This is the second volume in the Knightingail series, something I admit to being a bit ignorant of. The story so far has something to do with a girl named Eloa having Avatar-like control over the forces of nature. In the first issue we see her village under attack by “Dracons” and she narrates as her and an apparently wide-range ensemble cast fight the hordes off. While a bit disorienting at times, Knightingail #1 is a serviceable introduction for those not in the know — read: me — and has a good amount of fun doing so. It is a fun family series with a strong emphasis on the all-ages factor, though all-ages for this book may just mean young ages.
Wayne Gardiner writes a ridiculous comic book. Eloa’s narration is flooded with such cutesy words as “BFF’s” and “besty” and while that grows tiresome along the way, I can imagine the fun young kids would have with it. While Gardiner supplies a necessary introduction to these characters, there’s a bit too much thinking that needs to be had in order to understand the concept. Honestly, he explains an entire world in like three pages. How could a kid possibly get that?
The art’s a stand out, as Mel Joy San Juan draws a delightful adventure. Knightingail #1 is a swashbuckling sort of book, and there’s certainly enough fun to take out of the art alone. Unfortunately, the art can’t help the overwhelming feeling that this is written strictly with the kids in mind. While books like Superman Family Adventures and Adventure Time write for a large audience — both kids and adults — Knightingail writes for mainly kids, and while that’s not a detraction, I assume five year old girls aren’t reading my reviews.
Rating: 3/5
