[Review, Fantasy Comic] Rune: The Tale of a Thousand Faces by Carlos Sánchez (Flying Eye Books, 2024)
A gorgeous work of art with loveable and diverse characters overcoming adversity in a strange new land.
Rune: The Tale of a Thousand Faces by Carlos Sánchez (Flying Eye Books, 2024)
Information
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Demographic: Middle Grade
Length: 144 pages
Content Advisory: This work contains minor themes of fantasy violence and bullying
Representation: Deaf main character, multiple characters who can sign, sapphic main character (Sophie)
Links: Goodreads, Storygraph
Review
A gorgeous work of art with loveable and diverse characters overcoming adversity in a strange new land.
Rune: The Tale of A Thousand Faces is an imaginative fantasy adventure that combines the best elements of Adventure Times zany character and world design, Steven Universe’s diverse cast and colourful palettes, and Over the Garden Walls's strange, magical and somewhat frightening adventure.
In this comic, we follow friends Chiri and Dai as they accidentally stumble into the magical world of Puddin’. A world full of magic, alchemy and strange creatures. Hunted by the Thousand Faces Monster the duo are joined by druid Sophie and the warrior Oko to make the journey home. Developing sword-fighting skills and magic along the way.
Our main female protagonist Chiri is deaf and uses both hearing aids and sign language to communicate with her companions and the audience. Carlos Sánchez weaves her disability into a wonderful gift that enhances her magical ability inside of Puddin’ with wizard signs being similar to sign language that Chiri uses. While Chiri’s adventurous nature revels in her adventure in Puddin’ Dai is more of a scardey cat who must learn to overcome his fear and stand up for himself whether that be against bullies or the ominous Thousand Faces Monster.
While intended as a series the story of this first volume is pretty self-contained having a neat resolution that leaves further mysteries and adventures to be explored in later volumes (not yet announced). The only disappointment I had with this book is that I would have liked to see more confrontations between Chiri and Dai and the Thousand Faces Monster that reinforced Dai’s fears as well as gave room for a more direct showing of our characters growing their powers that wasn’t in a travelling montage. Which for me would have delivered a more satisfying final confrontation. However, even with that small weak point, this is an exciting adventure with a satisfying conclusion.
The art of Rune is gorgeous from the spot shimmer foiling on the cover that would attract any kiddo’s eyes, to the gorgeous two-page spreads that populate the work. There is so much detail in the backgrounds that make the story and world more vibrant that I’m constantly discovering new details. The colour palette is also gorgeous. Comprising primarily of rich pinks, blues, and yellows that Sánchez switches between to highlight different scenes and panels. Masterfully he draws your eye along the page. While I 100% believe comics stand on their own as a medium without the need for adaption, I can also see Middle-Grade children eating up Rune as an animation.
Rune: The Tale of a Thousand Faces was a wonderful read, with gorgeous art and diverse and loveable characters. I can’t wait for the next instalment in this comic series, to see our young heroes grow and discover the mysteries left unanswered.
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