Comics Bulletin logo
Search
  • Columns
    Random
    • All The Rage: Failure Is Not An Option

      Thea Srinivasan
      October 23, 2005
      All the Rage
    Recent
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 1

      Daniel Gehen
      October 30, 2020
    • Comictober 2020: DRACULA MOTHERF**KER

      Daniel Gehen
      October 27, 2020
    • What Looks Good
    • Comics Bulletin Soapbox
    • The Full Run
    • Leading Question
    • Top 10
    • The Long-Form
    • Jumping On
    • Comics in Color
    • Slouches Towards Comics
  • Big Two
    Random
    • 5.0

      Review: Batman #54 Combines all the Correct Condiments

      Thea Srinivasan
      September 6, 2018
      Big Two, Big Two Reviews, DC Comics
    Recent
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • Stan Lee

      nguyen ly
      November 7, 2020
    • Collecting Profile: Jack O’ Lantern

      nguyen ly
      October 31, 2020
    • DC Comics
    • Big Two Reviews
    • Marvel Comics
  • Indie
    Random
    • 4.0

      Review: PUNKS NOT DEAD #1

      Thea Srinivasan
      February 27, 2018
      IDW, Indie, Reviews
    Recent
    • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

      Daniel Gehen
      December 14, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • 4.5

      TMNT: The Last Ronin #1 Lives Up to the Hype (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      October 29, 2020
    • Reviews
    • Archie Comics
    • Boom! Studios
    • Dark Horse
    • IDW
    • Image
    • Oni Press
    • Valiant
  • Reviews
    Random
    • 3.5

      Warm Bodies (2013) Review

      Thea Srinivasan
      February 11, 2013
      Reviews
    Recent
    • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

      Daniel Gehen
      December 14, 2020
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • 4.5

      TMNT: The Last Ronin #1 Lives Up to the Hype (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      October 29, 2020
    • Singles Going Steady
    • Slugfest
    • Manga
      • Reviews
    • Small Press
      • Reviews
      • ICYMI
      • Tiny Pages Made of Ashes
  • Interviews
    Random
    • Interview: Rob Williams in the World Less 'Ordinary'

      Thea Srinivasan
      October 9, 2014
      Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview: Jon Davis-Hunt Talks SHADOWMAN

      Daniel Gehen
      June 8, 2020
    • Interview: Becky Cloonan talks DARK AGNES and Her Personal Influences

      Mike Nickells
      March 4, 2020
    • Simon Roy

      Interview: Simon Roy on His Inspirations and Collaborations on PROTECTOR

      Mike Nickells
      January 29, 2020
    • Audio Interview
    • Video Interview
  • Classic Comics
    Random
    • Classic Comics Cavalcade: "Bookends: Steve Ditko on the Shroud and Iron Man"

      Thea Srinivasan
      October 9, 2015
      Classic Comics, Classic Comics Cavalcade, Columns
    Recent
    • Countdown to the King: Marvel’s Godzilla

      Daniel Gehen
      May 29, 2019
    • Honoring A Legend: Fantagraphics To Resurrect Tomi Ungerer Classics

      Daniel Gehen
      February 15, 2019
    • Reliving the Craziest Decade in Comics History: An interview with Jason Sacks

      Mark Stack
      January 2, 2019
    • Classic Comics Cavalcade
    • Classic Interviews
  • News
    Random
    • The Guardians of the Galaxy full trailer is here!

      Thea Srinivasan
      February 19, 2014
      News
    Recent
    • 2020 Ringo Awards Winners Announced

      Daniel Gehen
      October 26, 2020
    • BAD IDEA Announces 2021 Publishing Slate

      Daniel Gehen
      September 29, 2020
    • A Full Replay of NCSFest 2020 is now Available

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2020
    • Press Release
    • Kickstarter Spotlight
  • Books
    Random
    • 'The Mercenary: Cult of the Sacred Fire' is an Awesomely Fun Jolt of Otherworldly Adventure

      Thea Srinivasan
      November 28, 2017
      Books, Indie, Reviews
    Recent
    • Collecting Profile: Disney Frozen

      CB Staff
      November 22, 2019
    • Collecting Profile: NFL Superpro

      CB Staff
      August 31, 2019
    • “THE BEST OF WITZEND” is a Wonderful Celebration of Artistic Freedom

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2018
    • Review: ‘Machete Squad’ is a Disappointing Afghan Memoir

      Jason Sacks
      July 31, 2018
    • Review: ‘Out of Nothing’ is the Antidote to Our Sick Times

      Jason Sacks
      July 23, 2018
    • Review: ‘Bizarre Romance’ Shows Rough Edges in the Early Days of a New Marriage

      Jason Sacks
      July 10, 2018
What's New
  • Collecting Profile: Batwoman
  • Collecting Profile: Daredevil
  • Collecting Profile: Floronic Man
  • Review of Cheetah in Wonder Woman 1984
  • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist
  • Collecting Profile: Transformers
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Contact Us
  • Write for us!
  • Visit Video Game Break!
Home
Indie
Image

Review: Green Monk: Blood of the Martyrs Edges on Greatness

Thea Srinivasan
September 28, 2018
Image, Indie, Reviews

Image Comics

(W/A) Brandon Dayton

Deciding between what’s right and wrong is not the easiest task. Try deciding between morals when it comes to deciding between yourself and your community. That’s what Alexei goes through in the new comic, Green Monk: Blood of the Martyrs by Brandon Dayton.

Alexei is a boy who grows in up in a Russian Orthodox monastery after he was brought there by a nun. The nun was a survivor of a raid from tribes in the mountains with Alexei in her arms. Right before her death, her last wish was to have Alexei baptized. From there, Alexei grew up under the monks’ tutelage. One day, he sees a group of children beating a deer with a stick. Alexei takes action by getting revenge on the children only to be chastised by the head monk. From then on, Alexei faces an internal battle as he drawn into a world where Pagan spirits encourage him to fight beyond the words of God for all people.

As a non-Christian, there are several visual metaphors throughout the story I do not understand. They are incredibly beautiful to look at and appreciate. But I’m a bit disappointed that I have to Google search references to understand underlying themes throughout the story.  To say the least, this was my favorite part of the story. It was able to capture a mystical atmosphere that was not fluffy whatsoever.  I was taken to a world where I was graced with the presence of mysterious spirits. The story takes place in 11th century Russia and this provided a nice history lesson in terms of understanding what was going on during the time period. While all of the scenes weren’t pretty to look at, they provided historical lessons for what the people were experiencing for that era.

The characters in the story were alright. I didn’t like Alexei so much because of his personality. He was a stereotypical boy who grew up in a religious time period. He was very modest and had a giant hero complex that could not be crushed. I preferred seeing the actions he took when trying to face his internal battle of following the church as opposed to following spirits “beyond” God’s will.  The only other “interesting” character was the head monk of the monastery. While he follows the stereotype of a strict leader, he does care about Alexei so much. Throughout the book, I’ve seen him break out of his principled mind and learn to enjoy the moments he has with Alexei. Just like Alexei, the head monk has a terrible personality set up, but his actions make up for his bad personality.

The art was very pleasant to look at with an almost angular, “brick” style artwork. The colors matched the emotional moods throughout the story and I found myself emulating with the colors rather than the characters themselves. Overall, a stunning piece to read with a few panels that made a gasp in surprise. Brandon Dayton did a wonderful job balancing the real world and the mystical world Alexei faces.

I’m really pleased that I got a chance to read this comic before it came out. The mystical world draws readers to the edge of something unknown. Readers will get to enjoy the visual metaphors hidden throughout the book. Plus the plots built throughout the story are engaging and do not suffocate a reader down one path. To get a copy of this story, click on the link here for more information.

Review: Green Monk: Blood of the Martyrs Edges on Greatness
Score
3.3Overall Score

11th centuryBrandon DaytonHeresyMagicRussia

Share On:
Tweet
Review: Wonder Woman Earth One vol. 2 is a Smart, Thrilling Graphic Novel
NEWS: Fantagraphics to publish BTTM FDRS

About The Author

Thea Srinivasan

Related Posts

  • 3.4

    Review: Ran and the Grey World Vol.1 Makes Me Feel Morally Ambiguous

    Thea Srinivasan
    June 13, 2019
  • 3.9

    Review: Record of Grancrest War Vol .1 Conquers My Expectations for Ecchi Manga

    Thea Srinivasan
    May 8, 2019

Support Us!

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Friends of the Site

  • SOLRAD
  • Your Chicken Enemy
  • Psycho Drive-In
  • Women Write About Comics
  • The Beat
  • Loser City
RSSTwitterFacebookgoogleplusinstagramtumblr

Comics Bulletin is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, Comics Bulletin earns from qualifying purchases.

All content on this site (c) 2018 The Respective Copyright Holders