodenci, ktori zostali na svete rozhodli zakrocit a vziat Demetriovi mec. Ten vsak vsetko popri a tak je jeho rodina povrazdena. Prezije len paraplegicka dcera, ktora je mecom vyliecena a samozrejme sa s priatelmi vyda na cestu odvety.
Demetrius ukradol bohom elementov mec, ktory stvorili a ako jedina vec ich moze zranit i znicit. Tymto ich donutil zit 4 milenia ako obycajnych ludi bez pouzivani moci a vladnutia.
Dnes sa ale 3 surodenci, ktori zostali na svete rozhodli zakrocit a vziat Demetriovi mec. Ten vsak vsetko popri a tak je jeho rodina povrazdena. Prezije len paraplegicka dcera, ktora je mecom vyliecena a samozrejme sa s priatelmi vyda na cestu odvety.
June 22, 2022
I bought this because I loved Alex & Ada - I have read years ago. I expected this to be great, but during reading I were little confused. Confused cause I felt this same time little childish and the narrative however worked. The narrative were so intensive, I had to came back to read this moments after moments and thats why I read this in pretty short period. When I reached middle point of this book I was sure I am gonna give this 3 stars in Goodreads. And it was 3 stars until I reached last 24th chapter. The final chords and conclusion are really amazing and this book is living proof how last parts of book can save the whole story. This is really great story - worth every cent (120 $) I paid for this Complete Collection.
June 6, 2018
I expect a lot from Image and this one does not deliver. It is all teenage angst, vengeance and despair. The magic sword is an interesting premise, but the end of this book is just depressing.
May 1, 2021
This was a cool revenge tale with a unique premise which used the arcs of various god-like characters to emphasize the value of family and decency, albeit with some extremely gruesome violence.
February 5, 2018
This graphic novel is over-the-top violent, which can be a legitimate aesthetic choice, but here serves a plot that manages to be both nihilistic and bland. The endless depictions of people getting decapitated or having their entrails spill out yields a kind of unpleasant numbness, and it only gets worse from there. I find it puzzling that the author of Alex + Ada, with its compelling characters and themes, could also write this.
December 29, 2011
I got this the other day because it was on sale, I had a little bit of Christmas dough, and I'd always intended to look into The Luna Brothers. This looked really nice, and I liked the large deluxe format.
I also read this in one sitting.
If anything, it's actually a little *too* structured, story-wise. But it's engrossing, compelling, and really very well done. Anything I could tell you about the plot or the characters would give it all away. I read this completely cold, knowing literally nothing about it, and I was pleasantly surprised.
The plot seems simple, but still offers plenty of short, sharp shocks, even after the overarching structure becomes clear (and this happens, oh, maybe four or five "issues" in). The characters do seem to start out a bit cliched, but still have some tricks right up to the end--which had one thing I saw coming and one thing I didn't (but should have).
I'm glad I got this giant deluxe version, but I could see if you'd prefer the friendlier paperback volumes. Still, whichever format you prefer, do give this a read, if you like good, solid comics.
EDIT: I ought to add a couple of notes. First, I thought that the art was a little stiff, which I would suppose is something The Luna Brothers hear a lot, but I kind of liked it. Second, this gets fairly graphic in terms of violence, and there's a lot of harsh language. So: not really for kids, I'm sorry to say, unless you're one of those "liberal" parents who let their kids read anything, in which case I applaud you.
I also read this in one sitting.
If anything, it's actually a little *too* structured, story-wise. But it's engrossing, compelling, and really very well done. Anything I could tell you about the plot or the characters would give it all away. I read this completely cold, knowing literally nothing about it, and I was pleasantly surprised.
The plot seems simple, but still offers plenty of short, sharp shocks, even after the overarching structure becomes clear (and this happens, oh, maybe four or five "issues" in). The characters do seem to start out a bit cliched, but still have some tricks right up to the end--which had one thing I saw coming and one thing I didn't (but should have).
I'm glad I got this giant deluxe version, but I could see if you'd prefer the friendlier paperback volumes. Still, whichever format you prefer, do give this a read, if you like good, solid comics.
EDIT: I ought to add a couple of notes. First, I thought that the art was a little stiff, which I would suppose is something The Luna Brothers hear a lot, but I kind of liked it. Second, this gets fairly graphic in terms of violence, and there's a lot of harsh language. So: not really for kids, I'm sorry to say, unless you're one of those "liberal" parents who let their kids read anything, in which case I applaud you.
December 24, 2014
Ok, so, I'm reading this book and like all Luna's it is wonderful. It is only me or this book is highly influenced by anime and manga ?
~~~ UPDATE ~~~
I just finished this book, and, man, it's great !!! Like all Luna's works. They need to be more popular, they deserve it, their stories are ones of the best and more human things that I had read in the last time, their characters, even when they are superheroes, they remain human. Their stories are simple, as their art, but they have so much meaning, and are so good written. Without doubt, the Luna's are ones of the best authors and artists of the 2000's. I'm waiting for them to make another project.
Well, now that I praised them, let's get straight to the story. The Sword is an action "super-humans" story, a tale of revenge. Dara Brighton is a paraplegic girl that watch how her family is murder by some super-humans, when they thought that she is dead, she fall in a hole in her house and finds a sword, that give her super-powers. From then on the story is full of action, super fights in the best anime/manga style, and an excellent study of the characters.
The Luna's have their own style, I love them !!!
~~~ UPDATE ~~~
I just finished this book, and, man, it's great !!! Like all Luna's works. They need to be more popular, they deserve it, their stories are ones of the best and more human things that I had read in the last time, their characters, even when they are superheroes, they remain human. Their stories are simple, as their art, but they have so much meaning, and are so good written. Without doubt, the Luna's are ones of the best authors and artists of the 2000's. I'm waiting for them to make another project.
Well, now that I praised them, let's get straight to the story. The Sword is an action "super-humans" story, a tale of revenge. Dara Brighton is a paraplegic girl that watch how her family is murder by some super-humans, when they thought that she is dead, she fall in a hole in her house and finds a sword, that give her super-powers. From then on the story is full of action, super fights in the best anime/manga style, and an excellent study of the characters.
The Luna's have their own style, I love them !!!
August 16, 2014
This is another Luna Brothers book that I devoured in one sitting. The Sword is a story of revenge as Dana Brighton a college art student sets out on a journey that will take her around the world to avenge her family. This collection contains all 24 issues of the series. The action in this series is great, and it's wonderfully drawn. The only knock against this book is that it falls back on a couple of cliches, but it's not anything eye-rolling, and honestly I didn't notice them until I sat down to write this review. The story is constantly in motion and if you're like me, you'll find that you can't stop turning the pages. 4.0/5.0.
May 19, 2015
El equilibrio entre La acción descarnada, personajes bien trazados y diálogos precisos que caracteriza a los hermanos Luna convergen en su obra más popular: Cuando tres misteriosos hermanos aparecen reclamando una prodigiosa espada, la vida de la joven discapacitada Dara sufre un cambio irreversible que la lleva a asumir una cruda venganza para la cual quizás no esta lista. Apasionante y adictiva.
March 8, 2012
I've tried the other comics by the Luna Brothers and they just aren't my thing, but this one captured and held my interest. I can't say I loved the art style, but it wasn't bad, either. There were actually a couple of a twists near the end that I didn't see coming, so I appreciated that. All in all, this was a decent graphic novel, though definitely not meant for anyone squeamish about gore!
July 6, 2016
A cracking read. I don't often binge on a comic series from start to finish but this was the first case in a while.
It has a few problems - sometimes the text and dialogue gets a bit heavy and borders on info dump, sometimes the art can feel a bit flat.
But those were minor. This is an amazing series and I would heartily recommend it.
It has a few problems - sometimes the text and dialogue gets a bit heavy and borders on info dump, sometimes the art can feel a bit flat.
But those were minor. This is an amazing series and I would heartily recommend it.
August 1, 2012
Reads like a slightly formulaic young adult novel.
Must admit that, judging it against previous material from the Luna brothers, the art disappointed me. They can be so much more than what was in this book.
Must admit that, judging it against previous material from the Luna brothers, the art disappointed me. They can be so much more than what was in this book.
August 21, 2013
A fantastical story of revenge. a beautifully weaven story the reading experience of which I would describe as cinematic. I loved it to no end, it captivated me all the way through to the end by which I was barely able to read through my tears. Lovely... Just lovely...
February 29, 2016
Los dibujos siguen siendo un poco hieráticos y el hermano que dibuja es incapaz de dibujar hombres con un mínimo de expresión o personalidad (es curioso, a mi me pasa justo lo contrario). La historia esta bien narrada y aunque se ve venir se lee con agrado.
March 22, 2012
The artwork is excellent with some really beautiful violence. The story is pretty cliched - typical Hollywood movie stuff. But it's a fun quick read.
April 15, 2015
Art is obviously good and as for story , i thought it was pretty enjoyable.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews