Image Comics reviews 3-15-23 Nemesis Reloaded #3, Nocterra #12

The Forged #1

Writers Greg Rucka and Eric Trautmann kick off The Forged win an eventful manner. Not all of it is particularly cohesive, but it’s definitely not a boring read.

A squad of elite mech-piloting fighters is impatiently awaiting their next mission aboard Her Majesty’s Royal Starfortress Her Endless Radiant Triumph.

Rucka and Trautmann write the all-woman team like a group of trash talking frat boys who constantly get on each other. Their exchanges are immediately fun and a key selling point of the title.

Meanwhile, the by the books Captain is struggling to retain authority while being manipulated by the Empress’ envoy Cassandra. Just as Jo and her crew gets dispatched for their mission things get haywire.

Mike Henderson’s gorgeous art is enthralling from the characters to the mechs and space backdrops. It’s quite the visual playground further enhanced by Nolan Woodward’s captivating colors.

The Forged is a title where it could go either way — from a wild sci-if action romp with some risqué material thrown in for fun or a series that can’t quite reach its lofty potential. The first issue suggests it’s going to be more of the former making The Forged a final frontier worth exploring.

Rating: 8 out of 10