About book THE STUFF OF LEGEND: BOOK 1: THE DARK (2009)
One word: "amazing." This is quite possibly the best graphic novel I've read all year. Mike Raicht and Brian Smith spin a fantastic story that's equal parts Toy Story and Through the Looking Glass. Charles Paul Wilson III's illustrations are simply beautiful. Reading this recalls the giddiness of my youth when I found myself in possession of a new stack of comics or a new book. Excellent, excellent stuff. This is a beautiful book. Notice I did not say "comic book" (although, obviously, it IS that as well), I said book. With all the power of fantasy to touch on myth and archetype and far more darkness than I expected from a book literally about a child's playthings (Toy Story is cool, but this is awesome), this is a real triumph. I normally try to avoid hagiographic reviews, even when I'm writing five star pieces, but I have no complaints here. The story is simple, and straight forward, but thoroughly imagined and beautifully told. It is a wonderfully successful portal fantasy, a sub-genre of fantasy that generally is NOT one of my favorites. The artwork here is consistent and beautiful. The creators have chosen to do the books in sepia, and the gain in tone is more than sufficient to offset the loss of color. While the pictures alternate between very much current day (our world) and timeless fantasy (The Dark), the sepia tone suggests just enough of the once upon a time feel that the writer doesn't have to say it, it's splashed on every page. The detail in this work is exquisite. I don't think there's been a penciler in mainstream comics working at this level in years. This is one I cannot recommend highly enough!
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