Wrath of the Eternal Warrior #7 is the start of the Labyrinth story arc and has Gilad attempting to escape the maze designed to test him. It opens up 8 years in the past in the Pir Panjal Mountains in Kashmir where one referred to as Sovereign is being waited on by his servant, Mr. Din. Sovereign tells him that it was necessary for a local village to be utterly destroyed in order to keep the people forcibly working under him to remain in check. The project at that time was to dig deep into the Earth creating the foundation for the labyrinth currently holding Gilad. Sovereign’s brutality was on full display as he wouldn’t even allow the bodies of those who died while working to be removed and wanted it to serve as a reminder to the other workers. It would seem as if his plan at the time paid off since Gilad is trapped with no idea where he is. Sovereign informs Gilad that he knows everything about him and has been keeping track of him for centuries. He tells Gilad that he even watched his latest funeral and once everyone was gone he had his body transported to his current location. So no one knows where Gilad is and no one can stop Sovereign from subjecting Gilad to his cruel experiments. But what does this mysterious character truly want from Gilad?

I appreciated the fact that Sovereign didn’t spend time debating Gilad since it wasn’t a philosophical difference that created this situation. From the quick introduction he was shown as a no-nonsense character focused on results. And it was made clear from the initial interaction that what he wanted was the secret to Gilad’s immortality. His refusal to even tell Gilad his name made it that more intense and made it clear that Gilad was to serve a specific purpose and this wasn’t a game of cat and mouse. In terms of creating this type of villain, I was satisfied with the way this was handled. The flow of the story was perfect at this point and the motivation was clear.

SUMMARY

Wrath of the Eternal Warrior #7 is an exceptional issue that like its antagonist gets right to the point subjecting Gilad to brutal experiments while making the goal clear with its story. Sovereign’s introduction is impressive and his calculating demeanor makes the issue more intense and the overall story arc more intriguing. Gilad is less impressive this time around but ultimately fits into the story at this point. And the surprise ending raises this story arc to another level so I hope the remainder of it is just as bold.

Release Date:5/18/16

Writer: Robert Venditti

Artist: Raul Allen, Patricia Martin