OneMetal.com book REVIEW:
Berona’s War Vol. 1: Field Guide

The first volume of Berona’s War does exactly what it advertises: gives readers a field guide … on a war between two furry critter races, the Ele-Alta and Cropones, and the smaller factions that lend a paw in the decimation over the enriched Amity territory. While readers might half-expect dried leaves and bugs to wind up pinned to the yellow-paged interior, creators Jesse Labbé and Anthony Coffey manage to assemble a scrapbook into a story.

Granted, their story won’t be blowing people away with its grandeur, and even though the destructive consequences of war litter almost every other page, Labbé and Coffey claim they’re writing and illustrating (each playing both sides) for entertainment purposes only. The comic feels disconnected, as though the various descriptions of weapons, soldiers, politics, creatures, propaganda, maps, and technology were pieced together haphazardly. Indeed, Labbé and Coffey spend a page or two outlining a certain subject, only to return twenty pages later. The approach at least maintains interest, never crafting the guide in a way that overburdens a reader’s attention span, but at the same time, making sense of events involves spinning a mental web.

In truth, readers will spend more time simply enjoying what Berona’s War has to offer rather than concerning themselves with trivial details. Vivid and catchy, the illustrations make the book a charming read, albeit a strange one. Labbé and Coffey obviously decided on an unconventional route for sharing their comic with audiences, and there’s a good chance that readers will finish the book wanting a clearer, more personable picture of the war and those involved. The creators do end with a sentimental touch that serves the comic quite well, but Berona’s War, however interesting from a faux-historical angle, lacks significance and could benefit from an inside view.

Bottom Line

Berona's War marks an interesting diversion from the usual beaten comics path, but not one that will satisfy most readers for long.