Jirni Vol. 3 Issues 1-2 (Comic Book Review)
By: RogueSymbiote
Allavon is the celestial realm home to the d'jinn. If even the hint of conflict or evil is sensed within one of the d'jinn, they are imprisoned in a vessel and cast down to the human world. As punishment for their wickedness, they must fulfill every order and desire commanded by the possessor of their vessel. A d'jinn can only return to Allavon once their possessor frees them or their vessel is destroyed. Humanity is easily corrupted by power and a d'jinn is power incarnate.
Story Arc
Ara is a half d'jinn who is on a quest to find her mother, Luna, and return to their home. A man named Torinthal has stolen Luna's vessel and seeks to use her and other d'jinn to fulfill his own desires. While traveling, Ara come across a village in desperate need. A band of thieves working for a man named Lazo continue to take supplies from the destitute village. Returning from harvest, Ara confronts the men and swiftly executes them. The village leader is terrified that Ara has doomed them all, but she reassures him that no harm will befall them.Ara drags the soul survivor of the thieves group back to his hideout to confront Lazo. There have been rumors that Lazo possess a powerful creature who can decimate anyone who opposes the thief. Ara believes this creature may be a d'jinn and aims to release it from oppression. After eliminating all but Lazo, the severely injured thief points to a cave where the creature resides. To Ara's surprise, the being is no d'jinn, but a minotaur like behemoth. Raising her sword to the creature, Ara hears a voice that suggests she avoid confrontation with this beast. The voice comes from a d'jinn sitting on a pile of treasure.The d'jinn introduces himself as Kaspar and that his overgrown friend is Tongo. Kaspar explains that he has lost his vessel and therefore has no master. He is desperate to find his vessel so that it can be destroyed and allow him to return home. Kaspar and Tongo accompany Ara on her journey in hopes of locating the lost vessel. Tongo makes quick work of an injured Lazo for imprisoning him. Ara returns to the village with abundance and tells them she must be on her way.
Torinthal continues to collect more vessels. He uses the d'jinn Mitra to kill a man in cold blood. After returning home, he thanks Mitra for her assistance and we meet 3 more d'jinn in his possession, including Luna. She voices her distain for Torinthal, but he merely mocks her. Luna and the other d'jinn then plead with Mitra to see Torinthal for the monster he truly is and try to fight against his wishes. A few of the d'jinn share their backstories and how men continue to falter. Luna is set on returning to her family. The issue ends with Ara, Kaspar and Tongo riding on an airship in search of redemption and revenge.
Comic Review
I absolutely loved Jirni! There are so many good aspects to it that it's hard to pick where to even begin. The art is stunning. It allows you to immerse into this mystical/mythological world seamlessly. This was my first time reading Jirni, but I never felt lost for one second. I know this is Jirni's third volume, but it is written so well that you can pick up right from here and be just fine. These two issues alone make me want to read the first two volumes... immediately! The writing is so smart and well rounded. There is wit and nuance which is severely lacking in most comics these days. While I love the action in this series, it is the storytelling that gets me excited to read more. There are so many hints to futures story arcs already and I can not wait to see how it all plays out. I'll keep the potential spoilers to myself, but let's just say somebody is lying!There seems to be so much going on with this story while remaining collected and coherent. I already feel connected to multiple characters and that's hard to do in just a couple issues. I am a big fan of mythical creatures and I do not think this series will disappoint in providing more. This is normally where I point out what I didn't care for... I got nothing. I loved everything about this book. It read like a movie was playing in my head. It is so smooth and well thought out. I think Torinthal will be a solid villain and I'm interested to see his character arc. I want to know so much more about this world. If you would like to read Jirni, which I strongly suggest you do, click right here to see the Aspen Comics online shop.Note: Aspen Comics provided us with a digital review copy in exchange for our honest review.
