What a difference a month makes, eh? The sixth issue of Pathfinder had brought the first story arc of a series to a close, with a muddy mess of visuals and a script which felt rushed and incomplete.

Though this seventh issue picks up with our party of heroes after the events of the previous story, everything feels brighter, clearer and more defined.

There’s even more of a classic RPG vibe to this tale too, with our heroes approached and offered a quest in a tavern, before heading out and finding more than they bargained for on the road.

Jake Bilbao’s art has a great deal of clarity in its storytelling; an important element sorely missing from much of the prior issues. Writer Jim Zub seems to have been inspired by having a new creative collaborator too, with a much more jovial ambience and characters unafraid to have a bit of fun with each other. There’s already a much better sense of cameraderie, as well as characters who feel more distinct, in the page count of this single issue than there was across the entirety of the first story arc.

Can it keep up the pace? We shall see. But this is at least a much better start, and already a more satisfying read than anything that came before. Though there’s a thread left over from the prior series, you wouldn’t be missing much if you started with this issue instead of trying to wade your way through the sludge of the first arc.

It’s worth knowing that there’s more material included for the Pathfinder TTRPG too, and even readers not interested in playing the game will glean some background knowledge and lore on the comic’s setting from this.

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