Green Monk

by Brandon Dayton

I picked up this small but thick comic at TCAF because I was impressed with Brandon Dayton's clean lines.

Green Monk is an adventure story about a monk wandering around a mythical Russian countryside.  He is armed with a greenblade, which is basically a sword made of an indestructible blade of grass.  He seeks out a giant, called Oxbreaker, who has been terrorizing the locals, and fights him.

It's a simple story, told simply as well.  Dayton uses each page as a single panel, but because of the book's dimensions, that approach works very well.  Dayton has a simple approach to art as well - it reminds me a little of Jeff Smith, with minimalist backgrounds and details.

Basically, this book is a good example of pure, unadulterated comics goodness.  I'm sure it is not easy to find a copy of this comic, but it can be ordered here.  Get it.