Wild Blue Yonder #1-6

Written by Mike Raicht, Zach Howard, and Austin Harrison
Art by Zach Howard

I'd heard some good things about Wild Blue Yonder, a science fiction series from IDW, and jumped at the chance to pick up a full set recently.

This is a very good sci-fi adventure comic for fans of Mad Max.  In the future, most of the Earth is uninhabitable, due to radiation and other environmental factors, and the luckiest people are the ones who live in the sky, on flying fortresses.  Cola and her people live on the Dawn, which apparently is able to keep flying without fuel (this is never explained), which makes them a target for pirates and others who want to break themselves of dependency on fossil fuels (which are squeezed out of the Earth by a frequently mis-treated servant class).

Because of the violence inherent in this world, mixed with the lack of resources, especially ammunition, the fortresses have developed an interesting method of defence.  Pilots like Cola fly their planes, and transport 'bullets', jetpack-wearing warriors who often go into battle with axes.

When the series opens, Cola is looking to recruit a new bullet after her previous one died on a mission.  She finds Tug, the son of a miner, and we see the Dawn and its systems through his eyes.  We quickly learn that things are not good between Cola and her mother, who runs the place, and that Cola's independence and flying skills are a problem between them.  Worst of all, they both blame Cola for the previous bullet's death.

As the series progresses, we learn that the Judge, the commander of a large fleet, has his hopes set on taking the Dawn, and he has a variety of plans in place to make that happen.

This series is gorgeous.  Zach Howard's art reminds me a lot of Sean Murphy's (in fact, comparisons to The Wake wouldn't be inaccurate), and his air battles are pretty incredible.  Nelson Daniel's colours work very well; you can almost feel the heat off the various fires that fill the last two issues.

There's a fair amount of sticking to genre tropes in this story, but at the same time, in just six issues the writers had me caring about the characters and their world, and the art really made this book stand out.  Recommended.

The Stuff of Legend Vol. 3: A Jester's Tale #2

Written by Mike Raicht and Brian Smith
Art by Charles Paul Wilson

Last issue, we were introduced to a second jester in The Dark, the world in which all of the action in this comic takes place.  Unlike our regular charming, ass-kicking Jester, this one is more of a pirate and scourge of the Dark.  This issue gives us his origin, and makes our Jester aware of him.

The Stuff of Legend is turning out to be a much longer series than I anticipated when I got on board, but I'm finding it to be a pretty rewarding read.  Having split the good toys up, Raicht and Smith have a lot more happening in each issue, as we check in on the group of toys trying to leave the Dark, the Jester's journey into the land of dolls (why isn't this The Valley of The Dolls?  too obvious?), and we also see the Boy, the person all the toys are trying to rescue, who is still on the train he was riding when last we saw him.

This series is sharply written, and has great art.

The Stuff of Legend Vol.3: A Jester's Tale #1

Written by Mike Raicht and Brian Smith
Art by Charles Paul Wilson III

The Stuff of Legend seems to be growing into an ever more sprawling adventure epic.  In the second volume, The Jungle, the group of toys who have ventured into "The Dark" to save their young master faced great divisiveness in their ranks, as a revelation of guilt splits them irrevocably.

This new arc is mostly focused on one of the toys - the Jester - who in the real world is a jack-in-the-box, and his quest to find his Princess, who appears to have been kidnapped and taken to the Indian lands (as this story is set in 1944, when kids played Cowboys and Indians, I'll let the misnomer go).

What makes this most interesting is that it seems there is another Jester roaming The Dark, sticking to the seas and terrorizing the Boogeyman's navy.  As always with this series, Charles Paul Wilson provides some excellent visuals, which really help propel the story.  I'm getting a little tired of the sepia tinting though.

The Stuff of Legend Vol.2: The Jungle #4

Written by Mike Raicht and Brian Smith
Art by Charles Paul Wilson III

This has been an interesting title, and with this issue, the writers really work at chipping away at the emotional bond between the main characters.

This group of toys (with a dog) have been through a lot since journeying into The Dark to search for the child that owns them, and to rescue him from the Boogeyman.  In this issue, the toys have been separated into animal and human factions, and the humans are on the run from the rest of the animal kingdom, which is hunting them.  They come across a subject of the Princess, who renders aid, and some of them decide to go back to help their animal friends.

Meanwhile, Max, the bear, has revealed his greatest shame and secret to the rest of the group, with the effect that their friendships are fractured.  Max takes on a leadership challenge against the King of the Animals, and in the Boogeyman's army, there are the first rumblings of discontent.  Meanwhile, the boy has escaped the Boogeyman's people, and is running free through The Dark.

The writers are giving this story a lot of time to develop - the next issue looks like it will focus on the Jester and be out in the summer, and I appreciate their slow burn approach.  While a number of the concepts at play here are none too original (The Indian in the Cupboard?), the depth of the characterization and the beauty of the artwork really make this series stand out.

The Stuff of Legend Vol.2: The Jungle #3

Written by Mike Raicht and Brian Smith
Art by Charles Paul Wilson III

This series, while increasingly dark and grim, is a pleasure to read.  Raicht and Smith have put a lot of effort into crafting The Dark - the place where forgotten toys end up.  This issue, which has our group of hero toys captured in the jungle, examines the history and politics of the dark, as Monty, the first toy, explains how he Bogeyman rose to power, and how he betrayed the animals.

The writers build on the sense of tragedy and the guilt felt by the toys that have remained loyal to their owner (the Boy, who they have traveled into the Dark to rescue) over their preferred status in his life.

Max, the bear, has been set up as the most noble character in the group, so his revelations at the end of the issue come as a shock (especially as I don't clearly remember what happened when the series started).  There is also a terrific scene where the Jester does battle with a group of tigers armed only with a burning stick.  The art in this book is wonderful.

The Stuff of Legend Vol.2: The Jungle #2

Written by Mike Raicht and Brian Smith
Art by Charles Paul Wilson III

While this is a very good comic, it's clearly been written for the trade, as the issue just stops rather than build to a cliffhanger or appropriate chapter break.

Beyond that, we get another interesting chapter in this on-going story about a group of toys who have entered "The Dark" to rescue their owner from the Boogeyman.

When this chapter opens, the toys are trapped between the Boogeyman's forces, a huge cliff, and the Golems, which are Play-Do like creatures the boy used to use to squish his toys with.  Our heroes get separated, and the duplicitous Piggy Bank, Percy, has another run-in with the Boogeyman.  Later, Percy leads the group into the jungle, where they run into another group of cast-off toys.

What I like best about this issue is the flashback, which establishes the character of the knight who leads the Boogeyman's forces.  The boy himself makes another appearance at the end of the issue, although his story, and the identity of the other boy with him, interests me less than that of the toys.

As always, this comic is lovely, although I'm a growing a little tired of its sepia tones.  I feel like the flashbacks should have a different visual effect going for them - it would help to separate their place in the story, and the reality of The Dark.

The Stuff of Legend Volume 2: The Jungle, Part 1

Written by Mike Raicht and Brian Smith
Art by Charles Paul Wilson III

The Stuff of Legend is an incredibly charming and enjoyable book.  There are a few things about this latest issue that I don't get though.  First, I don't really understand why the creators have considered this a second volume; the story is clearly a continuation of the first volume, and there does not appear to be any thematic difference.  Secondly, I don't understand why this volume is named 'The Jungle', as while there is some discussion of a jungle, none of the characters reach it, and it does not factor into the story.  Were these volumes more than two issues long, I wouldn't be concerned about that, but it just seems odd to me the way Th3rd World are doing things.

As for the book itself, it is just as good as the first two issues were.  The story of a group of brave toys that have traveled into The Dark to rescue their owner from the Boogeyman is simple on the surface, but is richly layered with character interaction and beautiful artwork.  As the toys flee the Boogeyman's forces, they run into some trouble, and then hole up in an abandoned Zoo.  That's basically all that happens, but the book stays suspenseful and interesting throughout.

The Stuff of Legend Book II

Written by Mike Raicht and Brian Smith
Art by Charles Paul Wilson III

The second issue of this unique new title is a lot darker than the first. The group of toys, now leaderless, are lost in The Dark, searching for the boy that owns them. They come across a town - Hopscotch, and are drawn into the strange games of its mayor, who is more or less the guy from the Monopoly board.

For such a fantastical setting and concept, the authors pay a lot of attention to characterization. Percy, the piggy bank who betrayed his comrades in the first issue really has to make some decisions in this installment, and his true character begins to shine through. The other characters reveal a great deal about themselves through their actions.

The art is incredible throughout the book. This is a very exciting new series, and deserves a lot of attention.

The Stuff of Legend Volume 1: The Dark Book 1

Written by Mike Raicht and Brian Smith
Art by Charles Paul Wilson III

This book got a lot of press a couple of weeks ago, and caught my interest enough that I decided that I would order it from the publisher - something I don't often do. It's easy to see why this book has been getting a lot of hype. It's really quite good.

The story is at first quite straight-forward. A young boy in a house in Brooklyn in 1944 is abducted by a creature living in his closet, a common fear. Once he is gone, his toys come to life, bemoaning his fate. A few, the most loyal and brave, take it upon themselves to go into the closet, and "The Dark", to rescue him.

At this point, things shift, and the toys are no longer animated things of wood, fabric or whatever, and are instead real creatures. The teddy bear becomes a fierce grizzly; the jack-in-the-box an able warrior. The toys go after the Boogeyman, who has an army of toys at his disposal.

This book makes use of classic themes and ideas in childrens' literature, but the book's dark nature appeals to adult audiences, without having to resort to foul language or sexuality. In a lot of ways, this book feels a little like the opposite of Fables; the toys work hard to preserve the mundane happiness of childhood, and exist solely for the pleasure of The Boy.

While the story is compelling, it is the art that makes this book a winner. Wilson's art is beautiful, and the Design and Colour team of Jon Conkling and Michael DeVito have gone above and beyond, bordering each page as if it is a recently-discovered artifact from the time it is set in.

Highly, highly recommended. This book can be purchased directly from the publisher.