In this new graphic series, the Little Prince returns, although fans of Saint-Exupéry's original will find him virtually unrecognizable.
Accompanied by his friend Fox, the Little Prince has devoted himself to visiting planets and helping them defeat the treacherous Snake and his Gloomies, malevolent black clouds that act as the Snake's henchmen. In this opening episode, the Little Prince and Fox help a blustery world keep at bay encroaching ice that threatens to engulf their beloved home. Akin to a Saturday morning cartoon (and originally based on an animated series), this and its sequels are extremely formulaic and possess an easily digestible, episodic nature: Prince and Fox land on a planet; Prince discovers Snake has tricked said planet's inhabitants into grave peril; Prince and Fox then use their kindness and saccharine platitudes to save the people and sail off into the harmonious sunset. In Book 2, The Planet of the Firebird, the duo assists a feuding brother and sister whose planet has been scorched by a fire-breathing bird. Perhaps a new audience not familiar with the source might warm to this adaptation, but those who remember the original will most likely be turned off.
A far cry from the original masterpiece. (Graphic fantasy. 9-13)
