Finnian and the Seven Mountains is an exciting new comic book series from Phil Kosloski and Michael LaVoy at Voyage Comics. Voyage Comics is dedicated to providing high-quality, engaging comic books with Christian and Catholic themes. Finnian and the Seven Mountains weaves together legend, myth, and real history into one Irish lad’s personal quest for a sword and wisdom.
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History and Legend
On the eerily beautiful island of Skellig Michael, Irish monks lived, worked, and prayed for over 600 years. This ethereal landscape and ancient history inspired Finnian and the Seven Mountains. The beautiful Celtic island and mountain pictures in this are a refreshing change from the urban setting of many comics.
Kosloski was also influenced by mythology, Viking history, and Catholic faith and legends. Finnian encounters a mysterious broken sword, a Viking warlord, demons, and a monk as Brendan the Nagivator. Kosloski brings these disparate influences together in a surprisingly cohesive story of character growth and the conflict between good versus evil.
Good versus Evil
I appreciated the clear cut battle lines between the good and evil characters in Finnian and the Seven Mountains. The anti-hero protagonist motif, fairly common in comic books, is absent in these books. Yes, Finnian makes mistakes, such as seeking revenge, but there is a clear pattern of character growth. The evil Vikings are portrayed as truly wicked, and the monks are holy men striving to live out their vocation in peace.
The series is far from complete, so I’m excited to see how Kosloski spins out the plot of Finnian seeking revenge for the wrongs done his family. There is a lot of potential for exploring forgiveness and finding meaning in suffering in later books!
Who will enjoy this series?
I think children 7 through early teens will enjoy these professional quality comic books. Boys will especially delight in the adventure and battle scenes, but girls will appreciate the addition of a female character in Issue #2. Any content to be concerned about? Parents of more sensitive children should be aware that there are several scenes of the Vikings striking people down and a rather disturbing looking demonic animal that attacks Finnian. Overall these are enjoyable comic books with a Catholic flavor!
I recieved a copy of Finnian and the Seven Mountains from Voyage Comics and Publishing in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
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