The Sword Volume 1: Fire (Sword (Image Comics)) [Paperback]

Joshua Luna (Author), Jonathan Luna (Author, Artist)

Book Description

Series: Sword (Image Comics) | Publication Date: June 25, 2008

It was a day like any other for Dara Brighton, a promising young college student, until three strangers knocked on her door, looking for a unique sword, and destroyed her life! A modern day fantasy series from the creators behind Ultra and Girls!

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Image Comics; 1 edition (June 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582408793
• ISBN-13: 978-1582408798
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 6.7 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #497,399 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I've been saying it for years, October 30, 2008

By 

Schuyler Hull "Archulerus" (Svalbard) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Sword Volume 1: Fire (Sword (Image Comics)) (Paperback)

The dynamic duo that is the Luna Brothers have been impressing me ever since I purchased Ultra. While some of their stories are unique or a new take on an old genre If you take the time to read these comics you will find brilliance. One thing you will notice about their comics is that there is a bit more dialog going on than most comics. It really helps flesh out the characters and helps broaden the world. I will say it now, if you like this then pick both Ultra and Girls.

SPOILERS!!!

The story is that of a young college girl, Dara Brighton, who is disabled from the waist down and just trying to get through everyday life. She has a great best friend who is with her through thick and thin and a supporting family who does just the same. Her entire life comes to a crashing halt when three mysticaly powered strangers come to her house and demand her father gives them their sword. The father denies knowing anything about the sword causing the strangers to kill her entire family. During the course of this debacle Dara crashes through the floor of her now destroyed home. She find the sword under the house and is miraculously healed of paralysis and thus begins the rest of the tale.

The art of this comic is what i would call deceptive art. It's not necessarily the most highly detailed but it easily conveys the story and there is a suprising amount of violence and gore. The closest way I can describe it is adult Saturday morning cartoon. It's pretty colourful and continues in the same style that their other comics were in. It's very much their own when it comes to the art.

I'am quite pleased with how the story started with this volume and volume 2 comes out in December so I will be picking that up as well. The only thing I can say that might through more casual comic reader off is the amount of dialoge. Like I said before thee is a lot but I feel it helps the story out very nicely. I personally can't wait for the next volume.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Sword Makes Sense, and is Highly Recommended, February 28, 2009

By 

Pete B. - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sword Volume 1: Fire (Sword (Image Comics)) (Paperback)

The Sword is the first story I've read by the Luna brothers, and I had passed over the book in single-issue form many times - I think because the art didn't immediately grab me, or maybe because the story sounded predictable. When I actually sat down with the first volume I was surprised by how quickly I grew to like the simple, yet expressive artwork and the book's thoughtful and realistic characters. I was immediately sucked in.

The Sword respects its readers in the highest form possible - by gracefully allowing its characters and their actions to make sense. I cannot stress enough how rare this is in mainstream comics, film and tv storytelling. Dara is a smart, strong young woman who makes tough but credible decisions under some incredible and traumatic circumstances. And I appreciate the fact that (unlike so many other contemporary stories about young adults) Dara, her friends, and the characters who populate The Sword don't waste their/our time spouting inane pop culture references or having empty soap opera histrionics. The story is lean and thoughtful, the stakes are high, and the book's pace is an expert display of economy and purpose - all very refreshing and highly entertaining.

I bought volume 2 the next day, and having read that as well I am very eager to uncover the rest of the story. The Sword is a book I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to fans of all storytelling where the characters feel true, and the tale is thrilling. I will especially enjoy having another title I can confidently recommend to the women I know who have an interest in comics, but are always looking for alternatives to the typical super-hero laden mainstream.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Blew my mind., September 3, 2008

By 

Timothy Lazaroff (Fairfax, VA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Sword Volume 1: Fire (Sword (Image Comics)) (Paperback)

KAPOW! (my mind blowing up). Thats what it was like when I first picked this up. I had never heard of the Luna Brothers before though I read the first issue of The Sword online at the image website and shortly bought the first trade. The art is amazing, and the dialogue is on par with some of my favorites (Kirkman, Ennis). After reading this I checked out their other work which includes Ultra and Girls. Ultra I didn't like too much, but Girls, again, blew my mind.

Back to The Sword, it's a story of a disabled girl whose family is killed by 3 intruders looking for a mystical sword that her father supposedly had. She is the lone survivor and when she finds the sword it cures her disabilities and gives her great powers, but only when she's holding it. I can see why the three intruders wanted it so bad, but why? Well, you'll just have to read to find that out!