Portal Bound #0 Review

Portal Bound #0
Writers: Mark Roslan & Gabe Carrasco
Pencils & Inks: Alex Arizmendi
Colors: Wes Hartman
Lettering: Zen
Publisher: Aspen Comics

A Review by Greg Brothers

I always find it interesting when a comic starts with a number zero. Most of the time those books are used to introduce the ideas and some of the characters that will be introduced later. Sometimes they work and other times they feel like a cash grab to try and sell another comic. So where does Portal Bound #0 fall in the spectrum?

Portal Bound #0 introduces us to Sybil who is the daughter of the Royal family of Havos. Her father who is the King seems to have been corrupted by some of those around him. Sybil leaves with her uncle to find help before it is to late. Meanwhile on Earth we meet Elias Rivera who is the typical high school student. He is just trying to get by and work up the nerve to ask out a girl he thinks is cute.

Let’s get something out of the way first. Portal Bound #0 does its job. By the end of the issue you have a good basic grasp of who Sybil, Elias, and all the supporting characters are and what they generally stand for. The initial story arc is put into place and what the goal of Sybil and her uncle is.

Thankfully who do not just get to know the characters and get a feel for the story arc. Both are done in an entertaining way that kept me invested in the story so far. I am not sure what age group Portal Bound is intended for bust if the rest of the series is like Portal Bound #0 then it seems the book should be okay for most ages. Sybil comes of as a spunky teenage girl who is not going to let the traditional gender roles stop her from trying to save the day. A couple times in this issue alone she makes sure that her uncle knows that she will not be taking a back seat to anyone. Elias on the other hand is presented as a typical nervous high school kid just coming into his own. The personality of the characters should draw in readers as you can relate to both characters equally.

The transitions between the two worlds is flawless. The worlds are parallel to each other and the writers take advantage of that a couple of times. As Sybil in one world starts a sentence, Elias in the other world finishes it. It is a way to establish the connection between the two of them without having them meet in the introductory issue. It also helps to establish them as two individuals rather than one getting m ore attention that the other.

The art throughout Portal Bound #0 sets the mood perfectly while also establishing the difference worlds. The colors in Halos are bright and unique awhile the colors and designs on earth are more rooted in reality. On several occasions the art teams use the same idea as the speech transitions such as bikes versus riding strange four-legged animals. The panel designs also help to bring the world together as the two worlds either run next to each other or switch back and forth in the stacked panels.

Verdict:
Buy! Portal Bound #0 does an excellent job in establishing both worlds and the characters. Some of the plot is a little predictable, but that can be excused for now since they are just building the foundation. BY the end of the issue all that is left is for our two heroes to meet and for the adventures to start. Grab this issue and get ready for Issue 1 coming in April.