4/5 – Great all ages fun
For those looking for great all ages comics, look no further than the second volume of Princeless, a fantasy thriller about Princess Adrienne as she sets about rescuing her sisters. Actually you can also go ahead and grab that first volume as well. As is tradition, Princess Adrienne and her sisters were secured away in different towers, each with a guardian. Whatever brave knight could conquer the guardian and rescue the princess would win her fair hand in marriage. Adrienne befriended her dragon and the two of them decided to go off and rescue her other sisters.
Princeless originally began as a four issue series which freed Adrienne and her dragon and then teams her up with blacksmith friend Bedelia Smith, who equips her in new armor. Unrecognized in this armor, the King thinks this new Knight and dragon killed Adrienne and wants the Dragon and the knight both killed. Bedelia joins Adrienne as they are off to rescue her sisters.
This series finds our two heroes looking to rescue the first sister, Angelica, famed for her beauty. In issue 3, Adrienne and Bedelia have found Angelica but she appears to need no rescuing, however one of the hunters that the King set out to find Adrienne’s killer has located her and it is time for a fight.
I think it was a smart decision to continue this series by doing 4 issue runs that are self-contained. It provides enough of a story in those 4 issues yet allows people to jump in as a new volume is coming out. The first volume is already collected (along with 2 bonus short features) which I recommend. Adrienne has a lot of sisters so hopefully this series can continue (and that isn’t even counting her brother).
Writer Jeremy Whitley strikes a fine balance of providing humor yet moving the story along. They have been also developing the secondary story with the King, Queen and his son. It is engaging but I fear there is some foreshadowing for a potential twist that is fairly easy to see. The art by Emily Martin (colors by Brett Grunig) is really top notch stuff. It has a cartoony feel but clearly shows the character’s emotions and transmits the actions well. I get a strong Elf Quest feel to the book for those familiar with that property. It is a fantasy setting with swordplay, magic and mythical beasts so aside from that sort of violence, this is a good book for kids and adults. It was featured in the Action Labs FCBD offering for 2013 which is a great way to give it a try. I recommend it in any form particularly if you are looking for a gift for younger readers.
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