By Cat Wyatt

Fence is a new series by Boom! and as the title implies is about a group of Fencers. Nicholas Cox is the main character, he’s new to the local Fencing competitions, but he’s not afraid of that (also, he has amazing hair). In short order, it’s revealed that his first match will be against Seiji Katayama (he’s the guy on the cover, for those that are curious), whom apparently is the best around (so good that people are surprised he’s still around, as opposed to fencing in bigger matches).

This issue proved to be pretty rapidly paced, introducing a third character almost immediately; Kyle Rahul. He seems like the typical jock of the group, and while he seemed to have the least focus on him for the moment, I anticipate that will change.

It should come as no surprise that the match between Nicholas and Seiji is included in this issue and there are some interesting points worth mentioning about it. First, the idea of trying to include a fight that’s typical over in the blink of an eye is pretty interesting – and complicated. The end result is more like a lot of dramatic poses with lines indicating motion, but it works.

The choice of fencing styles is interesting here; Nicholas started his training in Epee, which isn’t standard. Additionally, he’s trained in an Italian Pistol Grip, which is equally uncommon (at least to my knowledge). I found these little details to be really interesting and standout and would love to know the author’s background (as I’m assuming this was their call) in fencing.

Another interesting point – during the fight it’s revealed that Nicholas is what is called a Southpaw (a lefty) while Seiji isn’t. This actually makes the fight a lot more difficult for both fighters, as their chests will be facing the same direction. This may explain some of the difficulties both fighters had (though I suppose less so for Nicholas since he theoretically would have had more exposure fencing righties).

Nicholas appears to be pretty crushed by his defeat (even though he was literally warned that it would happen), and really, who can blame him? He puts on a tough face and all that, swearing that he’ll be the one to beat Seiji (fun fact: almost all the other kids in the audience claim to have sworn that at one point in their life). I’m sure we’re supposed to feel bad for Nicholas here and everything, but honestly, I’m more curious about where everything is leading to. There’s some obvious buildup occurring, I just don’t know why.

The sudden jump forward (six months in fact) somewhat explains what all that tension was about. It also reminded me of a few different animes (two rival boys being forced into ridiculous situations where they bond and/or compete extensively). This setup makes me feel like there could be some humor in future volumes, though I’m not positive about that.

I can’t pretend to be a fencing expert, but I did enjoy all the (accurate) references that I saw in this volume. I think anybody that enjoys fencing may appreciate it as well; though I think the author did a pretty good job making it approachable for everyone (they’d just be less likely to notice some of the more subtle points). More time could be spent on character development (Nicholas has gotten the most so far, and it was mostly through flashbacks), and the series of events did feel somewhat rushed. I liked that it reminded me of anime in a sense, though I’m curious to see what they do to stand out from that trope.

The artwork is exceptionally clean – no spare lines anywhere to be seen and very minimal shading. This does sometimes give the illusion of everything being a bit more on the blocky side, but it is also reminiscent of manga as well. It’s an interesting blend between the two, in a way. I will say that all the characters introduced have amazing hair, especially Nicholas. The artist did a fantastic job making all three of them very distinct (different facial structure, hair style, hair color, etc) yet bold.

Score: 4/5

Fence #1
Publisher: BOOM! Studios