Wynd Book One: Flight of the Prince
James Tynion IV, writer; Michael Dialynas, illustrator
Boom! Box, 2021
In many ways Wynd has a conventional high fantasy setting. Pipetown is a medieval-looking city-state, ruled by a king. And of course, there is magic, although the humans in the story mostly do not consider it a good thing. They know it as a wild force that can transform anyone exposed to it in unpredictable ways, so they fear it. The city is the last empire of man in the world, and has Blood Laws prohibiting those tainted with magic from mingling with and tainting the blood of the people.
That is a problem for the title character, because Wynd is a weird blooded boy with pointed ears. So far he has been able to pass, but the king has brought magic hunter the Bandaged Man to town and things are about to get harder. A plan to get him out of town involves him in a dangerous political plot, on the run with his best friend Oakley, Prince Yorik, and the gardener's son Thorn. In the process they learn that the magical sprytles (which appear to be wood nymphs) are actually friends, are helped by a faerie, and are told about the war with the vampyres.
The climax includes a big reveal about the Bandaged Man. And Wynd transforms himself into something more so he can help his friends and save the day. Dialynas illustrates the story in a winning, young adult-friendly style. He is especially good at facial expressions, which contribute greatly to the characterization. This isn't really my kind of story, but I'm in for more.
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