Review - No One Left to Fight #1 (@DarkHorseComics)


"...you're as brave--and as stupid--as ever."

The life of a fighter is one full of friendships and fraught with conflict. When it's all said and done though, fighters want a little peace and quiet. In No One Left to Fight #1 Dark Horse Comics, that might not be a possibility. The issue is written by Aubrey Sitterson, illustrated by Fico Ossio and lettered by Taylor Esposito.

They've saved the planet countless times, but what happens after the final battle has been won? Taking inspiration from the legendary Dragon Ball to tell a story of regret, resentment, and growing older, the story asks, "What does a fighter do when there's no one left to fight?"

Much of the story centers around the rivalry between Vale and Timor which Sitterson uses effectively to establish the characters. The two have something of a backstory and while the reader finds the current events focused on Vale returning to a sight of former glory, Sitterson leverages it into presenting a rivalry between the two aforementioned characters. Sitterson's dialogue feels very natural and well-thought out, offering up a group of individuals who are a family because of things they've gone through together. And while Sitterson spends most of the issue on the introductions, the ending of the issue offers a very interesting twist in the aftermath of a sparring match. Sitterson has some things in store for the characters that aren't quite ready to be revealed, but there's plenty of intrigue as to where things go from here.

Ossio's artwork is tremendously gorgeous and emphatic. Each of the characters have their own style and there's not going to be any readers who assumes that the story is taking place in a real-world setting. Ossio infuses the art with great creativity and flair, yet at the same time grounding it somewhat in rendering a fairly simplistic home setting that Vale is visiting. There are some panels where the perspectives are a little tight and may require a second glance to fully understand what's happening. And the colors used by Ossio are loud and vivid, providing the reader with something bordering on sensory overload.

No One Left to Fight #1 is a really solid introductory issue that has fun characters and some mystery. Vale is clearly hiding something from his closest friends and--on the eve of his celebration--that secret may be revealed. Sitterson's script is meticulous in its approach, bolstered by its interesting characters. Ossio's artwork is a treat and embraces the outsized approach to make the book feel like an homage to any of Akira Toriyama's works. No One Left to Fight #1 may be about fighting, but there's plenty in it that will broaden its appeal to a much larger audience.

No One Left to Fight #1 is available July 3.

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