Writer: Emmet O'Cuana Art: Jeferson Sadzinski
Letters: Thomas Mauer
Cover: Ele Jenkins Publisher: Self-Published
WHAT IS IT?
A high fantasy meta one-shot in the vein of Terry Pratchett's Discworld.
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
(Minor Spoilers)
Two warring wizards turn their swords (well, staves) to plowshares in an attempt to defeat the giant baby looming over them, threatening their world.
But even after their temporary peace, they find that repelling a giant sky child is no easy task, and they set out to use all the resources at their disposal to bring order to their world.
Why is it here? What does it want? How can they make it go away before it destroys their world?
Pick up FARAWAY and find out!
WHAT WORKS?
Story is mostly simple and straight-forward, the characters arguing about how to get rid of the giant baby and trying different ways to make it so
Simplicity is the key for one-shots, so this was probably a good call
Brilliant line art and color ensorcels the reader
Panels like the one shown below are detailed and magical and capture that high fantasy tone
Full, rich color is a treat for an indie title like this, and brings the world to life
Panel work is mostly simple until the end, playing on what's expected from the fantasy genre (and what's not)
The between-panel effect on the second-to-last page is very effective example of this
Hilarious moments of breaking away from the genre trappings or using them in unexpected ways makes for a solid satire
The ending is definitely well-earned
Backmatter features some fantasy-themed pinups from other talented artists
WHAT DOESN'T WORK?
Cursing and vomit make this not the best comic for kids
I don't know if the theme of "toxic nostalgia" comes through enough for me
It more seems like O'Cuana's saying, "Hey, fantasy is great, but the one thing more powerful than any fantasy story is one real-world child."
WHY SHOULD I READ IT?
FARAWAY is a hilarious send-up of high fantasy by a highly talented team. The art alone is worth the sticker price.
HOW DO I BUY IT?
Click below:
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