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‘Tooth and Claw’ #1 Presents a Colourful, Magical World

‘Tooth and Claw’ #1 Presents a Colourful, Magical World

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Tooth and Claw #1
Writer: Kurt Busiek
Artist and Cover Colourist: Benjamin Dewey
Colourist: Jordie Bellaire
Lettering and Design: John Roshell and Jimmy Bethancourt of Comicraft
Publisher: Image Comics

Kurt Busiek is not afraid of large scale, epic stories. He does an excellent job at creating an unfamiliar world, such as the detailed universe within Astro City, and even feeling comfortable with established characters like The Avengers. Tooth and Claw starts off within an unknown land, presenting plenty of interesting elements. The universe presented in the first issue feels very fleshed out already, even though a lot is withheld. Many places of this exotic place are thrown around in dialogue by name, like the Crystal Archipelago: mysterious and intriguing. A lot is thrown at you in the form of a present, through over forty pages of no ads, truly adhering to fans of fantasy.

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It is immediately established that this world is not like ours, as anthropomorphic animals grace the pages. Animals of all sorts: dogs, tigers, skunks, bears, goats, walruses, and many others take part in daily rituals, such as cooking meals and praying to the many deities. The main character, Dunstan, a dog, is like the reader: curious and bewildered by the wonders around him. Dunstan lives in the city of Apalis, where the present day welcomes a flood of wizards from the seventeen cities around them. The wizards are meeting to discuss the recent developments of their travels, and are of particular importance this time around as the source of magic in their world is diminishing. A plan is put into place to implement a resurgence of magic through a being known as the Great Champion, whom first brought magic to the land in the distant past. Many challenge this proposition, building into a catastrophic conclusion, propelling Tooth and Claw into a very intriguing future.

Benjamin Dewey’s artwork is great, truly standing out even more due in thanks to the wonderful colouring job by Jordie Bellaire. The images of the buildings and mountains of the background are truly brought to life by this team. The colours used are varied in the highly detailed costuming of the many characters met and are especially apparent through the skies above, as a melancholic purple filters Apalis at night, and a fresh tandem of greens and oranges covers the daytime. What Busiek, Dewey, and Bellaire have created in the first issue is truly exciting. This extra sized premiere really flies by and makes the wait for the next issue all the more tense.

 

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