Mark L. Miller

Oddly, I found this story to be a step up from the first volume, with a more interesting and personal plotline. Unfortunately, the art is in exchange much more sloppy (though on the pages when it is done well, I should mention I actually prefer this style to that in the first volume), for instance with tigers that in some panels look like dogs and badgers, and more often than not are entirely without stripes. Still, the notion of four human children each raised by a tribe of warring animals that lies at the heart of this comic is still one with a lot of childlike fun to it, and I find myself a bit intrigued about maybe some day tracking down the third volume and see if there's any closure to the story there.… (meer)

The Great Battle on Kipling Isle between the animal tribes is interrupted by a shipwreck during a massive storm. Four young children appear to be the only survivors, and each is adopted by one of the warring tribes and kept ignorant of each other: Mowglii to the noble wolf tribe, Bomani to the violent Shere (tiger) tribe, Akili to the mischievous Tavi (mongoose) tribe, and Dewan to the (insane?) Bandar Log (monkey) tribe. The peace is broken when the Shere tribe attacks the wolves, and Mowglii’s hair-trigger temper ignites into a thirst for vengeance.

I initially requested the galley because of the artwork, and it didn’t disappoint. The art is beautiful, rich colours and vibrant scenes. The action was good and face-paced, but the story felt somewhat lacking at some points. No specific issues or problems, just… it didn’t go as deep as I wanted it to go into the characters. It felt like there was so much rich history and culture to explore with the characters and their tribes, not to mention the mystery of how the story begins, but it just skimmed the surface. I’m hoping that since this is volume 1, it was more of a taster and volume 2 will have greater depth. The graphics made me forget any deficiencies though! Eagerly looking forward to the next installment.

Overall, an very good read, beautiful artwork, and intriguing characters. I’d recommend it to any Fables or Elf Quest fan.… (meer)