If you have not read the solicit for The Sacrificers #1, I encourage you not to before reading the issue or even after. The provided description designed to garner pre-orders offers an elevator pitch for the start of a new high fantasy adventure, but in doing so it gives away a bit too much. High fantasy as a genre seeks to sprawl, typically containing a wide array of grandiose new settings, new societies drawn from scratch out of magical resources and many fictional races, and centuries, if not millennia, of history – all of which seem to be present in The Sacrificers. Yet that sort of scale requires time to explore and this debut issue doesn’t make the mistake of rushing. Instead, it gives that scale the space it needs to breathe across only three distinct sequences that immerse readers in a new world with plenty of promise.
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What readers may anticipate encountering here are introductions to two very different adolescent protagonists who define two very different aspects of a fantastic new place. The first is an unnamed young man (or rather, blue-feathered humanoid) simply referred to as “the boy” or “son” – the titular Sacrificer, which is mentioned but not explained. He comes from a rural class of people living in an idyllic farm except for the boy kept and neglected in the barn. The second is Soluna, the daughter of god-like figures who seem to embody the sun and moon, finally reaching adulthood and curious to learn more about the world.
Although The Sacrificers #1 makes it clear the narrative centers on these deuteragonists (at least for now), it doesn’t possess sufficient space to do much more than sketch their personalities given the decompressed nature of each sequence often allowing for multiple panels of silence. Soluna is rebellious and clever; the boy is gentle and resolved. Yet there’s enough for readers to sympathize with them both.
While the purposeful pacing withholds plenty of information, it promises to pay dividends as it establishes a strong foundation for these character’s stories and the mysteries of their world to unfold. Although the boy is never named, the abundant space provided for readers to observe family prayers, typical suppertime encounters, and the terrible cognitive-dissonance exhibited by his father, paint a clear picture of where he comes from. Despite the bird-like cast and wondrous sort of sun, it resembles farm life in specific and effective fashion.
Max Fiumara steeps each panel in detail that encourages a reader’s eye to linger and take in this new space. Even the seemingly modest nature of the boy’s home is filled with life and history. Details found in the actions of these brief introductions fill in a great deal of information and reward repeated readings.
Much of the provided exposition is neatly reserved for Soluna’s section where it enhances the wondrous world she occupies. Resplendent golds and reds in Dave McCaig’s coloring evoke both the magical, godlike nature of these entities and tie them to a sense of class as they contrast with the boy’s rural home.
In taking its time The Sacrificers #1 proves to be an excellent introduction to the ambition contained in any high fantasy saga worth its salt. Much like the first chapter of a memorable novel, it provides details that will leave readers yearning to learn more. Following Soluna and the boy on their distinct paths in very different circumstances promises to reveal a world filled with both beauty and horror; The Sacrificers #1 establishes the first steps into that world wonderfully.
Published by Image Comics
On August 2, 2023
Written by Rick Remender
Art by Max Fiumara
Colors by Dave McCaig
Letters by Rus Wooton
Cover by Max Fiumara and Dave McCaig
