Jessica (HDB)

Well now, this was delightful! Although I expected Fantasy, I don't think I was quite expecting what Kings and Canvas has to offer. Which, in all honesty, is because I didn't really read the synopsis. I'm glad I didn't! It made this a much more enjoyable experience, because I had no idea what was coming. Boxing with dragons? You have my attention.

First off, I have to praise the illustrations in this graphic novel. Jake Allen does an utterly brilliant job of bringing this world filled with brave knights, bad men, and evil dragons to life. His panels evoked a nostalgia in me, for the days when my imagination was still young enough to dream up fairy tale worlds. I loved the bright colors, contrasted with the thick outlines. All of it just added up to an amazing compliment to the story itself.

Which, by the way, is equally as brilliant. The story here revolves around Mammoth who, despite his rugged outward appearance, is actually a rather likable fellow. He tells the story of a brave man, who bested a dragon and won his true love. Whether that person is actually Mammoth or not remains to be seen, but I loved the nostalgic, fairy tale quality in which that part of the story is told. Especially because, he didn't best the dragon just with brute strength. It's much better, and much more colorful, than that.

The ending of this particular issue had me begging for more! Luckily I have the next queued up, and I can already see myself buying all the remaining available issues. This is great! I love Fantasy, but this is even better because it's something completely different. Bravo!