In this review of Fireborn #1, when a teenage boy joins forces with a mysterious floating dragon egg, chaos ensues. Why are so many people hunting for this egg, though?
Fireborn #1
Writers: Curt Pires and Franklin Jones
Art and Main Cover: Patrick Mulholland
Variant Covers: Patrick Mulholland, Jae Lee, Tyler Kirkman
Page Count: 48 pages
Release Date: 4/15/2026
This review contains spoilers
Before the title page of Fireborn #1 even shows up, we’re treated to some thugs busting into a room where a teenager is talking to a floating dragon egg. They demand he give them the egg before drawing weapons on him. The dragon egg combines with the kid to turn him into an armored fighting machine. Awesome intro, right?
The kid turns out to be Aaron Hillburg, the son of a billionaire developer CEO who’s wanted for tax evasion and wire fraud. Aaron’s on his way home from school when he collides with a stranger who’s running away from bikers on flying motorcycles that have glowing pink energy for wheels.
The stranger’s carrying a spherical package which contains the dragon egg we see in the intro, so we get to see how Aaron comes into possession of the dragon egg. He can see the dragon floating over the stranger and upon touching the dragon, Aaron has visions of the dragon destroying the world. He also sees himself battling a guy with a large sword and keeps hearing the word “Fireborn” over and over.
The next day, Aaron skips school to figure out what’s happening with this egg. He heads to his secret room in one of his dad’s unfinished skyscrapers. This is where the story syncs up to the intro. Aaron, in his Fireborn suit, makes quick work of the thugs. He turns the head thug into a pile of ash before escaping the massive energy explosion that sets the building on fire.
The cops come to investigate the scene and the main evidence they come away with is a picture of Aaron from a camera across the street.
The final-page reveal is of the sword-wielding guy from Aaron’s vision being called on the phone and told the location of the stolen dragon egg.
Analysis
Writers Curt Pires and Franklin Jonas kick off a wild issue with Fireborn #1. The early time skip had me thrown off for a moment, but it’s the perfect introduction to the overall story. It grabs you right from the start and doesn’t let go.
Aaron comes across as your typical rich kid with father issues and I’m not sure that he’s ready for the power he just inherited with this dragon egg. He does seem to have a conscience, though, as evidenced by the fact that he watches a reality dating show with his mom because it makes her happy. He also doesn’t mean to atomize the thugs and seems to have some remorse for it. His internal conflict versus the controlling dragon powers are going to be interesting to watch develop.
Of course, the mysteries of the dragon egg itself have yet to be revealed. The writers haven’t shared much in the way of those details, yet, but it certainly is a powerful item. The fact that so many mysterious figures are chasing after this thing would indicate it’s a pretty important artifact.
Being that Fireborn #1 is set in the world of Lost Fantasy, it looks like the guy with the large sword is Henry Blackheart. Let’s look at some details – eyepatch…check, white hair…check, black outfit…check, giant stylized sword…definite check. I haven’t read Lost Fantasy, but since this book belongs to the same world, I checked out some quick information and it matches up. I like that Pires and Jonas are already bringing over characters for the other title, even if I’m not familiar with them at all. It makes me want to check out those books, though.
Artist Patrick Mulholland’s work calls back to 1990’s era Image Comics art with intricate linework filling dramatic splash-page and double-paged spread heavy layouts. Many of the pages contain dense, detailed panels. The layouts for the panels are unconventional, leading your eyes in a number of directions. Mulholland makes great use of the space he’s given. Colorist Mark Dale makes use of bright, high-contrast coloring that results in fights that are vivid and full of energy. The Fireborn suit design also feels right at home in an Image title. It’s filled with angles, spikes, and claws (think The Darkness and Witchblade) and I’m guessing we’ve just seen a fraction of what it can do.
Final Thoughts
Fireborn #1 is an excellent blend of superpowered characters and fantasy elements. It’s full of energy, mystery, and action. It’s been on my pre-order and it probably should be on your list, as well. Have fun, comic lovers!
