Anyone who has read my blog knows that most of the posts there are a bit negative, criticizing mainstream comic book publishers for mindlessly adhering to the latest woke fad, destroying their legacy heroes, and alienating their fan base in the process. As much fun as it is to write critical posts, if all you write is bile, you run the risk of becoming pretty bilious. Plus, it gets a little tedious after a while, probably more for you, dear reader, than me.

In other words, I think it’s past time to post something positive for a change, and it just so happens that I have something positive to post. It goes by the name of Voyage Comics.

Voyage Comics is a small, independent comic book publisher (sounds strangely familiar) that was founded in 2018 to “create exceptional entertainment” in comic book and graphic novel form. They are trying to do exactly what we here at BAM! are trying to do; create great comic book heroes who are not crippled by the gospel of woke. Voyage currently has two comic book titles in development with several one-shots and graphic novels already completed.

Let’s take a look at the on-going title “Finnian and the Seven Mountains“.

It’s the story of a young Irishman out to avenge the deaths of his family at the hands of Viking marauders in the ninth century. Finnian starts out as a discouraged, frightened, aimless young man looking for meaning and purpose after his family is slaughtered. He washes up on the shores of a Christian monastery seeking refuge, only to find a task set before him, one that will test his physical, mental, and spiritual limits to their uttermost. He is to seek out the shards of a miraculous sword that are scattered across the world and re-forge the into a mighty weapon that will then be used to fight the murderous Vikings that have plagued Britain for years.

His quest takes him far from his home and everything that is familiar to him. Along the way, he is joined by a number of companions, all of whom have endured similar trials, all of whom have similar goals. Together, they must face rough seas, monsters, demonic foes, treacherous ascents up steep mountains, and straightforward evil men, all of which seek to keep Finnian and his friends from attaining their goal. The ordeals they face on their quest as they help each other and save one another’s lives forge deep and meaningful relationships.

If the plot sounds familiar, it’s because it is. “Finnian and the Seven Mountains” is a standard sword and sorcerer tale, but just because it is familiar doesn’t mean it is dull. If that was true, “Star Wars” would never have made the splash that it did. It’s a bit like variations on a musical theme. If all you hear is the theme repeated endlessly, it becomes boring. If the variations introduce interesting new elements without destroying the theme, it keeps your interest, and that is exactly what “Finnian” does. “Finnian” may cover familiar territory, but it is never dull or stale. The characters are interesting and engaging, and the action is well paced, moving the story forward at a brisk pace.

As good as “Finnian” is, it is not without its flaws. The story sometimes moves a little too quickly. Events that could be stretched out over several pages, or even an entire issue, are compressed into just a few panels. That’s not necessarily bad, but it leaves you wanting a bit more. The same goes for some of the exposition. There are events that require a little more explanation than what we receive, leaving us to fill in some much needed gaps. Then there’s a running joke about loose rocks that doesn’t really work.  It could have been left out without hurting the story at all.  Finally, the dialogue occasionally veers into weird anachronisms. I don’t expect a lot of “thee’s” and “thou’s”, but I don’t really believe that ninth century Irishmen or Irishwomen would unleash a “let’s do this” on the verge of a battle. That just doesn’t work for me. But apart from those relatively minor criticisms, the artwork is first-rate, the writing is tight, clean, and coherent, and the dialogue is believable.  The production values are also very good.  The paper and ink on the print version are both of a very high quality.

The team at Voyage are Roman Catholics, so it’s no surprise that their stories are written from a Catholic perspective and infused with Christian themes. But don’t stop reading here. These comics are not sermons. Far from it. The writers at VC, like all good artists, know that sermons are best kept in church. No one at VC is preaching to anyone. The themes you’ll find in their comic books are things like self-sacrifice for the good of others, overcoming obstacles that prevent you from doing the right thing, and the ultimate triumph of good over evil. In spite of what you may have heard about Christianity and Christians, these themes lie at the heart of Christianity.

“Finnian and the Seven Mountains” gets a solid recommendation from the Red Crosse Knight. Issues one through five are in print now, and issue six is available for pre-order.

I’ll be back with a review for another of Voyage Comics titles soon.