Knights of the Golden Sun Combines Biblical Fantasy with Brutal Violence

I will be honest: I’m not religious. I respect the coexistence of religions and how they each have their own gods and values, but I tend to avoid any media that draws inspiration from religious texts because I feel it wouldn’t be for me. With this background, when I was sent Knights of the Golden Sun from Mad Cave Studios, I was apprehensive. The comic is described as being a biblical epic, with a story taking place, between the Old and New Testaments. But, to my surprise, I truly enjoyed reading this story. While this comic is inspired by themes told in religious texts, it embraces an original story for all to enjoy.

Knights of the Golden Sun begins with describing how Providence has been abandoned by God. Since His absence, humanity has fallen into despair. The archangels originally tasked with keeping humanity safe are being drawn out by the Fallen, a group of angels who were ostracized for ignoring His message. With the sudden change in leadership, the Fallen attempt to violently take control of the throne from the archangels. This causes a power struggle between the light and the dark that will determine who decides the fate of humanity.

One of the strengths within this comic series is how the story is narrated. Each character is given time within the panels to demonstrate their strengths in battle. There’s Michael, a blond Thor-like angel who is forgiving, yet passionate in his quest to protect humanity. His confidante is Gabrielle, an angel who has to rescue Michael from Azrael in a vicious combat sequence. I also liked the way Lucifer’s character was drawn in the comic, dark, bony, and menacing with evil-looking bright red eyes and a symbol carved into his forehead. My favorite character, though, is the angel Uriel because of her fight with the giants and Lucifer that takes place across issues #3 and #4. The artwork is spellbinding as Uriel calls upon the Father and He extends to her an ethereal blue lightning she can use to fight Lucifer. For a comic series that introduces so many characters at once, this comic doesn’t lose its stride in making its characters memorable.

Writer Mark London has partnered with artist Mauricio Villarreal to create Knights of the Golden Sun. Mark London is a writer on almost every comics story at Mad Cave, but the different artists give the comics individuality. Villarreal is a self-taught illustrator, which I have great respect for, and he is inspired by all types of art and music. Looking at his Art Station portfolio, you can see his art is breathtaking in its realism. I recommend pursuing some of his pieces because they are incredibly detailed for someone who has taught himself everything he knows.

The main reason I liked Knights of the Golden Sun is that I didn’t have to be religious to like the story. There are references to the Bible, but the comic itself doesn’t come across as preachy. Another feature I noticed was the diversity among the characters, who include different genders and races.

Knights of the Golden Sun was one of my favorite comics I received from Mad Cave Studios. It is well paced, the artwork is beautiful, and the religious inspiration didn’t overshadow the storytelling. Mad Cave is releasing volume #1 of Knights of the Golden Sun, which collects issues #1 through #7, in July 2019. Since publishing my reviews of Mad Cave Studios’ comics, I have seen single issues at Source Comics and Games. Comics are also available through comiXology or Amazon. You can follow Mad Cave on Facebook , Twitter, and Instagram feeds.