Legends From Darkwood

(Antarctic, 2003)
™ and © Antarctic Press

In the realm of Darkwood, Rose is a happy-go-lucky girl until she crosses paths with the girl Raynd, the last hunter of unicorns. Appalled at what she’s witnessed, Rose herself does not realize that she, too, has been reared by her father, Mayor Moore, to inherit the family business and replace Raynd herself.

Facing facts, Rose comes up with a plan: Why not pay an assassin to make her succession simple? Alas, no one is willing to take that assignment, since Raynd is renowned for making the baddest men cry like little boys. As the Mayor talks to a food journalist about his fine dining habits, Rose gets a hint on how to bring down Raynd once and for all.

In a pleasantly inventive and amusing plot, Darkwood doesn’t hew to the typical American manga line and, instead, tweaks a conventional fairy tale into a modern sensibility. Though expressive enough, Kantz’ pencilling is often rushed, and the lettering is stylistically inconsistent. This is an interesting beginning, but the art needs to improve to realize the potential of the premise.

— Oliver Chin

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