Written by Daniel Kraus
Art by Laci
Colors by Marco Lesko
Letters by Sal Cipriano
Published by AWA

“Once upon a time, we lived alongside Legends. Creatures of myth. Centaurs, fauns, gorgons, kelpies, gnomes, and more. They were spectacular. Majestic. Powerful. Peaceful. Pure. In comparison, we were ugly. Weak. Warmongering. Rotten. Is it any wonder we could not live alongside them any longer? After driving these Legends to the fringes of society, an uglier form of mythos takes shape in the form of rumors of live snuff shows for dark web high rollers. When a mysterious young woman, Nessa, enlists the help of a hacker to take a tour of the grisliest corners of the Dark Web, she sets in motion a war between those who peddle to mankind’s darkest fantasies and a world that transcends imagination. Trojan is fantasy thriller full of wonder and horror in equal measure.”

Trojan takes you to a dark fantasy world where hopes and dreams go to die. Daniel Kraus and Laci do not hold back as they take us to the dark web and we are shown violence, depravity, and a world full of awful things. All it took was one issue and I feel connected to both of our main characters, Nessa and Dirk. Kraus is weaving a tale of magic, mystery, and horror that I cannot wait to continue exploring. This book brings the shock and awe factor, while weaving a tale of myth like no other.

This is the first time I believe I’ve seen Laci’s artwork and I’m hooked from page one. The versatile depictions of gore, gritty life on the streets, and the fantastical nature of the mythical creatures living in this world shows off his range of art skills. Laci also utilizes tons of non-standard panel layouts that really showcase the artwork and the uniqueness of the story. There is a page that shows 4 panels of just Nessa’s eyes that shows the emotion in her eyes while showcasing exactly at what she is looking. It would be a spoiler to include that here, but keep your eye out for it when reading. (Pun entirely intended).

When you talk about hitting the beats in a comic, Trojan is like a song that’s all about that bass because these beats are bopping and the confirmed viewer count up keeps building up the stakes that appear to be at hand as we learn more about who Nessa is and what she is after. For a first issue of a brand new world, Kraus spends a good balance on building the world, getting us closer to our characters, and developing the plot well.

I am now well invested in these characters and where this story goes. For a four issues series I think having that crucial basis set up in the first issue is key to keeping proper pacing going forward. So far things don’t feel rush and I enjoyed the last page “reveal” of sorts of which we as readers were very likely already aware. However, using that as a plot device here to establish tension between Nessa and Dirk does serve as a great cliffhanger.

If you want an urban fantasy story that gets has you appalled at the seedy underbelly of the dark web in this world, then you need to grab Trojan!

This story is NOT for younger readers and is only for mature audiences due to the graphic nature of the depictions of torture, violence, and death.

Rating 9/10

Trojan #1 is out 1/4/2023!