RWBY #1 is published by DC Comics but is based off of an anime-style web series and media franchise, which was created by Monty Oum for Rooster Teeth. The comic series is written by Marguerite Bennett with art by Mirka Andolfo and colors by Arif Prianto.
If you haven’t watched the series or read the manga (there are three different series), I highly recommend you do, especially if you enjoy this comic, because while this issue is great, I feel like you should get the full experience by watching the original material and earlier adaptations.
When I love something, I want to consume as much as possible – shows, books, comics, manga, everything that comes out about it, I want to see it. But that’s just me. What’s nice about the comic is you don’t HAVE to have seen or read any of the other content since this debut issue does a great job introducing the characters and setting up the story. It’s just a personal recommendation because the other material is great too.
This first issue is mainly just a recap of things that happened in order to set up the arc. Sure, it’d be nice if we got more detail, but that would be boring and repetitive to familiar readers. I feel like it did just enough with the recap as well as presenting a new story to unfold (which will be a series tie in).
Mirka Andolfo’s art is absolutely perfect for RWBY’s style and Arif Prianto’s colors are simply beautiful. Most manga is in black and white, so it’s basically just a manga but with colors, which makes it all the more gorgeous to look at. This coupled with Marguerite Bennett’s writing makes for not just pretty pictures to look at, but a solid story to dive into, again, even without prior knowledge of the characters. Still, there is a lot more to be explained and explored, however, Bennett’s writing gives me confidence that these matters will be effectively taken care of throughout the course of the 7-issue series.
OVERALL SCORE: 9 / 10
Make sure to pick up RWBY #1 from your local comic shop!
Happy reading!
