The Stone King
Kel McDonald, writer; Tyler Crook, artist
ComiXology Originals, 2019
I have been paying attention to the ComiXology Originals, but had completely overlooked this one. As a fan of Tyler Crook's art on B.P.R.D. and Harrow County I had to check out this fantasy story about a city called Stoneport, which has a vaguely Medieval feel to it. The protagonist Ave is a thief, a member of an organized guild that calls the Discworld Thieves Guild to mind. The comic opens with her attempt to prove herself by climbing up the Stone King (a giant stone giant who roams the area) to illegally harvest healing moss. In addition to the moss she gets a huge jewel. It seems she has gotten away with a massive score, until the Stone King attacks the town. After that the story mostly involves Ave and the guard she befriends on the run, trying to escape from the town that the King has trashed and trying to recover the jewel in hopes of stopping the King's rampage. In the end the pair gets back up on the King and figure out what created the gem, giving them both an opportunity to improve their lives. The story is visually very much in Crook's wheelhouse, although it is in the high fantasy realm more than his previous work. The collection concludes with a selection of sketches and process art.
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