• Story: Tom Taylor
• Art: Daniele Di Nicuolo

There’s been a lot of hype over this book and whilst I don’t think it’s next-level good yet, it’s a solid, intriguing and well drawn start. Tom Taylor’s signature style works very well in introducing the main themes and characters, who have secrets of their own and Eva and Sigurd are intensely accessible, their story interestingly told by their son in flashback. There’s tragedy, love and action in surprisingly equal measure and the creators have done well in not trying to do too much too quickly. For characters we don’t really know yet there’s no shortage of heart, which for a story about a secret society ruthlessly protecting the world is no small achievement by Taylor. Balancing out world building with characterisation is something many writers across various media are finding awkward right now, but that’s no problem here.

We don’t actually learn about what the seven secrets are, but we are shown some devastating power relating to them on an early whited out panel (above). I’ll be interested to learn more about them, even more how Caspar is introduced, and what effect his early separation from his parents had on him. I’ll be interested too to see where Sigurd’s betrayal came from – from Tajana, the keeper of the first secret, to Eva and Sigurd, all is not quite as it seems, and I think the real premise of the book has yet to reveal itself (rather than the stereotypical good/evil setup in the cliffhanger ending). Di Nicuolo’s art has an almost manga-esque quality (which adds a welcome warmth to the characters) and it’s nicely playful – the tone can shift expertly within panels in ways much older illustrators find hard. I especially like Walter Baiamonte’s colours, perfectly suited to the art, with their great sensitivity to balances in colour and light (the hearing is a strong case in point). I’m pretty convinced about Seven Secrets as a package and I’m looking forward to seeing how Taylor draws us into his longer game.