It’s incredibly rare these days to find a comic book that everyone can enjoy.
When I say “everyone,” I’m not speaking in hyperbole. I mean everyone: the manga crowd, the superhero fanboys, the indie folks, the kids, your mom . . . everybody. It’s a pretty sure bet you won’t find one. Some folks can’t bear Strangers in Paradise. Some people wouldn’t give two glances to The Walking Dead. Some folks would literally rather burn Spider Man Loves Mary Jane than read it. And some people love those books with a fierce passion. The field of comic fandom is incredibly segmented, much more than common wisdom would indicate.
That’s why The Stuff of Legend: The Dark is not merely an outstanding book, it’s without a doubt the best thing on the stands today.
The setting is 1944; a child’s toys fight valiantly to rescue him from the boogeyman. I know, I know; I can hear the eyerolls from here. The premise is incredibly simple. What makes it so fantastic and compelling is the execution of the idea. What could have been a simple Toy Story knock off (and the first 20 pages will fool you into thinking that’s exactly what this is) becomes something with a magnitude of depth and thought that will leave any reader floored. Imagine your surprise when you’re faced with a jack-in-the-box, fighting on the side of right, who presents himself as a gentleman psychopath. Or a piggy bank faced with a future that means he must fulfill his purpose of being looted and destroyed. Not to mention the Boogeyman himself . . .
Not only is the writing as solid as it can be, but the artwork is just stunning, and doubly so when you pause and consider it’s a black and white book. You really don’t even miss the color, it’s simply that good.
Folks, don’t just go and pick up one copy of this. Grab five: one to read, two to keep safe, and two to gift to others. This one’s destined to go down as a classic, and without a doubt it’ll be topping all the award lists in the forseeable future.
The best part? It’s only a two issue limited series. How considerate is that? Better still, each issue? Fifty eight pages! It’s almost unheard of in this day and age.
The Stuff of Legend: The Dark is on comic shelves right now.
Edit: Well, what do you know . . . the first 28 pages are available right here, for free!
