The Kingdom #1 cover image; art by Jason Bienvenu

The Kingdom is a six-issue miniseries created by writer-artist Jason Bienvenu.  It is set in a place called “The Kingdom,” where mankind never existed.  In man’s absence, animals thrived and evolved, but some of them came to share mankind’s darker nature.  For instance, there is a civil war between ape-kind that threatens all of animal kind.

The Kingdom #1 opens in the aftermath of a grand battle.  Victory was claimed by the forces of a vicious mandrill named Baron Kah Lee, who wages constant war throughout the Ape Empire.  Two apes, Mala and Thane, escape from the Baron, and during their flight, they find an infant they name “Pale.”  They will discover that their past, however, still pursues them, even into the future...

The Kingdom is like the Planet of the Apes film franchise, but without human characters.  For a novice comics creator, Jason Bienvenu is good at introducing the concept, characters, and setting.  He introduces the plot in a way that does not give up too much, but does drop enough knowledge to intrigue the reader into deciding to try the second issue.  Bienvenu is, at least, credible at storytelling in comics form, which helps his cause and his comic book series.  The Kingdom is not great, but it is interesting.  I have decided to try the second issue.

thekingdomcomic.com
jasonbienvenu.blogspot.com