REVIEW: Codex Black; a fire among the clouds

3.53/5.0 Stars
Rating if the Book Were a Movie: PG

Creative Team 

Writer: Camilo Moncada Lozano
Illustrated: Camilo Moncada Lozano 
Colors: Angel De Santiago
Cover: Camilo Moncada Lozano
Editor: Megan Brown
Publisher: IDW Publishing

Ratings 

Story: 3.8
Interior Artwork: 3.7
Cover Artwork: 3.7
Dialogue: 3.6
Mechanics: 3.2
Editing: 3.2

About the Book:

Codex Black is set in 15th Century mexico.  When a teenage girl named Donji sets off to find her long lost father wearing the last thing he left her, a poncho with a God embedded in it, she finds Itzcacalotl who has set out on his own adventure to find himself.  As they travel, their friendship develops and they learn to trust and rely on each other finding themselves in the process.

Reviewer’s Notes:

I enjoy learning things about history, in school most people dread history class, and I was no different.  But as I have gotten older, things of the past have become a fascination depending on the subject matter.  This book may be fictional,  but some of the places, names and cultures are not.

As we grow up in our respective places in the world, we learn about our country of origin, but rarely does anyone ever learn about other countries unless something big happens, like a world war….  This book, while fictional, shows what Mexican culture could have been, and may have been like during the time frame of the story.

As I read this story one thing that I noticed is while the names are different the story and culture is not unlike the Native Americans in the United States… which is where I write this review from.  That said it was a pleasure to read, I was fully invested in these characters and wish that the book series would continue.

However, since this started out essentially a reddit posting series and developed into a full blown comic from there, I do not think there are anymore new issues on the way anytime soon.  But I certainly hope they are at least in the early planning stages.  As it’s one of the best stories set in a culture not based in the United States I have read in awhile.

The cover art is remarkable, it does remind me a little bit of something you would see on a saturday morning cartoon, but it adds to the wonderful charm of the book and the story!

The interior artwork is just as well done as the cover, being consistent throughout.  With the same style of the cover I found myself lost in time as I read the story enjoying every aspect the book offered, as the artwork told the story visually with just as much talent as the words that were presented.

It is rare to find a comic that provides a unique tale, remains entertaining and still provides a bit of history in the process.  This book did all of those at once, and I find myself wanting more of the story.  Definitely something to watch for if you want something out of the norm!

As your curator of the Historical Documents of the Imagination I hope you enjoyed your visit! If you enjoyed my review of this story please support the creators of this story!

May the historical documents of the imagination always inspire! Thanks for reading!