Shades of Magic: The Steel Prince #3
Titan Comics 2018
Written by V.E. Schwab
Illustrated by Andrea Olimpieri
Coloured by Enrica Eren Angiolini
Colour Assists by Viviana Spinelli
Lettered by Rob Steen
STORY SO FAR
Troubles arise for Prince Maxim when the notorious ship, the Iron Grip, docks at the Blood Coast. He discovers that in the past, Arisa, the Pirate Queen, has sadistically assaulted the local royal soldiery, leading to the demise of any troops that opposed her, and leaving only Isra alive. Maxim further learns that not only is Arisa a wielder of powerful forbidden bone magic, she is also Isra’s aunt. Under the cover of night, Isra moves alone to put an end to the Iron Grips moving into the town, but is stopped by Maxim. Together they venture into Verose in search of Arisa and her gang. In the Black Torch tavern, Arisa announces that she is holding a tournament in which the winner will earn a place on her ship, providing they first survive a match with her. In a moment of high tension, Isra loudly proclaims that she will join the tournament – for the sole reason of bringing Arisa to her knees…
I have become so enamoured with this series. That V.E. knows her characters so well after using them in novelizations it’s no surprise that the characterisation is so splendid. However while this isn’t an adaptation for someone like myself who’s not read them this is very new reader friendly. Everything, well not really everything, we need to know we learn through this amazing story & plot development as well as the dialogue between characters. Plus this setting is sensational as it’s part of Maxim’s realm that his father rules however it’s also so far away that what happens here is a far cry from what is expected. So there really is this delicious balance where a royal is to be amused while the citizens largely ignore him and go about life that they are accustomed to.
By the shores of Tripoli the characters that have been and continue to be introduced to us are simply stunning. Their complexity whether they are around for the long haul or just meant to be cast-off's doesn’t matter in the slightest. Also that we continue to see the characters bond with one another and garner respect is nice to witness. Maxim came with his preconceived notions and royal training, training that here is ineffective as here it’s play to win, see kill, and to watch him listen, learn and evolve has been incredibly to watch.
Andrea does some absolutely wonderful work on the interiors here. Somehow he has managed to find and master that attention to detail with a more abstract approach, see all his scratchy lines, to create this beautiful look. There is something about it that just seems to instantly mesmerise you while drawing you and almost lulling your senses as you become a part of the story. The utilisation of page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows off a wonderful eye for storytelling. I do wish we saw more backgrounds being utilised they have so much to add to the moments we see and the ability to show the size and scope of the story. Huge shout out to Enrica and Viviana for the colour work here. The way we see not only the power or magic which is utterly gorgeous and makes every moment pop but also the subtle molments as well as we see Maxim’s outfit and the self-proclaimed Queens. These are details that we see and often just take for granted.
The creativity and imagination that is on display in these pages is so wonderful. Forget Alice and her Wonderland or Peter and his Isle I’d rather be here.
Titan Comics 2018
Written by V.E. Schwab
Illustrated by Andrea Olimpieri
Coloured by Enrica Eren Angiolini
Colour Assists by Viviana Spinelli
Lettered by Rob Steen
STORY SO FAR
Troubles arise for Prince Maxim when the notorious ship, the Iron Grip, docks at the Blood Coast. He discovers that in the past, Arisa, the Pirate Queen, has sadistically assaulted the local royal soldiery, leading to the demise of any troops that opposed her, and leaving only Isra alive. Maxim further learns that not only is Arisa a wielder of powerful forbidden bone magic, she is also Isra’s aunt. Under the cover of night, Isra moves alone to put an end to the Iron Grips moving into the town, but is stopped by Maxim. Together they venture into Verose in search of Arisa and her gang. In the Black Torch tavern, Arisa announces that she is holding a tournament in which the winner will earn a place on her ship, providing they first survive a match with her. In a moment of high tension, Isra loudly proclaims that she will join the tournament – for the sole reason of bringing Arisa to her knees…
I have become so enamoured with this series. That V.E. knows her characters so well after using them in novelizations it’s no surprise that the characterisation is so splendid. However while this isn’t an adaptation for someone like myself who’s not read them this is very new reader friendly. Everything, well not really everything, we need to know we learn through this amazing story & plot development as well as the dialogue between characters. Plus this setting is sensational as it’s part of Maxim’s realm that his father rules however it’s also so far away that what happens here is a far cry from what is expected. So there really is this delicious balance where a royal is to be amused while the citizens largely ignore him and go about life that they are accustomed to.
By the shores of Tripoli the characters that have been and continue to be introduced to us are simply stunning. Their complexity whether they are around for the long haul or just meant to be cast-off's doesn’t matter in the slightest. Also that we continue to see the characters bond with one another and garner respect is nice to witness. Maxim came with his preconceived notions and royal training, training that here is ineffective as here it’s play to win, see kill, and to watch him listen, learn and evolve has been incredibly to watch.
Andrea does some absolutely wonderful work on the interiors here. Somehow he has managed to find and master that attention to detail with a more abstract approach, see all his scratchy lines, to create this beautiful look. There is something about it that just seems to instantly mesmerise you while drawing you and almost lulling your senses as you become a part of the story. The utilisation of page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows off a wonderful eye for storytelling. I do wish we saw more backgrounds being utilised they have so much to add to the moments we see and the ability to show the size and scope of the story. Huge shout out to Enrica and Viviana for the colour work here. The way we see not only the power or magic which is utterly gorgeous and makes every moment pop but also the subtle molments as well as we see Maxim’s outfit and the self-proclaimed Queens. These are details that we see and often just take for granted.
The creativity and imagination that is on display in these pages is so wonderful. Forget Alice and her Wonderland or Peter and his Isle I’d rather be here.
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