Written by Mairghread Scott
Art by Pablo Tunica
Published by Skybound /
Image Comics
Even villains have an origin story, that is, the premise of Mairghread Scott’s the Sea Serpent’s Heir.
Sea Serpent’s Heir tells the tale of Aella, a young girl who dreams of adventure but discovers her future may not be as bright as she hoped. Aella is the reincarnation of the demon Xir, and she is destined to destroy the world!
For Aella, life on Kinamen Isle is entirely dull. Spending her days fishing and minding her aunts, she dreams of life beyond the horizon.
Everything changes, however, when she awakens an ancient evil within herself: Xir, the serpent that almost destroyed the world.
Worse yet, a fanatical religious organization has arrived on Kinamen Isle to destroy Xir.
As Aella is forced to fight for her life, she’ll discovers that her entire world is not what it seems. Her aunts know more than they let on, and what exactly does the infamous Pirate Queen want with Aella?
Despite getting off to a slow start, Scott does a fantastic job crafting Aella’s world. This book reminded me greatly of Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere.
Readers will come away with a rich sense of history built around Aella’s world. Book one of this series only scratches the surface.
Tunica’s are lovely, and his choice of colors and pen strokes make the numerous water battle sequences come to life.
Sea Serpent’s Heir is not a perfect start, but it is pretty damn close to it. Which characters become the villains and which ones become the heroes remains to be seen. Nevertheless, this opening sequence engaged me enough that I decided to stay for the ride upon the open seas and dark waves!
4.25 out of 5 stars
