Advance Review: Canto Vol3 #1

Canto (Volume 3) #1 continues what has been built in volumes one and two of the series. Compelling fantasy action, beautiful artwork, an engaging story and a central character that pulls on the heartstrings with his mix of cute and pure grit.

Canto is comic book series I’ve been a fan of since the first issue came out a few years ago (don’t quote me on those dates). The books central figure, as I stated above, is cute in an anime sort of way. However, he is also brave, loyal and inspiring. Everything about him makes you want to read more and know more about his unfolding story. I’ll admit that I missed most of volume two but picking this book up was liking rediscovering an old friend. I was quickly back in the story and, while I didn’t have all the details, I was able to follow along and become enchanted once more. The writing by David M Booher (Alien Bounty Hunter, Powerless) is first rate. Booher is able to create a style of fantasy that reminds me of classic Japanese role playing games of the past. He takes the standard western fantasy tropes, mixes in Japanese elements, and comes up with something new. You can see this on the very first page of this book. The characters created are, on the one hand, animal hybrid and, on the other hand, high tech demon. The mounts are a mix of dragon and fairy and, it must be mentioned, the central character is a steampunk knight that could just as easily be found in an anime book. The story that goes along with these characters is just as interesting. Canto, our central character, is now the leader of his people and he has been thrust into a central role in an unfolding conflict. So much drama put on those shoulders and Booher plays it perfectly. Canto is juggling alliances, politics, and a history of slavery against the harsh reality of his strategic situation. This writing is high fantasy but Booher blends it seamlessly into the fantastic world he has created.

The art by Drew Zucker (The House, Skybreaker) is every bit the equal of Booher’s writing. Without Zucker’s art this world of the fantastical would have never been brought to life. The character design is fantastic and Zucker uses camera position to great effect. There are numerous panels in this book with no dialogue. However, the book is not poorer for it as it allows Zucker to drive the book forward with some incredible action panels that are worth the price of admission alone. The inking is equally fantastic. Each panel is carefully inked and it adds to the dynamism of each shot. This book is absolutely beautiful and a master class in sequential story telling and sequential art. The one complaint I have with the book is the color palette and color saturation. There are panels that appear washed out to me and I feel the color can subtract from the incredible artwork at times. In fairness to the book, I am a reviewer who loves book with vibrant contrasting colors that are heavily saturated.

All things considered, this book is fantastic. I’m looking forward to reading more of this story. I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of comics in general, fantasy, anime, or Japanese RPGs. This is an incredible read so prepare yourself to be sucked into this world.

Writing – 4.5 of 5 Stars
Art – 4.5 of 5 Stars
Ink – 5 of 5 Stars
Color – 4 of 5 Stars

Overall – 5 of 5 Stars

Written by David M Booher
Drawn by Drew Zucker
Published by IDW

Author Profile

Nemesis

Nemesis is a poet, writer and author of the upcoming novel The Long Game. He is a writer of science fiction and supernatural thrillers. Besides novels and short stories he writes for UK based ASAP Comics developing new stories for Level 8 and OPSEC. Nem is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and tries to bring those experiences into his writing.

He lives and works out of his home in Riverside, California with his wife and three children. When not writing he enjoys reviewing comic books and graphic novels for ComicCrusaders.com and living the Southern California life with his family.