A medieval fantasy slaughter-fest that subtly questions the morality of all the carnage.
A war-hardened Templar knight teleports through a mystic portal into a savage realm of demonlike monsters in Emmons’ fantasy graphic novel.
This dark tale opens during the third of the medieval bloodbaths known as the Crusades (no Christian/Islamic background is offered here, for those fearing History Channel exposition). A nameless, helmeted Templar knight, ferocious in deadly sword battles (“Never retreat in battle. Under pain of mortal sin”), finally arrives in the Holy Land, only to find a satanic ritual and human sacrifice in progress. Outraged at the blasphemy, the Templar knight hacks apart the cultists. Somehow, this propels the hero to a realm called the Beastlands, populated by humans as well as grotesque creatures. A small, goblinlike being called Grimbel, who is apparently benign, becomes the knight’s guide and odd-couple sidekick as the realm suffers the predations of a ghoulish trio of skeletal wizard-things called the Masters, the alpha villains of the Beastlands. Their prime servant, the sadistic and orclike Pilgrim, basically cannot be killed, no matter how often it’s dismembered, burned, or drowned. The fearless Crusader battles on regardless, seemingly acquiring some superpowers of his own (his sword levitates to his hand) and becoming unable to remove his helmet or even recall his own name. Slashing-and-bashing combat takes center stage here, supported by a few side themes about the zealot Templar beginning to temper his propensity for violence and murderous retribution (particularly as realization dawns that nobody in the Beastlands recognizes the messianic religion he serves or the Holy Land he has spilled so much blood over), and to recognize that not all scaly reptile-people are necessarily the bad guys. With no major female characters, the material sidesteps Frank Frazetta–style cheesecake fan service, which is fortunate, though the butchery earns an R rating on its own terms. Emmons’ illustrations, suitably, resemble something between old woodcuts or stained-glass windows and more splattery imagery that a heavy metal fan might sketch out in high school study hall.
A medieval fantasy slaughter-fest that subtly questions the morality of all the carnage.Pub Date: Feb. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9781952303807
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Review Posted Online: Jan. 3, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Even so, this remains Macbeth, arguably the Bard of Avon’s most durable and multilayered tragedy, and overall, this enhanced...
A pairing of the text of the Scottish Play with a filmed performance, designed with the Shakespeare novice in mind.
The left side of the screen of this enhanced e-book contains a full version of Macbeth, while the right side includes a performance of the dialogue shown (approximately 20 lines’ worth per page). This granular focus allows newcomers to experience the nuances of the play, which is rich in irony, hidden intentions and sudden shifts in emotional temperature. The set and costuming are deliberately simple: The background is white, and Macbeth’s “armor” is a leather jacket. But nobody’s dumbing down their performances. Francesca Faridany is particularly good as a tightly coiled Lady Macbeth; Raphael Nash-Thompson gives his roles as the drunken porter and a witch a garrulousness that carries an entertainingly sinister edge. The presentation is not without its hiccups. Matching the video on the right with the text on the left means routinely cutting off dramatic moments; at one point, users have to swipe to see and read the second half of a scene’s closing couplet—presumably an easy fix. A “tap to translate” button on each page puts the text into plain English, but the pop-up text covers up Shakespeare’s original, denying any attempts at comparison; moreover, the translation mainly redefines more obscure words, suggesting that smaller pop-ups for individual terms might be more meaningful.
Even so, this remains Macbeth, arguably the Bard of Avon’s most durable and multilayered tragedy, and overall, this enhanced e-book makes the play appealing and graspable to students . (Enhanced e-book. 12 & up)Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2013
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: The New Book Press LLC
Review Posted Online: Nov. 6, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2013
Lush visuals bring this thoughtfully constructed tale to life.
Wondrous visitors encounter a desperate pocket of humanity.
Lori, a white orphaned teen who’s finally been adopted after bouncing around various foster homes, awakens to discover that nearly everyone has disappeared. The rapture? Maybe. She runs into her classmate Annette, who has brown skin and curly black hair, and they partner up to scavenge for food. The pair tries to evade several threats, such as the large Wolves and a gang called The Dogs. Supernatural Giants arrive, seemingly from space, speaking an impenetrable language of “musical chiming and weird bass-rhythms.” Lori and Annette then meet Beatrice, an older white woman who shares important observations about the Giants and Wolves. The tone of the story then subtly shifts from post-apocalyptic desperation to one that’s somewhat playful. After a certain point, a visual element that appears early on takes on clear significance and meaning in the context of the story at large, offering a subversively humorous twist for readers to consider and a creative element that deviates from other alien invasion narratives. Hans’ artwork and paneling fill each scene with wonders. An interaction with a giant sees the red, violet, and pink figure standing against a bright, otherworldly white-and-blue backdrop with dark contours. Elsewhere, Lori and Annette pause at night as they behold ominous shadows, their foggy breath forming clouds, and they hear a “KRRNCH” sound. The quick-moving plot wraps everything up neatly.
Lush visuals bring this thoughtfully constructed tale to life. (character designs) (Graphic science fiction. 14-adult)Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2024
ISBN: 9781534387072
Page Count: 104
Publisher: Image Comics
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2024
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