Review: Dark One, Vol. 1

Title: Dark One, Vol. 1
Author: Brandon Sanderson, Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly
Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy
Publisher: Vault Comics
Source: Diamond Book Distributors via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: May 18, 2021
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Visions of a dark and fantastic world haunt Paul Tanasin, but when he discovers they are prophecies from Mirandus–a world in which he’s destined to become a fearsome destroyer–He’ll have to embrace the fear, rise up as The Dark One, and shatter everything.

Review:

Paul Tanasin is haunted by visions of a girl who claims to be his sister. He is sent to therapy but he can’t explain what is going on. One day he is captured and brought to a fantasy world, Mirandus, where he is destined to be the Dark One. Meanwhile, his mother is a attorney representing a serial killer. This murderer has an unusual request that she hasn’t seen before, but she must do her best to give him what he wants. Both Paul and his mother must face their demons in the real world and in Mirandus.

I like it when fantasy stories begin in the real world and then transport the characters to a fantasy land. There were some hints that something greater was going on in Paul’s life when he was haunted by a girl claiming to be his sister. He was destined to fulfill his role in the “narrative” that the people of Mirandus had to follow.

This story had the narrative trope of the “chosen one.” When Paul reached Mirandus, he was told that he was meant to play a particular role there. It didn’t take long for Paul to start to fill in that role, even though he didn’t want to at first. If someone is told that they are something enough times, they start to believe it, whether it’s good or bad.

This graphic novel finished on a cliffhanger so I’ll have to read the next one!

Thank you Vault Comics for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Have you read Dark One, Vol. 1? What did you think of it?