Writer: Claire Gibson and Marian Churchland

Artist: Sloane Leong

From Under Mountains is part of a much larger world from Brandon Graham’s 8house universe and I didn’t know that going in. I’ve read the first issue of 8house: Arclight but haven’t read the last few issues of the title or 8house: Kiem.

After reading From Under Mountains #1, the team of Claire Gibson and Marian Churchland do a nice job of dividing their time between the characters. The issue is sparse on story, but offers a beautiful tale of mysticism, nobility, death, and the lives of the people. Most of the story takes place indoors and the beginning does offer a ritual that summons a shadowy creature that doesn’t look terrifying, but it does serve it purpose later on in the issue. We only stay with the characters for a short amount of time but a few characters are highlighted more than others such as Elena, a noble-born woman, who wants to see the world or Tova, a thief that gets more than she bargained for with her latest mark. The issue isn’t bad but could improve over the course of a few issues to flesh out the story even more.

The art by Sloane Leong compliments the story and shows various elements of western and eastern culture. The design of the clothing looks well done, but we are not shown much of the overall world. The art may turn some people off and the colors may be a little flat but doesn’t detract so much from the tale.

From Under Mountains #1, is a good issue, that gives us a taste of the 8house universe with a simple story and nice artwork that matches the tone of the world. With a few more issues, I’m curious how the story will play out. I’ll definitely try to catch up with the other 8house titles to see how everything moves into place and get a better understanding of everything.

4 Mountains out of 5