June 1, 2022
It takes work to make a villain lovable. Two hundred years ago, a hero drove Stearas, Master of Absolute Evil, from the Land of Alkyll. Things have been peaceful since, but the Lord of Darkness--a tiny, hooded, masked creature--has some nefarious plans. But just about every scheme to take over the kingdom or conquer the world ends up making people safer and happier. This graphic novel is filled with reversals. The princess loves the adventure of being kidnapped and helps out her captors again and again. A monster who works for the Lord of Darkness is cheerful and adores housework. It's possible the book has too many surprises, but almost every time the story starts to feel repetitive, something astonishing or hilarious happens. In one scene, a golem is defeated by advertising flyers. Morin's design for the golem is also inspired, although the artwork may be something of an acquired taste. The anatomy is so stylized that the characters barely look like human beings. But of course, large portions of the cast are golems or goblins or slug soldiers. The human beings tend to be light-skinned. If the plot is sometimes exhausting, the biggest twists are enormously satisfying, and the final surprise is such a huge reversal that it feels close to inevitable. Just the thing for readers who think they've seen it all. (Graphic humor. 8-12)
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October 31, 2022
Life is difficult for ALD, an aspiring apprentice Lord of Darkness portrayed as a small, hooded figure wearing a skull mask. The Kingdom of Alkyll has been peaceful ever since Stearas, Master of Absolute Evil, was vanquished 200 years prior. This sustained period of peace makes ALD’s dreams of taking over the world a seemingly impossible task. The kingdom’s labyrinthine bureaucracy, paired with ALD’s limited funds, means ALD must get creative with their plans to become a full-fledged Lord of Darkness. Aided by incompetent minions—a gangly green goblin and a cheerful purple slug creature—and new friends, including a perpetually asleep dragon hatchling and a resourceful kidnapped princess, ALD works tirelessly, convinced they have what it takes to conquer the world. But all their villainous efforts, no matter how well executed, keep improving the kingdom for the better. Morin renders the large creature-filled cast using vibrant full-color and highly stylized shapes. While the comic strip formatting, which supplies a punch line on every page, occasionally slows momentum, CED’s consistent humor keeps readers invested in ALD’s slapstick adventures, making for an irreverent graphic novel fantasy. Human characters present as white. Ages 8–12.