ARCHAIC #1 / Story by MELISSA F. OLSON / Art by SALLY CANTIRINO / Colors by GAB CONTRERAS / Letters by ROB STEEN / Published by AHOY COMICS

Once upon a time, Tess Halliday was a governor’s wife and happily married. Alas, her husband left her, leaving her with two children, a teenage step-son, and a lot of debts owed to some very bad people. Tess is struggling to make ends meet with catering gigs while dodging those very bad people. Tess is in need of a miracle, and one arrives in the form of an inheritance from the father she never met.

Unfortunately, the inheritance is not something that is easily sold or pawned. Indeed, it is more appropriately termed a bequest. For Tess’ father was the guardian of a mysterious island. One that is home to all manner of magical creatures believed to be the stuff of legends!

Archaic #1 is the first full-length comic from urban fantasy author Melissa F. Olson. She is clearly a talented writer, but this first issue does suffer from some pacing problems. Namely, by the time the book is over, we have just barely learned there is something strange about the island Tess has inherited.

This is something of an issue for a story being told in a periodic format. Thankfully, Tess is an engaging protagonist and this first chapter does a good job of introducing her and inspiring interest in her problems. There’s also enough of a sense of mystery to inspire further interest, though that hook is a bit rushed.

The same is true of the artwork. Again, there is clear talent at play here, but only the cover and the final pages hint at the nature of this story. However, Sally Cantirino does draw some interesting looking creatures when the time comes to do so. The colors of Gab Contreras are also appropriately evocative.

I suspect that Archaic will read better as a trade paperback than it does as a monthly series. The story hook is an interesting concept, but this first chapter does little enough to build toward it. Still, it will appeal to fans of modern fantasy and weird horror.

Archaic #1 arrives in comic shops on December 4, 2024.