'Zarathustra Vol.1: The Lion that Carried the Flame' by Richard Marazano with art by Amad Mir is a graphic novel that takes place in ancient Iran.

A man arrives in the city of Gonur-Depe to start life as a merchant. He doesn't seem to know the rules of the city, but as we find out, that may not matter. The city is soon under siege and the mysterious man and a wealthy woman find themselves on the run.

It's only the first part of the story, and by the end, there is still a lot of murkiness to it. The art is pretty good, but oddly changes styles at times which felt a bit jarring to me.

The idea of mythology leading back before there was a nature of history (written that is) is an interesting conundrum. The balance of what society necessitates as the norm has shifted over the millennia depending on the structure of belief. “Zarathrustra Book One – The Lion That Carried The Flame” [Richard Marazano/Europe/60pgs] rests in an ideal of a matriarchal dominated society that fueled the idea of business and a monotheistic structure. The story takes place in the area that now occupies Iran. The texture of the gender perspective contained in the story is also a pertinent one. The beginning of this take of a monotheistic transformation speaks to a man looking to escape his past and living a balanced future. His past though follows him as a scourge led by a supposed manevolent God. When the army following this icon ransacks his desert town, it kills everyone. Our soldier saves only himself and the lead female ruler in the city that looks upon him as fodder. They escape into the desert. But the Army continues to search for one who has been marked. While there are textures of Aslan in the representation of the entities, the archetypes are true to form and the art reflects this without overindulging in its tendencies yet giving a sense of space and reflection. The story structure is told as a parable as the older soldier is now telling his story to his son. While this is only the first book, it’s point of view is sound but also resolute and focused giving the story a sense of will. B

By Tim Wassberg

Amru arrived in Gonur-Depe where he bought a shop while trying to leave his past behind. But his past had a way of catching up with him and the rich female merchant that tries to control him. Together they end up fleeing into the desert to escape certain death. Will they survive the desert and the death that still pursues them? I will have to hunt up the other volumes in this series to find out. An interesting introduction to this tale of ancient Eastern conflict.

Visually stunning book with a great color palate. It’s a comic/graphic novel Volume with tons of punch and an okay plot.



Thanks to NetGalley for a copy in exchange for a review.

Hmmm… A bit like the Phantom Menace did to Star Wars, this brings unneeded trade regulations and bickering into the 1001 Nights. A bratty kid pesters for extended flashbacks, where the main character tried to hide low as a shopkeeper, got in trouble with the authorities (which include a beautiful buxom woman, of course), and was found out as a god-defying hero. It may well be based on the echt legends of Zarathustra, but if you dress it up as one of Scheherazade's many entertainments, that is all it will be. And that might be a good thing, but when the mythology comes in it's in quite a lumpen way, and the artwork here really needs to be better to help us pick out characters that look too alike. Two and a half netgalley stars.

Visually quite beautiful, though largely colorless to reflect the desert setting, this story combines elements of middle eastern mysticism and legends with action and some gratuitous T&A.

Unfortunately this was not for me totally different genre to what id usually go for and I didn't enjoy the reading experience.

My thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for a review copy of this one.

This is the first volume of a graphic novel which tells the story of the prophet, Zarathustra or Zoroaster, the founder of Zoroastrianism or Mazdaism, or the religion of the Parsis as we in India might identify it more commonly. I know next to nothing about Zoroaster, and felt a graphic novel would be a great place to get an introduction to at least the legends surrounding him. The Lion that Carried the Flame is of course only the first part of the story. The story opens in the Karakum dessert, the land of the Bactrians and the Margians, where a young boy begs his father to tell him the story of the gods, including the one he ‘killed’. The father of course has to give in to the request and tells of the time when he, Amru, was a traveller who decided to set up as a trader in the merchant city of Gonur-Depe where he has bought a little shop—though he was not quite made (or destined) to be a merchant. But he finds things are not so easy in that city where merchant guilds are led by powerful women. Despite warnings from various quarters, Amru continues to try and do business, but is soon driven to debt, also attracting the enmity of a powerful woman merchant, Vivana. Amru however, also has a secret from his past, for among his belongings are a sword and a skull and we of course, don’t know what they signify, and who he really was before he came to Gonur-Depe.

In the meantime, alongside, a prince, Zahak, who has gone down the wrong path, praying to the evil forces of Angra Mainu is seeking something (once again, we don’t know what), which leads him to Gonur-Depe which he is bent on destroying, in fact, wiping out even from memory. Amru soon finds he has to contend with not only Vivana and her schemes but also the evil forces unleashed by Zahak who he alone seems to have the strength and resources to withstand. Thus starts his adventure, on which Amru must flee the city with an unexpected travelling companion. And out in the dessert, the terrain is not the only danger they face for other creatures not of this world also roam there!

This was an interesting telling of the story of Zarathustra, rather of the legends surrounding him which take one into the territory of myth, where civilisation flourished but where the gods (sometimes in fantastic forms) too still walked the earth alongside mortals. Of the characters, I didn’t know quite what to make of Amru with all the mystery surrounding him (though of course we know he is our ‘hero’), while Vivana herself is quite a handful—arrogant, but also very spirited. The story set out well the background to Amru’s adventures, preserving the element of mystery that surrounds his past (to which we get some small clues), and also of exactly what befell him when he ‘met’ a god, which intrigued me, and made me really want to read on. But like some (not all) of the graphic novels I’ve read from Europe Comics, being only part of the story, it doesn’t quite feel complete in itself, which leaves one feeling perhaps not entirely satisfied. However, this didn’t prevent me from wanting to read the next instalment to see how the story continues and what secrets are revealed. Three and a half stars.

This is a dark and interesting story, though not wholly unique. The overall aesthetic felt a little rough, but that complemented the story set in a harsh desert amid a bloody coup/survival arc. I didn't particularly enjoy the characterization of the lead female. She is vain, weak, and overly dependent on creature comforts - she wasn't adaptable in the least. Unless there is a subversion of the plot, I - hope- assume she will become more competent in the upcoming releases. In the same line of thinking, this seems targeted to male readers, which is fine but made it a little harder to suture myself into the narrative.

I look forward to the progression of the story.

Thank you to Europe Comics for a digital edition of ‘Zarathustra: 1. The Lion that Carried the Flame’ written by Richard Marazano with Art by Amad Mir
and translated by Montana Kane in exchange for an honest review.

In ancient Iran, a boy urges his father to tell him the story of the gods; of the lion and the desert, and of the evil king. His father obliges weaving the tale of his arrival in the city of Gonur-Depe where he plans to start a new life as a merchant. Things don’t work out as he clashes with a wealthy woman. Yet when the city is attacked by the army of a prince possessed by an evil god they flee to the desert. They embark on a difficult journey through this hostile environment though an encounter with a god in the form of a lion changes their destiny as well as triggering world changing events.

This was a fascinating opening to a graphic novel series based upon ancient Iranian mythology and the reformer prophet who established Zoroastrianism. In his Foreword Richard Marazano invites us to read this fragment of the saga of Zarathustra as a parable.

The artwork was beautiful throughout. I was intrigued by the lion in the desert and the flame accompanying it. The rich mythology of Mesopotamia is less known than that of Greece or Egypt and I welcomed this glimpse into the roots of Zoroastrianism.

I hope that Europe Comics will be publishing further volumes in this fascinating series.

A beautifully drawn graphic novel telling a mythical tale set in ancient Iran.

The book opens with a young boy asking his father to tell him the story of how his father defeated gods. The father begins to tell the story and suddenly we are taken to ancient Iran where gods and heroes battle together for justice, riches and power.

I did enjoy this and would like to read the rest of the series. The difficulty with Europe Comics is that their comics are always serialised and this make for interrupted reading.

Oh well I guess the beauty and adventure of the story is adequate compensation for the pain of waiting for the next episode. The artwork is beautiful with a haunting quality. Mysticism, mystery and solid storytelling and world building make this a thoroughly enjoyable graphic novel.

Copy provided by Europe Comics via Netgalley.

I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love reading about ancient gods, myths and legends and this graphic novel did not disappoint. Taking place in the Middle East, this first installment sets the stage for what appears to be a war on 2 plains between gods and mortals. Introductions are made of our primary characters, a man with a mysterious warlike past, and a snobby, self absorbed merchant woman. The unlikely pair are thrust together after the decimation of their city and their journey starts by them escaping into the desert seeking answers.

This was a great start to a series and I was sad to see the novel end so quickly. I need more and I will definitely be reading the second one once it comes out.