Review – The legend of Ys
The Legend of Ys
Jean-Luc Istin (author), Dejan Nenadov (artist), Esad Ribić (cover)
Release date(s): September 11th 2016 by Komiko (reviewed) – available @ http://www.komiko.rs/
format( 156 pages, HC, color, Serbian), 2000 RSD (approx. 16,5 EUR)
Synopsis: “Are you the King Gradlon?”
“His shadow. Only his shadow. But for you, Roman, it makes no difference. Gradlon the Pict, Gradlon the warrior chief, the King Gradlon of Cornouaille and Ys, and now Gradlon the Anaon, the ghost, the one that looks at the past and that only awaits death. What do you want to know, Roman? ”
“I want to know everything.”
What and where is Ys? Ys is a mythical city built on the coast of Brittany (nothern part of France). Once a great and prosperous city, in the end flooded and gone without a trace. In this graphic novel, we follow the story of the now old-man, king Gradlon, legendary 5th century king, in his conversation with a Roman pilgrim. In this edition, published by the Serbian publisher Komiko, all 3 parts of the story are included. In the first part, Betrayal, we follow Gradlon growing up, training and ending up betrayed by his own brother and people. In Vengeance, he looks for revenge with his daughter Ahes (Dahut in some sources). In the third and final part, Flood, we get to see the downfall of the mythical Ys.
Story-wise, Jean-Luc Istin, tells a great story, partially leaning on the myths, keeping the reader interested at all times, and developing the characters and the plot at an excellent pace. The art of Dejan Nenadov is simply stunning, especially the double page spreads, left me more than a few times stuck at pages. The amount of detail on the characters, areas, capturing the movement of characters presented the story beautifully. The covers are the work of Esad Ribic.
Pros: great story combined with fantastic art, interesting myth
Cons: nothing
Conclusion: First time I got in touch with the work of Istin and Nenadov, hopefully not the last. The Legend of Ys combines great story-telling with fantastic art. If you love myths, medieval stories, look no further, this is one graphic novel you will love and come back to. Final verdict 9 out of 10.