Deep in the forest, under the lush green canopy and gentle sunlight, a scene of pure beauty and magic takes place before our very eyes. The most revered creature in Mother Nature's menagerie, the Unicorn, presents itself to a worthy human maiden. With the style and grace that only a beautiful maiden can manage, she draws the knife from the folds of her dress. A quick slice, the hearty thump of a Unicorn collapsing into the grass....Welcome to Darkwood. In this, the most typical of fantasy worlds, magic mingles with science, and spooky and awesome creatures inhabit the ancient forests. Something, though, is... wrong. In addition to dragons and damsels, Darkwood is filled with a few modern problems. To name a few, natives slaughtered by overzealous real-estate developers, a fantastic species on the brink of extinction, and a woman who has combined her maidenhood and hunting skill to form an economic juggernaut.
Ried and Kantz weave a story combining fantasy, dark humor, and gorgeous art in one highly entertaining package as they tell the story of a Unicorn hunter and the efforts of a young naive heiress' attempts to stop her and save the elusive but all too tasty 'meat ponies'. This story is one of my favorites out of the many graphic novels I've read, and I can only hope the makers revisit Darkwood in the future, for it is a place I would assuredly love to see again.
"Legends from Darkwood" is the best new comic book series in years.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
"Legends from Darkwood" is the best new comic book series in years. With truly brilliant writing and perfect accompanying art, this "Western manga" is engaging, intelligent, exciting and funny. The plot is super-tight (not a hole anywhere); the characters are cool (archetypical, true, but that seems to be the point since...); the story deconstructs quite a few genres without ever getting too cerebral or too tongue-in-cheek (it walks these fine lines flawlessly); and the tone is fresh and inspired (quite an accomplishment considering its well-trodden genre territory). The sometimes silly/sometimes serious approach of this series is something that so few writers/artists can pull off but the duo of Reid and Kantz never misstep. If they keep this up (and there is every indication that they can) they will outdo Jeff Smith's great "Bone" epic, which is no small benchmark. Yes, really.
ThriftBooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. We personally assess every book's quality and offer rare, out-of-print treasures. We deliver the joy of reading in recyclable packaging with free standard shipping on US orders over $15. ThriftBooks.com. Read more. Spend less.