I have hopes for this based on Courtney Crumrin. The art is good and the fish out of water part is familiar territory for Naifeh's.
Plus I like the idea of a girl with a pet elephant :)
To start there are five kingdoms in the lowlands and a kingdom in the mountains that has little contact with them. Ulga is the princess and her age is hard to tell. She's not very tall so I placed her at age 10, but she's drawn with an almost grown up body so maybe she's older and just short. Our first introduction to her is when her mother takes her into her first battle. The mountain kingdom isn't a place you find any sort of weakness. I'm sure Ulga was probably given a weapon, not a rattle. After the battle we get a look at her life and how it contrast with the more easy going life of a lowland princess. Ulga is worken up at sunrise by being doused in water and then bathes in an ice cold cave lake, The other princess is woken up by a nanny and bathes in warm water with lots of attendents. Ulga picks between a double or single bladed ax, her counter part has to choose between dresses.
What brings these two together is the decision of Ulga's mother to send her daughter to the lowland kingdom to learn. Learn what is still up in the air, for both Ulga and her grandfather Odin the Undying and his talking eagle Odin's Eye. But the decision was made and down she goes.
Now a girl riding into town dressed as a barbarian riding an elephant is just going to get into some sort of trouble :) Ulga's elephant (Snorri) brings her to the door of the school (castle? It might be both) blocking the way of Lady Jullifer, princess of Atraesca. Not realizing that she's a princess Lady Jullifer's main guard lashes Ulga with his whip. Not the brightest move. She throws her ax, cutting the whip and then draws her sword and goes through Jullifer's guards with ease, causing Jullier's carried, canopied little to tip over and dump Jullifer into a pile of manure. Ulg talks to her briefly and is not impressed. More guards come and Ulga uses Snoori to leap onto the battlements. The guards climb after her, one seems to be the captain. She backs away from him onto a glass dome and crashes through it into a royal court bellow. The mistress of the school recognizes her and their private conversation is fun. The mistress has no idea why Ulga is there, Ulga says it to learn and the Mistress asked her to learn what and Ulga replies "Well, if I knew tha' I needn't a'come, tis the thing about knowlege."
Final panel has Lady Jullifer meeting her new roomate, Ulga.
It's a good start, but I hope it doesn't devolve into outcast tortured by the cool kids.
You need to be a member of Captain Comics to add comments!
Replies
In most of these stories, the outcast usually becomes the coolest kid of all. I could see that happening here. But even if it doesn't: Girl with an elephant!
My wife is a big Courtney fan. (I have never read it despite the fact we own them all.) I'll pass your review on to her.
I edited the thread title so Ted Naifeh's name is spelled correctly (you've got it right in the text, but there was a typo in the title). I love the Courtney Crumrin stories. Try them, Jeff! I met Naifeh at Heroes Con last summer. He's a really nice guy, and his business card identifies him as "artist, writer, gentleman" (or something close to that: I don't have the card with me). I look forward to reading this series when it gets collected.
The Courtney Crumrin stuff was really quite good. This is worth staying a couple of issues with. I'm not falling in love with it quite like I did with Courtney.
Definitely different characters. Courtney is more sullen and Ulga is outgoing and more sure of herself.