Forge

Based on the recommendation of a friend, I had decided to check out CrossGen's Ruse series (by Mark Waid and Butch Guice), seeing as how its storyline about a Sherlock Holmes-type character with a (secretly) magic-wielding woman sidekick was right up my alley. He also recommended that I take a look at CrossGen's other stuff, which I wanted to, however I didn't like the idea of jumping on-board for series that had already started. And then along come Forge and Edge. While some series still start partway through, there are nice synopses included to bring the reader up to speed. Here is a review of each comic included in the compendia:Sojourn prequel and #1 (5 out of 5)If you've wanted to see a Tolkien comic, here's your chance. It begins with a preview issue that sets up the world. The evil Mordath has the world of Quin in the grip of terror, but the Five Lands have united under the brave Ayden to end his reign. After Mordath's defeat, Ayden declines leadership but promises to return some day when he is most needed. In issue #1, Mordath has been resurrected and begins his conquest anew. During a raid by Mordath's troll army on the city of Gerrindor, the family of a young warrior woman named Arwyn is brutally murdered. She vows to avenge their deaths by destroying Mordath once and for all.Negation prequel (4 out of 5)A disparate group of beings are placed together on an alien world, and each person has been given strange powers. A man known as Kaine wishes to get to the bottom of the mystery and seeks to find the Negation, the mysterious overlords responsible for it all.Meridian #15 (5 out of 5)This is one of the best comics on the market right now. This continues the adventures of Sephie, a young girl who is the rightful ruler of Meridian after the death of her father, displaced by her evil uncle Ilahn. Like Ilahn, she has been gifted with a strange sigil that gives her extroardinary powers. After reading this, I immediate bought the two Meridian trades (ISBN: 1931484031 and 1931484090).Crux #1-3 (3 out of 5)This details the story of a group of super-powered Atlanteans who undergo a long period of sleep and wake up after the disappearance of humans from the Earth.The Path preview (3 out of 5)A collection of promotional and conceptual art for the upcoming Kurosawa-esque series.Forge (along with Edge) makes the perfect sampler for the world of CrossGen. You can collect all of their series at a low price (with no compromise in quality). I am continually impressed at how they have been able to release comics that easily rival those put out by the big two. If you're a fan of genre fiction, don't pass these compendia up!