- Created by Tom Taylor & Daniele di Nicuolo
- Written by Tom Taylor
- Illustrated by Daniele di Nicuolo
- Main Cover by Daniele di Nicuolo with colors by Walter Baimonte
- Colored by Walter Baimonte with color assistance by Katia Ranalli
- Lettered by Ed Dukeshire
- Logo Design: Grace Park
- Designer: Scott Newman
- Editor: Dafna Pleban
- Assistant Editor: Gwen Waller
Thanks to BOOM Studios! for the review copy!
The powerful and mysterious Secrets, along with the organizations trying to hide them from the world and those trying to take their power for themselves, set the stage for a super secret agent protect-the-asset type adventure that this writer can’t wait to keep reading.
We follow Eva and Sigurd, with narration from their child, Caspar, as the pair attempt to escape with their Secret from a raid by a criminal organization headed by an antagonist with a wicked smile named Amon. We come to find out that these Secrets, “words, wonders, weapons, and worse”, are closely guarded by two individuals each, one called a Keeper (Sigurd) and the other a Holder (Eva). The forbidden child that is Caspar was conceived against the tenets of The Order of the Seven, the organization that protects the Secrets, and he is given to the organization at birth with the promise that he will train to serve the Secrets, whatever that may entail. The final panels of the first issue include Sigurd’s final moments, spent trying but failing to eliminate Amon, and we are left to wonder what became of Caspar, and what Eva will do now that Sigurd is gone.
On top of the obvious mastery of comic book illustration demonstrated in the comic, the panel arrangement and the inclusion of dynamic elements make this piece simply beautiful. We get exactly what we want to see in the serious storytelling established in the beginning with dramatic angles and lighting, and have wonderfully unique and distinguishable characters whose emotions can be read off their faces without even having to read the words on the page.
The story itself is just as compelling, and the flashback scenes are seamlessly placed in the main continuity to give us the proper context at just the right time. The stoicism of almost all the characters in the story is broken at just the right times to make the humor and intense emotion incredibly impactful. I found myself particularly gripped by the scene after Caspar’s birth, with Sigurd and Eva sharing a moment of silence over a loss that seems so difficult to put into words, especially from the perspective of either character. Their quiet resignation to the way things must be because of the lives they lead and the decisions they made just ooze with powerful, unspoken emotion that stuck with me.
I really find myself having a hard time coming up with anything critical to say about this piece, and am simply happy to tell you that you should be reading too. I can’t wait to see what these Secrets are all about, meet Caspar, and continue to follow Eva as she mourns on the run – I expect nothing less than a great read as this story continues.
The first and seconds printings of SEVEN SECRETS #1 have sold out but a third printing is now available.
Check back soon for my thoughts on the second and third issue of this series.
Have you read the comic? Want to talk to me about it? Feel free to chat with me on Twitter or leave a comment below!
Jeffrey Venture is a noob gamer, an okay writer, comic book enthusiast, social media fiend, and creator of the D&Dify It series on YouTube. You can connect with him on Twitter where he mostly posts memes for D&D and all things internet culture.
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