Wraithborn
Wraithborn is an American comic book limited series by Joe Benitez and Marcia Chen, launched in November 2005. It is his largest body of work after his time as regular penciler on Top Cow's The Darkness.
| Wraithborn | |
|---|---|
 Cover of the first issue | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | WildStorm |
| Format | Limited series |
| Publication date | November 30, 2006 |
| No. of issues | 6 |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Joe Benitez & Marcia Chen |
| Artist(s) | Joe Benitez, Joe Weems |
| Penciller(s) | Joe Benitez |
| Inker(s) | Joe Weems |
| Colorist(s) | Studio F & Tony Avina |
Wraithborn was published by WildStorm under its Wildstorm Signature imprint, which replaced the Cliffhanger imprint.
Story
The Wraithborn power is normally given to a specially chosen warrior, someone who has trained for decades to wield the power and fight the Immortals. But, due to "unforeseen circumstances", the power is passed on to an ordinary high school girl who doesn't know anything about what's going on, but she's got to figure things out fast because a lot of "people" (including the Immortals) are coming after her.
At the heart of things, Wraithborn is about the transformation of a sweet, timid, innocent girl into a tough, badass, seemingly cold and heartless warrior who has to do a lot of things that she may not like to do. And we follow her on this journey, through the many trials she has to face, the mistakes she'll make, and the grievous consequences of those mistakes. In addition, it’s also about the journey made by Valin, the male lead of the story, who is the young man who was supposed to be given the Wraithborn power. But the mini-series, which is an origin story, focuses more on Melanie. We’ll get more into Valin’s story in future story arcs.
Concept
The book is a supernatural, dark fantasy story inspired by folklore and mythologies from around the world. The idea being that all these legends were based on some truth, that gods and demons and angels and so forth really do exist, and once walked this earth. But one day, they all seemed to vanish, and eventually we just wrote them off as fiction. But they're still around, and they're trying really hard to get back and reclaim their former "lordship and dominion" over all humankind.
The Wraithborn are special individuals who have the only power that can fight these "Immortals", and throughout the ages, they've been protecting us and preventing the Immortals from returning.
Issues
Issue #1: The story starts out with the tough and fearless Wraithborn. Seemingly, the Immortals are powerless unless someone "invites them in," and when that happens, she has to deal with the consequences (the Immortals take possession of the mortal's body). Wraithborn seems to have a terrible past; the story alludes the total loss of her family and friends as a result of some foolish mistake.
Then the story switches to Melanie Moore—an ordinary teenage girl cooking breakfast for her dad (to lower his cholesterol) so he won't go out and buy crap on the way to work. It's apparent that Melanie's starved for fatherly attention and affection. At school she's not that great at sports and the other girls are hard on her. But she has a conscious for helping out other people. She sweet and caring, nerdy and likable. As the story progresses, it starts to become clear why she is the way she is. . . then the plot begins to unravel as to why Melanie became Wraithborn.
Issue #2: The hunt begins! Rival parties, both mortal and Immortal, race to find and capture the new Wraithborn. Meanwhile, Melanie continues her everyday routine, oblivious to both her new powers and "popularity". Who, or what, will find her first?
Issue #3: The hounds of Brijit have found Melanie but she doesn't know that she has powers, much less how to use them! How will she escape? Plus a mysterious stranger shows up, but is he a friend... or a foe?
Issue #4: The calm before the storm. Melanie begins to realize she's involved in something she doesn't understand—something dangerous—and she needs help. Is there anyone she can turn to? Meanwhile, Brijit and Kiara each plot their next moves in the race to obtain the power of the Wraithborn.
Issue #5: Secrets are revealed as Melanie continues her quest to understand the Wraithborn and what role she plays with them! Despite all the hidden agendas and challenges she must face, one thing appears certain: She will be in constant danger as long as she wields the Wraithborn power!
Issue #6: Melanie is captured by Brijit and is having the Wraithborn power taken from her, she must fight or she must die in this thriller end of the mini-series!