Image Comics has a long tradition of launching young heroes granted with extraordinary powers and then having to deal with the great responsibility. You know, the Spider-Man model. From Invincible to Radiant Black, those characters have spun out massive universes of their own, solely based on the back of this rock solid concept.
Well, Curt Pires’s Lost Fantasy is going the other direction, spinning off Fireborn #1 from the main series into a new title co-written by Franklin Jonas that just might be more accessible and even more fun than the mothership title.
Focusing on a rich, aimless kid named Aaron who discovers a dragon egg that gives him rad armor and powers, Fireborn #1 makes the smart decision to start in the middle of the action, then flashes back to show us how we got there. We already know from the cover he’ll get flame powers, and some cool dragon armor. Why waste time beating around the bush?
The storytelling in the issue is pretty much over-the-plate what you’d expect from a book like this, and that’s not meant to be dismissive. This formula works for a reason. Aaron is sarcastic, a little rude, and reminiscent of Peter Parker before the death of Uncle Ben. Or more on target, the stars of Radiant Black and/or Rogue Sun (which this is extremely similar to) over in the Massive-verse. The book manages to differentiate itself, though, by mixing in a far amount of Top Cow-style storytelling and a dash of Todd McFarlane’s Spawn universe.
Again, there’s nothing wrong with this… Lost Fantasy also wears its influences on its sleeves, pulling liberally from video games and anime/manga tropes while forging its own weird story. The building blocks are here, and it’s clear from the first issue that Fireborn won’t be a toss-off story; it’ll tie into the main story in big ways.
But the real hero here is Patrick Mullholland’s art and layouts… The action is kinetic, propulsive, whatever buzzwords you’d want to use: the issue moves, while never sacrificing action for clarity. And the layouts, to channel the great sage Marge Simpson? I just think they’re neat. There’s a double page spread where two characters run into each other that’s delightfully pleasing and delivers a smooth flow to the action that reminds me of the work Eric Zawadzki is doing on Assorted Crisis Events. There’s also a smidge of Tradd Moore in there, while leaning more on the side of traditional superhero work.
It’s a dumb thing to say, but Fireborn #1 is the best of comics: a perfect synthesis of classic superhero storytelling with envelope pushing art that should appeal to the tights and fights crowd while feeling a little more premium than your run-of-the-mill big two title. And hey, isn’t that what Image Comics is supposed to be all about?
Fireborn #1 hits stores on April 15, 2026 from Image Comics.
Fireborn #1 Rating:
Fireborn #1 Official Synopsis:
A new series set in the world of LOST FANTASY! Aaron Hillburg was just another rich-kid failson—ghosting his responsibilities, hopping rooftops, and hating his billionaire father in peace… until a mysterious floating dragon egg bonds to him and ignites a hidden lineage of ancient magic inside his body. Now every violent outlaw wizard, biker cultist, and supernatural warlord between New York City and The World Beneath is hunting him—and they’ll burn the world down to pry the egg from his corpse. A high octane fusion of fantasy and superheroes perfect for fans of Invincible, How To Train Your Dragon and Absolute Batman.
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