I first met Nathan Donnell of Revolve Comics in 2015, at a cosplay convention in Dublin, back when he was working with another company. With Revolve, he’s produced Solstice, a fantasy comic that I picked up from him at Q-Con expecting, at the very least, some beautiful art.
Winter is Coming, and It’s Here to Stay
Solstice Chapter 1: Winter was my first time encountering the writing of Danny McLaughlin, the Derry-based publisher of Revolve Comics. I didn’t buy the comic with any expectations; after all, my purchase was to support an artist I knew. I was pleasantly surprised when, following a busy day at Q-Con in June, I found myself sucked into the incredible world McLaughlin had built within the pages of this first issue.
The world is stuck in an eternal winter. The comic’s hero, Finn, has the task ahead of her to become the new Herald. As the story unfolds, she must track down and kill the Winter God’s wolf totem. Until she can do that, winter will never end.
It was an interesting premise, one that kept me gripped the entire time, post-con exhaustion be damned.
Combined with the stunning art of Nathan Donnell, this is a story worth diving into. Coloured in a cold blue, Solstice is the epitome of winter, with dashes of other colours through the book used sparingly and for maximum impact. And it’s colour, used in this way, that really brings Donnell’s artwork to life. With a very green second issue on its way, it’ll be interesting to see how effective it’ll be as the series continues.
In the meantime, Revolve Comics have put out a free comic about type 1 diabetes. You can check it out on their website while we wait for Spring.
Comix Ireland 