Last week I had the chance to send interview questions to Ibrahim Moustafa ahead of the release of Count, and now that it’s been released, I can share my thoughts on this comic.
Count is a solid retelling of The Count Of Monte Cristo, it has everything the original has; romance, betrayal, smugglers, and word fights! But, and I think this might be just as important as how good the re-telling was, you will enjoy this comic IF you’ve never read/watched the source material. As a story it stands alone wonderfully.
Count follows the story of Redxan Samud, a commoner in love with a high born lady. He gets made Captain of his ship and he thinks everything is goign his way. But of course this is when it all goes wrong. He gets married, but then immediately gets thrown into a violent prison. There he befriends a wise, older gentlemen, Aseyr, and together they figure out how to get free. From that point on, all Redxan can see is revenge.
He wants to kill the man who tore him from his wife, and he nearly dies on his quest. Along the way he meets pirates, an automaton named ARU and a rebel leader who ends up being closer than he ever thought. It ends bitter-sweetly; he gets the girl, but it’s not his wife.
Count is a fantastic comic. It’s fast paced and heart wrenching. The fight scenes are really well done, which is good as they’re imperative to the plot. I liked how the tech weaved in and out of the story, you never really felt like you were getting smacked with it, but it was there and interesting. And then, of course, the art. The lands that are depicted in this comic are gorgeous! As a creator, Ibrahim Moustafa has a winner on his hands. Story and art are fantastic, can’t wait to see what he and Humanoids come out with next!
