"Of Stone: Volume 1" Comic Review

Gan, the Ogre King, has a strong sense of duty to his people. Although he's not obligated to go out and hunt, he still does it once a year to prove to his clan that their faith is correctly placed within him. This is not without danger, as he encounters more than just the regular monsters. There are other horrors lurking out in the world, but the ones that might tear him and his family apart could be coming from within.

Of Stone from creator D.A. Bishop hits the ground running. You're dropped right into this fantasy world and quickly become engulfed within its lore. Bishop establishes the rules and briefly explains the history of Gan and his people. You get the immediate sense that he's an honorable ruler that often puts his duty above his own family.

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The first chapter is a little text heavy with Gan's internal narration going into overdrive to go over just about everything. This can be a little frustrating at times, as he's explaining things that we can clearly see in the images. Fortunately, this gets better as the book continues, with Bishop leaning more on his strong artwork to propel the story further.

Bishop walks a fine line with the art in Of Stone. Gan is an ogre, so he's not all that emotive, yet we become invested in his life and those closest to him. There's enough humanity in there for us to care, but not enough to wash out his monstrous nature. At times, Gan looks like a cross between the Hulk and Swamp Thing. He's a lumbering beast with huge moss-covered arms. A series of rings pierces his skin around his collar bone.

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The creatures Gan encounters are the Vraithunde. These shadowy monsters are like pure darkness come to life. These take the cake when it comes to the horror elements within Of Stone. They move incredibly fast and have these eerie glowing green eyes. They're almost formless as they glide effortlessly towards Gan in a life-and-death struggle.

All of this really just sets the stage for Of Stone. The book expands greatly in the later chapters, dealing with additional creatures before revealing the true nature of Gan and his people. It has the makings of a sprawling fantasy epic and it's clear from this opening volume that D.A. Bishop is just getting started.

D.A. Bishop is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to fund the release of Of Stone.