I was in the mood for a fantasy story today, and with perfect luck I stumbled on the newest comic from Europe Comics, In Shadows – Book 1. The book is based on a script by Hubert Boulard, known just as mononymously as “Hubert”, who passed away in 2020 with this being one of the last things he was working on before his passing. It was picked up by Vincent Mallié and put together into this wonderful volume today. It tells the story of a disgraced knight that is given a chance at a second lease on life, only to be thrown headfirst into more trouble than he could ever imagine.

“Arzhur, a disgraced knight, has taken on a new mission to restore his honor: save Princess Islen from the Black Castle. The only problem is, the mysterious Islen doesn’t want to be saved…The reluctant pair must nonetheless cross the kingdom—pursued by a trio of sinister witches—in hopes of finding refuge with Islen’s father, the king. But will their secrets catch up with them first?”

This is a relatively short read, but good value for money and time considering the lush, gorgeous artwork and intriguing storyline. The entire time I was wondering what “the real story was” considering the motivations of some characters seem somewhat iffy, but I can’t imagine we’ll be seeing a total “we’re actually the bad guys” climax, but who knows. Fans of things like Disney Princess stories might get a kick out of this for the simple reason that it plays around with some of the “princess tropes” we see in a lot of folklore. Yes, Islen can speak with woodland creatures great and small, but in this world that includes dragons and other monstrous beasts.

I enjoyed that the juxtaposition of the more mature things in the book (i.e gore, fighting, court politics) are mixed in with a “normal” fantasy world and don’t overtake the book with bleak dreariness. I have found that the HBO series Game of Thrones has somewhat tainted every modern fantasy story into being aesthetically and thematically similar, which is a true shame. That isn’t a blemish of that properties name by me, but I wish more writers would avoid jumping on the bandwagon. Luckily, Vincent Mallié avoids this and does his own thing which makes this book that much better.

Overall, I quite enjoyed this book – it has wonderful art, an interesting story, and looks to be heading in a direction I was not expecting. Assuming Book 2 comes out before too long, I will be very excited to see where the story goes. It doesn’t really break any rules of what the fantasy genre is all about, but it has enough of an atypical sensibility that it’s not really derivative either. Europe Comics have published some great fantasy books as of late including Thorgal, Vesper, and The Lost Ages, all of which is well worth a look if you like this genre.

I loved the art style and storyline. Very quick and good read, though there are times where it feels a bit rushed and underdeveloped. But it’s already great as a first volume, looking forward to what else it has in store.

I found this comic/graphic novel to be very intriguing. I’m not usually one for this style of book; however, I very much enjoyed this. The story is pretty captivating, and art is gorgeous. Really looking forward to the next one in the series.

This graphic novel disappointed me so much. First of all, I loved the cover and thought the art inside will look similar (sigh, it didn't). Furthermore, the story felt so chewed up, we have seen it before on Disney cartoons and all the movies that were inspired by them so, nothing special if you ask me. There were some scenes that I wasn't a fan of (I won't spoil it to anyone, don't worry). All in all, this isn't something I would recommend, there are much better stories out there.

Like a grimier Brothers Grimm.

Princesses, like most girls, had always held a source of fascination for me. One of my first pets was christened Princess by me- I know, how very creative- but as I have grown, as has my cynicism, and found those tales somewhat simplistic and saccharine.

In Shadows is a Fairy tale well suited for my palette. It’s dark, gritty, and nuanced. The characters are not paradigms of virtue; in fact the leads, especially Princess Islen, fall more in the category of anti heroes. Princess Islen has a dark magical inheritance, she is scared of herself and where her nature may unwillingly lead her.

Though not all the princess tropes are done away with, she can speak to the woodland creatures, albeit she displays a marked preference for the company of monsters, pigeons, and rats. The disgraced knight, Arzhur, I must say did not make much of an impression on me one way or another, but that could change with the next installment. In this first part I found him fairly bland and I just wanted more focus on the princess.

The art work is decidedly the crown jewel of this work, beautiful, colorful, detailed and unique. I particularly liked how the princess is designed- I know, I won’t shut up about the princess, it’s like I'm a six year old again- Princess Islen is curvy and a bit racially ambiguous, so not the Disney skinny blonde variety that is prevalent; Granted & thankfully the tide is turning on that.

The main gripe I would have is that the dialogue was not distinguished, everything was told in a very common, just get the point across, direct way. I longed for that lyrical, romantic manner spoken in medical settings, and the dialogue decidedly detracted from the atmosphere the artwork and plot had so painstakingly created. However, as this is translated from it’s original French, it may lie with a no frills nor bells translation.

It is hard to rate this more that 4 stars as this was a short first installment in a graphic novel, but I am interested in seeing where this story goes and if the knight gets some personality.

If you enjoyed ‘Into the Woods,’ ‘Wicked,’ ‘Maleficent,” or would be interested in a more gritty version of ‘Shrek,’ then this is right up your alley.

All three stars I give this books is purely for the art alone. The story was okay, but the art, 🥰.
(arc from netgalley)

I'm a sucker for a good old knight and princess story so naturally, I was so excited to pick this up. It was a very quick and enjoyable read. I don't have much criticism since I enjoyed this book a lot, I'm a bit unsatisfied with the other characters but I understand since this is only the first volume after all. But for what it is, it was a very good graphic novel in my own opinion.

It's hard to judge a story from one single volume but, for me, it's off to a good start. Where the story goes from here is going to dictate if this is something I will adore or forget. The structure is very well known and could even be considered cliché but it works. I would love to see where this is going so I will choose to keep reading it if I have the chance, the art is absolutely stunning.

In truth, I didn't enjoy this graphic novel as much as I hoped I would. The story just felt very rushed and those quick jumps between the character panels throughout the graphic novel drew me out of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a copy of this arc in exchange for my honest review.

In Shadows is a dark fantasy about a dishonoured knight on a quest to save a princess from a monster... but does she actually want to be rescued?

I thought this was a fast paced and fun read.

The artwork in this was beautiful and so detailed. The artwork beautifully emphasised the mood and atmosphere of the story. The art style really suited the fantasy element of the story.

Some of the characters felt a little flat at times. It would have been interesting to see them fleshed out a little more in depth.

I enjoyed the twist on the classic damsel in distress trope. I am interested to see what happens next.

Content warnings: violence, blood and gore, animal death, child death.

2 Stars (I received an e-arc from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review)

While there are some elements of this story that I did enjoy, this was a very mediocre book, along with a messy art style. It takes place in medieval setting and has many of the associated tropes like old hags, saving the princess, a drunk dishonoured knight, journeying and an overprotective king father. Not terrible but not something that was a stand out.

Fantasy is a genre that you don't often see in comics; of course super heroes are the big tradition, and there's a lot of science fiction and horror, but fantasy seems to be a genre that comes few and far between to the medium. As such, when I saw that Europe Comics were releasing a new fantasy book I was immediately interested in seeing what it was like.

In Shadows begins by introducing readers to Arzhur, a former knight who is down on his luck and seems to be wallowing in his misery. We don't know what's happened to him to get him to this point, but we see him as a man drowning his sorrows, and being looked down upon by other knights. Soon after he and his squire are approached by a trio of strange old women who want to hire him for a job.

With little to keep him in town, and with the promise of gold and a way of regaining respect amongst his peers, Arzhur agrees to travel to the Black Castle to rescue princess Islen, who is being held within by monsters. Equipped with a new sword, Arzhur travels with the old women and his squire to the castle. Fighting his way past a horde of strange creatures, Arzhur eventually comes face to face with the princess, and the huge monster guarding her. After slaying the creature Arzhur is shocked when the princess tells him that it was her friend. Even worse, the old women begin to try and drag Islen away to her mother, not her father as they had previously told; something that Islen seems terrified about.

Seeing that the old women have lied to him, and that Islen is in genuine fear for her life, Arzhur turns on the women, freeing Islen from their grasp. The old women, now revealed to be evil hag like creatures flee into the forest. Now Arzhur makes a promise to Islen, that he will take her to her fathers castle, keeping her safe along the way. Unfortunately, the hags have other ideas.

The set-up for In Shadows is probably one of the most iconic of fantasy tropes; off to save the princess from the castle. What I really enjoyed about this story, however, is how quickly this gets turned on its head and thrown out the window. Within a few pages of being hired to save the princess Arzhur was already at the castle, ready to go in sword swinging. At first I was left thinking that this seemed a bit too quick, that the story had skipped over a lot of stuff to get straight to the action; but the fact that this was still very much set-up for the real story was a delightful twist.

The real story here is of Islen and her family, of the fight between her parents, and her trying to figure out what kind of person she wants to end up being. In a lot of ways, this is very much Islen's story, rather than Arzhurs, and of the two of them she's the one we get to know the most as events unfold. We find out how her parents met, what their relationship was like, how she ended up in the Black Castle. In contrast, we learn that Arzhur is looked down upon by his fellow knights and feels guilt, but we never know why. The story is clearly holding back on this for a while, and it will be something that will be covered in later volumes, but for now it comes across like he's the supporting character to Islen; which is a nice twist on expectations.

The story we do get this volume is actually really good, and has some great twists and turns, and some really dark moments in it too. Come the end I was actually really disappointed that it was over already, and that I was going to have to wait to find out what happens next as I was fully invested in the characters and their story.

The artwork, provided by Vincent Mallié, is absolutely gorgeous. Mallie is able to bring this world to life in wonderful, detailed ways. The villages and towns feel dirty and run down, like they're lived in. The countryside can feel vast and empty one moment, or like lush, thick forest the next. And the characters all look distinct and clear, with all of them being instantly recognisable and having a physical look all their own. Some of the best stuff, however, are the creatures, the twisted animals and strange magical beings that make appearances throughout. Seeing these unusual things suddenly appear alongside the more mundane makes them stand out instantly, and the level of detail they have means that you'll spend ages just looking through everything, trying to take it all in.

In Shadows was an engaging and engrossing first volume, one that very quickly had me wanting to know more and delving deeper into things. This is going to be one of those books where I'm going to be eagerly waiting for the next volume, and will be reading it as soon as I can.

I loved this story!! Ex-knight now mercenary Arzhur is hired by three old women to save the princess... who doesn't want saving and has a bunch of 'monsters' as pets. She can talk to animals and in general isn't really what she seems to be. What follows is a great and magical story with some dark twists. It gets a bit tropey at times (the beautiful and naïve princess, the manipulative second wife, the brave knight), but the story of who Islen is makes up for a lot of that. This is the first in its series, so we don't get much regarding answers. But I'm intrigued anyway.

I also have to say the art is lovely. Mallié does a wonderful job with both the quiet and beautiful scenes, but at the same time really knows how to make the gruesome moments dark and gritty.

This was a great read, and I'm very excited to continue the series (something I rarely do with graphic novels I receive through Netgalley). Highly recommend.

(review on blog is still to come...)

I really enjoyed this book. I read a lot of fairy tales, fairy tale retellings and fairy tale subversions, but this book completely caught me off guard. All the characters were complex and well developed and the way the story drops hints before revealing their backstories makes everything so tantalizing. There are wonderful little interactions between characters which do a great job of revealing more about their personalities even when they don’t further the plot. I love this artwork. It is so gorgeous and very reminiscent of old school fairy tale illustrations. My only complaint is the shortness of this book. A lot of plot happened in a very few pages. A few parts fell a bit fast paced as a result. I am definitely hooked and desperately want the sequel.

The art of the book was overall beautiful. I was a bigger fan of the landscape and nature pieces that the character art, but I feel that they worked well together. Parts of the story are bloody and graphic, as a warning for those who might be reading. There’s a lot of death and blood, both animal and human.

SPOILERS: I didn’t especially connect with the story or characters. The main character, Arzhur, was boring and we know little about him, just that he’s a disgraced knight which the description said, even by the end of the story.

The princess, Islen, is much more interesting. We learn her backstory and why she’s an outcast, which was intriguing and one of the few things that made me want to know more of the tale. I couldn’t help but wonder why she didn’t stop Azhur from killing her animal friends, especially her best friend, when he attacked the castle. It made me sad and disinterested in her most of the story.

I really love the art style of this graphic novel. The mood is excellently portrayed through the change of colour, and it had me intrigued right by the start of the story.
At first 'In Shadows' has a classic sword and sorcery feeling, telling a damsel-in-distress story, but I was eager to see where the story would be going and it pretty quickly overturns this trope. The back story of one of our main characters Islen is interesting and this volume basically serves as an introduction for her tale. Sadly the dialogue stays superficial and the pace is all over the place; while we have some conversations between princess and knight the story sometimes skips days and weeks at once.
This introductionary volume tell the story of Islen's awakening, it reads quick, but theres still a story left to tell and I definitely want to learn more.
3,5 stars.

A dark story about a fallen knight that accepts a quest to save the princess from a castle. But what he finds is not the princess as how was described in first place but something more darker.
If you’re into medieval fairytales with a hint of Grimm brothers touch, you will live this series!

In Shadows is a dark fantasy graphic novel that puts a twist on classic fairytale tropes. There's a princess who doesn't want to be rescued and an ex-knight who has lost his honor to name a few. This graphic novel is exactly the kind I always gravitate towards. The art is gorgeous but dark and violent. It feels like the plot of this volume just scratches the surface on what could be a sweeping epic. I want to know more about all the characters, everyone has things in their past that are hinted at and I can't wait to find out more about that and also what happens next in upcoming volumes.

Content warning for graphic depictions of violence including against animals and babies, also includes nudity.

4.5 stars!

What is a disgraced knight without a coin to his name and hoping to restore his shattered reputation going to do when he's hired to rescue a princess held captive in a dark castle? Of course he's going to say yes, ignoring for a moment that the offer not only is too good to be trustworthy but that the hirers look even more suspicious than the mission. The prospect of regaining his good standing in the kingdom and earning some gold along the way is too tempting.

Problem is, Princess Islen neither wants nor needs to be rescued. She's far from a damsel in distress as she was painted to be. Not that Arzhur, our reluctant knight in tainted armour, is aware of this before he blunders into the castle and achieves what all good knights are supposed to. His mercenary gallantry sets into motion a series of tragicomic events that'll culminate in the reveal that there are secrets about the princess, her mother, and the kingdom at large that are more complicated than it's initially thought, and that will bring too many problems for everyone. A long string of twists that make for a fast-paced adventure story from beginning to end.

This being the first volume in a series, there are plenty of details that aren't clear yet and some characters that disappear presumably for the time being; so it's pretty much an introductory volume meant to set up the story and you shouldn't be expecting explanations for everything yet. As such, it also engages in many tropes of Epic Fantasy and knightly lore: the princess is beautiful and naïve, the knight is stoic and brave, the king is strong and fearsome, the queen is jealous and manipulative, the villains are gruesome monsters, and so on. It's standard for the genre, but that doesn't mean you have to expect it to be boring or predictable, because there is plenty of turns you mightn't see coming. The story seems to be going to walk the line between being reliably tropey, as in containing the hallmarks of the knightly Fantasy subgenre, and subversive, as in twisting expectations here and there.

I think that's what makes the story intriguing and engrossing. The writing is signature Hubert, whose work I had already enjoyed when he was scriptwriting for Kerascoët, similarly twisty and gritty subversions of fairy tale and fantasy tropes. Hubert likes to lure you in with the promise of the known elements you like, and then kicks it into subversion land, and he has a bit of a penchant for introducing small warped details that flirt with grimdark without quite staying there but are enough to shock. And he chooses great artists as well, I haven't seen him work with artists I've not liked, and the choice of Mallié to illustrate this graphic novel was excellent. His art is lovely, and he can do both gruesome scens and tender scenes just as comfortably, which makes him a perfect match for the storyteller's style.

Thank you for this ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review!
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2.5 stars:
+ I liked that this was historical, I tend to gravitate towards fantasy books in this type of setting.
+ It was fast-paced and the magic was interesting.
- I would have hoped that the princess had a more likeable personality instead of the typical damsel-in-distress.
- It’s very cliché, which sometimes isn’t a bad thing, it just didn’t have that “wow” factor or anything really new to offer.

Overall, it was a nice and quick read.