A lesser known, yet consistent staple of the industry since 2005, UK publisher Markosia have brought out many interesting titles both in print and digitally. Now, they introduce us to the world of Scavenger, a comic about a poor scavenger taking on the might of an empire. But will this comic be a diamond in the rough or will it end up on the scrapheap?

Publisher: Markosia Comics
Writer: Kim Roberts
Artist: Megan Huang
Price: £1.49 from ComiXology

Our rating: [star rating=”4″]

Scavenger tells the story of Aidan, a poor scavenger who survives with his ‘Aunt Maude’ on a meagre living brought about by scavenging junkyards. However, little does Aidan know that his destiny is much greater as he is not just a scavenger but a prince, one who has also inherited powers of a sorcerer from his mother whom ,upon his birth, swapped young Aidan for another child in order to allow him a better life away from his tyrannical father. Now though, with the discovery of a mystical plant thought extinct, Aidan’s world comes crashing down as Caleb, that other child, leads an army down to Arin in order to destroy this powerful, and possibly dangerous, herb.

With Scavenger, writer Kim Roberts has formed a story which feels not only incredibly fantastical but also truly epic in every sense of the word. With a plot which feels very much like Prince and the Pauper meets Star Wars. With a heavy influence from Saga and Firefly, this first issue is an engrossing read from the start, with Roberts fleshing out this world with an immense amount of backstory which doesn’t feel forced. The characters, while limited in their development due to space, come across as intriguing, particularly the leads of Aidan and Caleb, who feel very much different sides of the same coin. While this issue doesn’t have a great deal of pace to its plot, Roberts leaves enough breadcrumbs to entice readers back.

As for the art, Megan Huang utilises her clean, crisp and bright style perfectly in this issue to ensure that it looks as fantastical and epic as it reads. With a style similar to Sam Webster and a cross between Stephen Byrne and Jonathan Luna, Huang’s colour pallette on Scavenger looks almost Manga inspired, ensuring the book maintains a light-heartedness and never looks too grim, despite some of the more serious content. Meanwhile, her design work is incredible, forming truly unique creations of characters, creatures and worlds such as the floating city, Caleb’s sword and his sidekick creature Gredor. While the only flaw throughout is that some of the character designs are a little rough on occasion, this is a rare occurrence and hardly anything worth spoiling this title’s overall enjoyment.

With Scavenger, Roberts, Huang and the team at Markosia are onto a winner here starting the series strong with a rich story and stunning visuals. This a comic which is well worth the time of not only those who enjoy epics like Saga, but also anyone who wants to take a risk on something different. Trust us, it’s a risk worth taking.