I saw the size of the package that arrived from Checker Books and looked at the postal delivery gal and wondered if she needed a bribe. The galley copy I got was monstrously huge. The trade paperback when published in May of this year will be 200 pages in fully painted colour and printed in the 9X12.5 inch oversized format. It's schedualed for a 24.95 US price.
I'm trying my best to remain calm and my finger keeps wanting to tap out Morse Code with the exclamation point, but I'm a pro and keeping my cool is what I do. Besides I don't need the giddyness of a book as exciting as this to make me act like a fool fanboy, I do just fine on my own thank-you.
I've always believed that those of us that are into North American Comics are in dire need of expanding our horizons and when I say that, I mean beyond the Japanese and Chinese fare that seems to all the rage these days. Europe has been the forgotten step sister of American comics for decades now and we all could use a transfusion of new ink and ways of putting it onto paper.
Could I recommend a better place to start than "A Bit of Madness"? Not a chance. Each and every fully rendered page is lovingly crafted by it's creator, Emmanuel Civiello, and given to us to gasp at with every page turned.
I couldn't read or follow the storyline the first time through the book as the art just grabbed my attention and didn't let go until the end, then I had another pleasure altogether in reading the story, then once again I read through to match both text and scenery the way they were meant to be taken.
You'll find plenty of Tolkienesque references and many homages to Brian Froud, Jim Hensen and the film "The Dark Crystal" amongst the characters and your travels.
To quote the press release..."The story follows the adventures of Igguk, an Elf that has been chosen to save his Homeworld, the Land of Faerie, from demonic forces bent on it's destruction. The battle between the two powers has raged on for years, and now Faerie's only hope is for Igguk to find the Heart of Crystal, which holds the essence of Faerie, before the Lord of Darkness does."
Sound cliche'? Yup. But what a beautiful way to retell an age old tale.
This is a fantasy epic that no other comic has ever given us.
Rating: 5 out of 5.
