Review by Ian Keogh
In the 21st century unlikely and unfortunate circumstances beset a marine exploratory expedition. These are contrasted by a woman in the late 12th century ingratiating herself with Genghis Khan by presenting him with water in the desert. Called Vexana, she’s referred to as a witch by his troops, and from her offhand comments it’s obvious to readers, if not to Genghis, that her life has spanned centuries.
The Forgotten Queen is Tini Howard’s twist on Wonder Woman. Vexana is powerful and confident, almost embodying the Amazonian myth, yet manipulative and unscrupulous rather than a protector of the weak. She relishes an ability to have soldiers slaughter each other in her presence, yet despite her long life she doesn’t quite understand what she is.
Amilcar Pinna brings an illustrative grandeur to both the aggression and the brief pauses between, although as he draws everyone as an idealised human (male and female) there’s an element of voyeurism about the same sex attraction. When it comes to background detail, Pinna puts in the overtime, creating sumptuous environments in both past and present day, and the way he shifts the viewpoints about maximises the dynamic potential. Design sketches and character profiles in the back of the book just inflate what a talent Pinna is.
This is the introduction of a new character to Valiant’s continuity, which is why in passing other Valiant characters are featured, most prominently Eternal Warrior and his allies, but this is Vexana’s story. Howard conveys rather well that for all her power, Vexana has a gaping hole at her heart, and the period flashbacks display that along with the horror she’s responsible for. That accelerates when she meets Vlad Tepes in Romania.
A final chapter filling in the background isn’t as interesting as the remainder, but necessary to set Vexana up in Valiant’s present. Otherwise it’s been a bloody ride with some glorious art.
