Sacrifice #3

Written by Sam Humphries
Art by Dalton Rose

I feel very fortunate to shop at one of the few stores across North America that sell Sam Humphries's self-published and self-distributed mini-series Sacrifice.

This is a very compelling story about a man who has somehow traveled back to the time of the Aztecs just prior to the invasion of the Spanish.  It's not clear yet if Hector has really moved back in time or is simply imagining everything that has been happening while lying in a hospital bed after suffering an epileptic fit.  What is clear is that some time has passed since the last issue, and Hector has been on the run with Malintzin, the leader of a rebel army.

Malin is a fearsome warrior, but we learn in this issue that Moctezuma's best warrior, Tlahuicole, is actually her brother, who had been captured when her people lost a battle to the Aztec forces.  Now, as a certain holy festival approaches, Tlahuicole wants Hector, the last trained priest of Quetzalcoatl to be the one who kills him, thereby ensuring another year of prosperity and safety for all the Aztecs.

This is a very cool comic, both in the depth of its research and presentation of Aztec culture, and in the strong visuals that Dalton Rose uses to tell the story.  I appreciate that Humphries is breaking ground in many different ways with this comic.