The Forgotten Queen is about a Valiant character that I knew nothing about going in. I like what was done to show her power and, at least somewhat, where it came from. It did a nice job of mixing the present with her past, which goes through a few different eras. This story serves as a primer for the character and seems to lay the groundwork for future stories.

'The Forgotten Queen' by Tini Howard with art by Amilcar Pinna is about an oceanography expedition that finds something really unusual.

A group of divers uncovers something in the ocean and unleashes an immortal being named Vexana on the world. Vexana has a history of showing up and creating chaos and bloodshed. She seems to crave the bloodshed. She has other appetites as well. It also turns out that releasing her was no accident, but was planned.

I'm not sure what the plan was here, but it was pretty mediocre. There is a big reveal at the end that I saw coming a mile away. I thought the art was better than some of the other reviewers of the title, but overall, I found this story to be lurid and tepid at the same time.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Valiant Entertainment, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

Promising work, with something that look dark and when you started to read it, it was all colorful and bright... the illustrations didn't reflect the story at all and that was a big failed. The story itself isn't bad but nothing original to make it worth the time. Nope!

I wasn’t a fan of this one. It wasn’t a bad graphic novel or anything it just didn’t catch my attention. I gave it 2/5 stars.

This is the rare Valiant book that I've felt let down by. It was ultimately kind of boring. This is basically a primer for a new character in the Valiant universe. She is an immortal who can inspire bloodlust in others. The big "revelation" was not in the least bit shocking given that she's an immortal. The Eternal Warrior makes a quick couple of appearances during flashbacks but they were nothing of note.

The art in this was definitely not up to par with other Valiant books. Amilcar Pinna's art is terrible. He's been around too long to still have the issues he has with facial features. Eyes don't match up. Side profiles are awful. This looked like tryout art to be honest.

Vexana is the heroine of this graphic novel. The art is AMAZEBALLS and will have you wanting more. It is a page turner for those history buffs out there. It combines both historical figures and present day interactions so don't be confused. The writer sets the story up for a part two, we can only wish. Vex is Queen of Kick Ass.

There were a few slower parts here but overall I really enjoyed this! I honestly could have done without a lot of the present day stuff, but I guess they wanted to set up a possible sequel and I would definitely be interested if they wrote more. I really liked the flashback scenes and the historical characters that they chose to use. Though the reveal at the end was a bit weird but I guess it all works out and the art was absolutely gorgeous throughout. Also I liked the variety of awesome female characters throughout!

Well-drawn and enjoyable graphic novel, with a great sense of history, though not so far a series that I'd be recommending to anyone above any others. I'd be intrigued to read more though.

The Forgotten Queen is about a Valiant character that I knew nothing about going in. I like what was done to show her power and, at least somewhat, where it came from. It did a nice job of mixing the present with her past, which goes through a few different eras. This story serves as a primer for the character and seems to lay the groundwork for future stories.

I received a copy of The Forgotten Queen through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Forgotten Queen is a series that traverses across time itself, telling the tale of one woman and all of the damage she’s caused during her time on earth. She goes by many names, but one of the best known is probably War-Monger.
This graphic novel is a little bit of a blend. It has elements of the four horsemen of the apocalypse (war). It also is a tale told through time, and references several different historical figures, events, and myths.

The Forgotten Queen is a graphic novel with an enormous amount of potential. That’s why I wanted to read and review it, truth be told. I was immediately captivated by both the concept and the artwork.
I honestly think that the reception to The Forgotten Queen is going to depend entirely on one’s preference for a few things. For example, I don’t typically love it when real historical figures are pulled into fantasy stories. But others might like that.
Personally, I enjoyed the decision to have the story told through two perspectives. One covered past events, while the other focused on the present. As mentioned above though, this may be something that other people enjoy a bit less.
War’s tale was an interesting one, on the whole. It was a little heavy handed at times, but interesting nonetheless. I would have liked it if they had explained how the two timelines (past and present) ended up together. But perhaps the next volume will handle that.
The present timeline was a bit more confusing. Mainly because it was lacking an explanation for how War came to be where she was. It felt like they were leading up to explain that, but then just never got around to it?
As for the artwork, that absolutely held up to my expectations. It handled the more graphic scenes in a way I appreciated – they weren’t overly graphic, but they also didn’t shy away from what needed to be shown. It’s a tough balance to find and maintain.
I’ll be curious to see if another volume of this story comes out. And if so, what it’ll focus on. Will it tell us more about War, or will it focus on one of her brothers?

The Forgotten Queen is perhaps the first comic I have reviewed.

The main character of this story is certainly the Mistress of War. Over time, I felt her character learning and trying to consult this newfound gift of war.

However, I didn't think we got enough time to spend with world leaders. I think the comic's strength would have been focused much better on her origins through the Ancient World.

I would have liked to have seen her meet Gods and see how they handled her.

The expedition's ship crew was not used that often, and in the end, I wasn't sure what exactly was their fate.

The love story between the Witch and the Queen felt a bit underwhelming, as I think the Witch as she is called could have found an infinite number of lovers and perhaps she could have found someone that really loved her.

I would have liked to see how her accent changed from Bronze Age Mesopotamia thousands of years ago, to the American accent she seems to possess right now.

I enjoyed it. There is RARELY any HISTORICAL comics that deal with these subjects, and to see history come alive in this comic was a joy!

A seemingly mundane research dive goes all kinds of wrong in the present day and unleashes destructive power from the past. Flashbacks to the times of Chinggis (aka Genghis) Khan and of Marco Polo and other actual figures provide historical context for the martial rampage of a lovely immortal called Vexana and by other labels. Family drama, shocking revelations, and an alternate variation on the origin story for Vlad the Impaler as Dracula are just a few of the provocative story elements that offer social commentary about millennia of constant human strife. The body count is high and bloody.

Captivating illustrated story panels leap from the page with nearly the depth of 3-D images. Color saturation and nuanced specificity in the drawn details of the distinctive individual faces, bodies, and backgrounds offer a cinematic quality to the visual narrative flow. The dialogue is often morbidly amusing and sarcastic.

In these first four volumes of The Forgotten Queen, unapologetically smart, strong, powerful women rule in this clever fable about living life as a team effort, and other core lessons.

The Warmonger is an interesting character when looking at things from a trade. It annoys me a little to see how moods change in a few pages. At the same time, in that same chapter you realize how Vexana's powers are sometimes beyond her control. She's anachronistic, does things her way, but ultimately she's lonely. She wants to share her ruthlessness with someone, hence her preference for powerful warlords like Genghis Khan. Unfortunately, their desire for unity is what drives wedges between them and Vexana. Even Vexana has enough of people who want her to sow chaos for them.

The Valiant universe has plenty of immortals and its only natural Vexana clashes with the Eternal Warrior. It also shows a deeper understanding on how the actions of the Anni-Prada brothers affect the people around them. Gilad doesn't even try to open up to her, seeing her as just some savage. <spoiler>It's no wonder she goes to Armstrong at the end.</spoiler>

It ends up being a little short but it also opens up more possibilities to come.

O.K., At Least Now I Get It

So, our heroine, Vexana, is an immortal who can incite blood lust in any person she encounters. She's pissed off in a general way, careless, and just sort of randomly psychotic. As I followed her through the four issues collected in this Volume I wondered why I should care. We start with her adventures with Genghis Khan, and time skip along with a few other violence prone figures from the past. Here in the present some shadowy group is trying to find her so they can, like, convince her to do violent stuff for them.

MAJOR, MAJOR SPOILER and BIG REVEAL. In the final few pages we finally get the real backstory. It's done in an odd, flat, monologuing fashion in which a member of the shadowy group tells Vexana what her history is. Turns out that Vexana is the little sister of the three Anni-Padda brothers - Aram, Gilad, and Ivar. These three brothers are central to the Valiant Universe, and are known as Armstrong, (half of the adventure team of Archer & Armstrong), the Eternal Warrior, and the Timewalker. They were transformed into immortals by "The Boon", ( creepy otherworldly artifact), and it turns out that so was Vexana.

So I'm torn. I like these three guys, and I think Archer & Armstrong are a complete hoot. It would be great to give the boys a little sister to round out the family. But. After four issues Vexana is still just a two-dimensional psycho, (an unrequited insta-love episode in her backstory didn't add the depth the writer was probably aiming for), and it isn't clear where the story will go from here. That said, in the final panel Vexana drops in on Armstrong. How she and Armstrong, a drunken immortal hedonist with a taste for writing poetry and cracking skulls, will get along is a question I'd like to see answered. So I guess this goes into the time-will-tell category.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

The Forgotten Queen provides loads of everything I could want in a great comic. A badass, immortal female protagonist who kicks ass and takes names every step of the way. An action-packed narrative that never quits flying toward a surprising conclusion. A fascinating combination of historical fact and fiction, coalescing in a brilliant alternate history. A past and present narrative that provides a far-reaching story. All of it works together to create this incredibly entertaining look at a figure whose very presence alters the minds of humanity. 

To be published on 8/29: http://reviewsandrobots.com/2019/08/29/quick-review-the-forgotten-queen

I really enjoyed this comic, especially the blending of different historical figures from the past to show the backstory of the protagonist/antagonist.
I also liked the strong female characters, and the switching of the story setting, from the present to the past.
The air of mystery surrounding the titular character is intriguing, making one want to know more about where she came from, and how she acquired her mystical powers and immortality. These questions are answered towards the end of the story. However, even more questions remain.
Looking forward to reading the next installment.

While the artwork in this is stunning, the story is basically a butt-load of gratuitous violence trying to pass itself off as some kind of non-specific mythology.
The titular Forgotten Queen is Vexana, an ancient immortal with the power to incite violence in any living thing. The timeline jumps around in history, showing us Genghis Khan and Vlad the Impaler as well as more modern and far more ancient times.
The story gets confusing though when it tries to explain how Vexana got her powers... she had some brothers and they opened... a thing... that killed everyone except them but maybe it did and maybe it gave them their powers but maybe it only awakened dormant powers? Not super clear here.
Also, it's kind of distracting that Vexana's clothes seems to magically appear or change from one panel to the next with no explanation whatsoever (at one point she goes from wearing a sort of bikini to full-on leather biker chaps and vest in literally one panel for some reason?).
It ends up being an unsatisfying and muddled bit of a mess.

"The Forgotten Queen" is an interesting graphic novel. It tries to cover a lot of ground in a few pages but misses the mark for me.

Hard-hitting images and fun storyline make for an enjoyable graphic novel in The Forgotten Queen. A visual treat. This is a book that is sure to please readers who enjoy fantasty, adventure, and graphic novels. An entertaining and energetic reading experience, and a fine example of what this publisher produces.

3.5 stars.

The artstyle was amazing especially the cover art for each chapter though there are some facial expressions that looked a bit off.

The concept of the story was interesting but I felt like the execution wasn't the best. It wasn't bad but it jumped around a lot and I found it silly that Vexana and Sarnai just trades off stories about Vexana herself. I found it a bit awkward to be the one telling your story to someone who knows a lot already.

For Vexana's character, it felt flat and two dimensional. She felt superficial and her character is cliche . Her so called "love" happened so quickly with barely any emotions and she expects her love interest to love her wholly over one night. She's supposed to be someone strong but there are times where she's thrown around so easily.

Overall, the story seems interesting enough for me to continue. I read from another review that this is connected to another comic series so I'll go read that one before continuing whenever the next installment comes.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the digital copy for an honest review.