Calum Petrie reviews Assassins Creed: Templars #1…
All-new adventures from the world of Assassin’s Creed. In 1927 Darius Gift arrived in Shanghai on his first assignment for the Templar Order. A minor misstep means he soon finds himself mixed up in the shadowy underworld of the International Settlement, and mixed up with the mysterious, enigmatic, Black Cross…
Assassin’s Creed has grown beyond the simple shackles of a computer game, with every year births witness to more literature, graphic novels and even an upcoming motion picture. The intellectual property of Assassin’s Creed is so vast and can possibly span to any known period within in the human race, the ideas for story telling do become limitless almost.
The focus in this series is less of the Assassin’s and more on the Templars, to shine a light on not just the other side of the coin from the Assassin order but also to expand their rich history and hierarchy. In the majority of the games Templars have been made out to be the evil faceless organisation that wishes to rule the world through order. The comic introduces readers to the Black Cross, the paragon of justice, honour and fealty within the ranks of the Templars.
The series takes place 1927 which gives a nice rich period to contain the story within while using a variety of setting and styles to help encase the stories place in the historic timeline. The issues starts in London and finishes in Shanghai, both setting have been created in a manner that is not only artistic but also culturally sensitive.
The pacing of the first issue can be slightly erratic, almost cramming a lot of story into the 22 pages of the comic. This does not mean that the stunning artwork contained within each and every page does not help progress the story and add to every setting on display. The ending of the issue wraps the story up in a nice little bundle that can leave the reader happily ready to move onto what lies in wait in issue 2.
This is certainly not the greatest first issue I have read of a series; on the same hand it is certainly not the worst. This issue might appeal more the die-hard fans of the Assassin’s Creed series rather to a casual reader.
SEE ALSO: Check out a preview of Assassins Creed: Templars #1
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Originally published March 23, 2016. Updated November 13, 2019.
