I’m back once again and this week I’ll be continuing my trek into the world of League of Legends comic series published by Marvel Comics. This time we’ll be focusing on the four issue series Ashe: Warmother. Like the Zed series, this story is also penned by Odin Austin Shafer but features the artwork of Nina Vakueva. As the name suggests this story focuses on the champion Ashe.

Native to the icy northern wastes of the region known as the Freljord, Ashe is what is known as an Iceborn, which grants her resistance to the extreme cold of her homeland. Additionally, the Iceborn can also wield weapons crafted from the magical True Ice. As a result of their innate magical abilities the Iceborn make up the ruling class of this tribal, nomadic society. The major conflict here involves Ashe’s relationship with her mother and later her childhood friend Sejuani. Essentially, this series acts as an origin story for the character as we learn how Ashe received her iconic ice bow and came to lead her tribe.

Writing-wise I think this is perfectly serviceable. The story and characters are decently written with a consistent voice and personality. The dialogue is also much better than the Zed story but still leaves a little to be desired. I also enjoy the setting here. The Freljord is easily one of the most interesting regions to me as it feels surprisingly grounded despite being in a fantasy realm. The people constantly struggle for survival against nature and face problems surrounding basic human needs. These are ideas that have always remained timeless and are easily applicable to our own reality.

The biggest weakness of this storyline, however, comes with the pacing. Only four issues makes the series feel really short. This story could have definitely used another two issues like the Zed story. The final issue in particular feels quite rushed. I was caught a little by surprise when the conflict finally erupts between Ashe and Sejuani. Though there are certainly a few elements of foreshadowing beforehand the eventual scenario feels somewhat extreme.

I would have appreciated more time to flesh out the shadow antagonists, the frost priests who utilize their status as religious leaders within the tribes to suit their own agenda. To those unfamiliar with the lore, their motivations given here are still shrouded in secrecy. As a result, I could see many readers becoming slightly detached from the major conflict. Additionally, an essential element of Ashe’s character bio is her eventual role as an almost prophetic religious icon amongst the people.

It would have been nice to see clear evidence of the experiences that lead her to this transformation. Perhaps, by spending more time illustrating the deception of the frost priests it would make for a more believable construction of Ashe’s future ideology. Art-wise this is again quite solid, with more visual clarity amongst action scenes due to the better paneling. Character designs are also very strong amongst the supporting cast, though Ashe herself still looks funny walking around with only a thin cloak and sleeveless tunic in the bitter cold.

Overall, I’d say this is another decent little tale. It’s a nice beginner comic for someone looking to learn more about these characters. For something short, that’s available completely free to read there’s clearly effort being placed towards this. You can easily read this in about half an hour and not feel like your time was completely wasted. You will find a complete story with a detailed setting, characters, and themes.

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Ashe: Warmother

6.5

Score

6.5/10

Pros

• Decent artwork
• Well developed setting
• Clearly defined characters

Cons

• Pacing issues