Pathfinder: Worldscape #3 - A Review

Kyra is a priestess of Sarenrae - goddess of light and healing. Separated from her companions and trapped in the prison plane known as The Worldscape, she has taken refugee in the city of Shareen - a dark and wicked place in need of Sarenrae's light. Yet when an act of compassion brings Kyra to the attentions of The Tharns - death priests aligned with the evil ruler of Shareen - the priestess will win the aid of another hero - John Carter, Warlord of Mars!


The artwork for this issue suits the grim and gritty setting well. Artist Jonathan Lau does a fantastic job layering each panel, with thin inks barely outlining the characters and thicker inks crafting defining shadows. This enables colorist Omi Remlante to finish the art with similarly varied palettes.
What truly sells this issue, however, is writer Erik Mona's command of the characters and his brilliant ideas for playing the heroes of different settings off of one another. The issue's best sequence sees the inquisitive Kyra asking John Carter about the gods of his world.  It's an interesting point, not often examined in this kind of crossover, that the gods of worlds like Golarion offer continual evidence of their existence compared to the indifferent gods of Hyboria. I also love how this fact is more disturbing to the faithful than the faithless. John Carter doesn't put much store in gods or priests of any kind, but the practical warrior knows good souls and good things when he sees them. It is ironic then that Kyra winds up seeking an affirmation of her faith in the face of True Darkness from the humanist.

Pathfinder: Worldscape #2 - A Review (SPOILER ALERT!)

Separated from her companions, the sorceress Seoni finds herself in a strange rain forest. Thankfully Fantomah - the self-proclaimed goddess of the jungle - sees Seoni's noble heart and leaves her unharmed. Soon Seoni is met by new companions - the former soldier of Earth turned jungle lord known as Thun'da and the Green Martian warlord Tars Tarkas - who tell Seoni of the strange world where they have all been marooned.


Pulp fans and gamers alike are sure to enjoy this series. The rich, vibrant artwork by Jonathan Lau and Omi Remlante proves spell-binding in its beauty and this month's gamer supplement provides Pathfinder statistics for the Green Martian race. What really sells this issue, however, is the story by Erik Mona and the sheer logistics of what he's accomplished.

Much like Gail Simone's Swords of Sorrow, Pathfinder: Worldscape draws upon a variety of classic fantasy and science-fiction in building its world. While advance reviews told us we'd see the likes of Red Sonja, Tarzan and the whole of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom, the inclusion of Fantomah (credited by many as the first superheroine) and Frank Frazetta's jungle hero Thun'da was a pleasant surprise.