EYES ON THE TESTAMENT SERIES
In a post-apocalyptic world, an orphaned drifter & swordsman descended from ancient gods, goes on a journey to defeat a chaotic evil in the Testament Series
Karl von Magnusson, a swordsman descended from Ancient Gods, allies himself with a rebel group to prevent total war by the vicious King Albrecht. The group seeks to gain allies from the East. Along the way, Karl discovers new abilities and ancient artifacts to help him defeat the evil king.
The Testament series is inspired by Mad Max and Vampire Hunter D. It takes place in the year 10,081 on the planet Von. Von is a harsh planet composed of five regions, each one ruled by antagonistic warlords.
THE CREATIVE TEAM
Volume 1 creative team consists of Chimera (Writer), Juliano Silva (Line Art), Marcos Martins (Colors), Eric Weathers (Lettering), Prestonn Acevedo (Bonus Story) Donal Delay & Marcos Martins (Cover A), Rob Willis & Adam Brown (Cover B), Steve Dye (Edits and Pre-Press) and Bob Stone (Logo).
Volume 2 is written by Chimera, line art by Juliano Da Silva, colors by Farah Nurmaliza & Marcos Martins, lettering by Ibai Canales, and script/story edits by Aldous. The 12-page black & white bonus story is written by Chimera, art by Jason Crager, and lettering by Ibai Canales.
The lore book titled “The World of Testament” is written by Chimera, with cover art by Jason Crager, Interior art by Jason Creager, Rafael Chrestani, Ibai Canales & Doodle Bags, Colors by Marcos Martins, and Pre-Press & Design by Steve Dye.
THE BOOKS
The story of this science fantasy series is told so far in two volumes. Testament Volume 1 is a full-color sci-fi and sword & sorcery graphic novel. Testament is a 65-page fully colored graphic novel (a 52-page main story, 1 cover art page, an 8-page bonus story, and 4 pages of information including a map of Reinland, a description of the land, the capital Leif Village, the badlands, and character descriptions. Testament Volume 2 is a 67-page graphic novel. A 54-page main story, an 11-page bonus chapter, and a 2-page Testament Vol 3 preview.
The World of Testament is a 16-page illustrated lore book with art by Jason Crager, Doodle Bags, Rafael Chrestani, and Colors by Marcos Martins. Cover by Jason Crager and Marcos Martins. The books are published by Chimera Comics.
THE STORY of THE TESTAMENT
VOLUME 1
The story starts on Planet Von in the Badlands of Reinland. The year is 10,081. Von is compromised of five regions ruled by a warlord. Each one vying for power. The chemicals emitted from blue meteorites known as plasma crystals have given rise to mutated beasts.
The story focuses on Karl, an orphaned drifter, and swordsman, who arrives in the region of Reinland on a quest for revenge with his loyal pet companion Buck. The region of Reinland is controlled by the oppressive King Albrecht. The King has started occupations in the other regions of planet Von in hopes of recovering the technology of his ancient ancestors, the Old Gods.
Karl sets out for revenge after the massacre of the clan of warriors who raised him. Later, Karl joins an underground rebel group made up of runaways, criminals, and ex-soldiers that are going on a mission to take down the King. They soon learn that Karl has an interesting past.
The 8-page bonus story goes into the past of Karl and tells the story of how he became part of his Raiding Clan.
VOLUME 2
The rebel group intends to overthrow the King and establish order to Reinland. In order to do that they will make alliances with very particular characters. Along the way, Karl learns of his bloodline and the powers he possesses. The bonus chapter tells the story of how the King came into power.
THE WORLD OF TESTAMENT
The lore book goes into the history and background of the world detailing the royal family, various wars fought, origins of the Old Gods, character bios, world map, and much more.
THE CROWDFUNDING
When I decided to back the crowdfunding campaign, I chose the tier which included 1 physical copy of Volume 1 with a reprint cover by Donal Delay and Adam Brown and 1 physical copy of Volume 2 the Joe Ball cover with the following add-ons; 1 physical copy of the lore book supplemental, and Testament Crossover print. For some reason, I got 2 copies of Volume 1 with my order along with the stretch goals.
Personally, I think it is more beneficial to go into new Ips when they already are on the second or third part of the story because it’s more immersive. You have more stories to delve into.
The expected waiting time was very short probably because the project had the InDemand status on Indiegogo when I backed it. In most cases, the books are halfway or nearly finished when they have the “InDemand” status on Indiegogo. Some creators even use it as their online shop meaning that the books are done and the waiting time is short.
The updates on the progress of the campaign were timely provided by the project manager. I had no issues receiving the books just a few months after contributing to the campaign, but I have to say that I did not receive the tracking number.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Testament is an entertaining and engaging science fantasy series. The print quality, details of the art, layout, and lettering are good. It is clear to me that this is a structured universe with established characters and rules. From the start, you get the impression that there is an established history that explains why things are the way they are on planet Von. We are at Volume 2, and it seems we are still just at the beginning.
Based on my experience so far with the crowdfunding adventure I prefer projects that have plans for expansion. It’s frustrating to read a first issue that suggests a continuation, but the creator doesn’t deliver one. It’s nice to read a story that has a beginning and know that it will eventually have an ending. There are many ways to make this universe more immersive.
The lore book I think is a very important piece to have if you liked the main story. You know how some people complain that you should begin at the beginning, even with known IPs such as Batman, and others are of the opinion that the origin story is not always important as the starting point, the origins can be unveiled as the story progresses. The latter is the case for Testament. Any additional piece of information is welcome especially when you are so immersed in the story. There is much history to explore. I hope they will make more material about it in the future.
As of date, the Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign is closed, but the books are for sale on the Chimera Comics website. The books are made so there is no reason for you not to receive them soon.
Interested in more titles? Check more GRAPHIC NOVELS from the “EYES ON” series wherein I documented my experience with crowdfunding entertainment and shared my notes on the products I received.
My notes are all set. Let me know what you think.
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