IDW Publishing 2019
Written by David M. Booher
Illustrated by Drew Zucker
Coloured by Vittorio Astone
Lettered by Deron Bennett
Canto’s adventure begins! Enslaved for generations, Canto’s people once had hearts. Now they have clocks. When slavers damage a little tin girl’s clock beyond repair, Canto must brave his strange and fantastic world to bring back her heart. Can he overcome the dangers that await to save the one he loves?
So I cannot quite put my finger on why but I swear I have seen Canto somewhere before. That aside I have to say that this is quite possibly one of the most absolutely charming stories I have read in quite some time. The opening is such that that at first I thought perhaps it was part of a different story or that we were going to see something a lot different than we have though I will say that beyond a shadow of a doubt it took no time at all to fall in love with this.
David really does such a magnificent job with how he structures the book and creates this ebb & flow throughout weaving action with the story & plot development. We learn a lot as the story goes on and it feels like we learn a lot of it beside Canto. There really is something magical about the experience of being on this journey with Canto and to see how even innocently he finds himself different than the others. While being different is never a bad thing and here it is kind of celebrated by the others as I think they kind of see hope in him and his existence.
David also does so mad crazy good things with the characterisation that we see here as well. With Canto, his girlfriend, the elder and the other nameless ones, plus at least one other character who too is different from the rest of his people that we only get the briefest of glances at really round out the way we see these characters and this world. I am super impressed with how the various elements of this are presented to us and how we can kind of see how they fit together or at the very least some variations of possibilities of what could happen. This leads me to the fact that my mind went beyond what was on the page and thus engaging my mind and making me feel more invested in the story.
The interiors here are bloody brilliant! The linework that we see through the utilisation of the varying weights to create this stunning attention to detail simply thrills readers’. The creativity and imagination that we see on display here is truly magnificent as it comes to life before our eyes. I am in love with the way that we see the composition in the panels and how the backgrounds are being utilised as effectively as they are. They expand the moments and bring this size and scope to the world perfectly. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective show a stupendous eye for storytelling. The colour work here is beyond amazing. The way light sources are utilised to create shading and shadows is a joy to see. Be still my heart the colour gradation that we see adds just another element to how we see these characters coming to life and honestly its superbly done.
This debut issue is incredibly well balanced. The story & plot development along with the pacing and the character development show such a talented and skilled ability to write and utilised words and feelings. The interior artwork compliments the writing extremely well as it keeps the mood, tone and feel of the story alive and well. At first glance this could almost be an all-ages title but it’s not so don’t be deceived by looks alone. A modern day fairy tale meant to take you on a journey fraught with danger to save the woman he loves it doesn’t get much better than that.