Dandelion Studios comics reviews
You can find all these great titles and more at Dandelion Studios.
Troll Brothers Gruuf
A Tunnels & Trolls fan comic written by Rick Silva and Illustrated by Gynn Stella. Eight-page b/w minicomic.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In this take on a classic story, a demon lord wanting to cross a troll bridge learns that no matter how important you think you are, sometimes it's best to just pay the toll. The dialog and illustrations are great - I really enjoyed the troll brothers and would love to see them appear in another story.
Kaeli & Rebecca 1
Kaeli & Rebecca is an ongoing fantasy comic series written by Rick Silva and illustrated by Katrina Joyner.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Kaeli, a priestess of death who wants to understand life, and Rebecca, her fighter friend - visit a crumbling manor house and discover a world behind the mirrors with denizens seeking release. The comic is nicely laid out, and the fight scenes are well illustrated especially. The story is a bit confusing - I wanted to know more about who Kaeli and Rebecca were. The Kaeli character has little stalks growing from her head and pointy ears- I don't know what manner of creature she is supposed to be. Rebecca's ears are pointed too, but she doesn't have stalky things - are they elves? Is one a fairy? I had a hard time getting past that and just enjoying the story.
Zephyr & Reginald Minions for Hire in Giant Spider
Zephyr & Reginald: Minions for Hire #3 by Rick Silva & Gynn Stella. Cover coloring by Gary Scott Beatty and cover lettering by Missy Pena.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Lovable minions of evil Zephyr and Reginald are back! Dr. Despot wants them to genetically engineer a GIANT SPIDER. He's less than impressed with their results. The Legion of Good Girls gets wind of their plans, and invades the lair to try and defeat the giant spider - with hilarious results. Reg's cat 3 gets a great battle scene, and Darlene the spider is just plain adorable. Full of laugh out loud puns, and funny pokes at the super hero genre, this is a solid third offering in the Minions series. I can't wait for number 4 to see what Zephyr and Reginald get up to next.
Stone Issue #1
Writing: Rick Silva, Art: Alice Veidt & Vincent Veidt, Lettering: Steve Kuster, Cover Art: Alice Veidt & Vincent Veidt, Cover Lettering: Missy Pena, Editing: Rick Silva
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Donna Stone is getting on in years, and she's a big woman with bigger confidence - not your typical medieval heroine. She doesn't wear chainmail bikinis, and she isn't drop dead beautiful. That gives this tale a healthy dose of realism to start. Stone encounters a group of woman living in the forest and fighting for survival in a kingdom that has been usurped, and teaches them some fighting techniques - but more than that, she teaches them cunning and how to fight smart. I won't spoil the big battle at the end of this, but it had me cheering for Stone and her compatriots, and anxiously awaiting the next issue.
Perils of Picorna Issue 1
Writing: Amy Kaczmarowski & Rick Silva, Art: Missy Pena, Lettering: Missy Pena, Cover Art: Missy Pena, Cover Lettering: Missy Pena, Editing: Rick Silva
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Picorna started out as a child of the streets, but now she serves the first sister in her religious order. When an assassination attempt is made on the first sister's life, Picorna gets sent on a mission with brother Petrus. There are a lot of perils they face along the way, and there's a lot of good work done with getting to know the characters. The cover art and coloring are very lovely, and the illustrations are well done. One thing I felt there could be more of is variety in the prayers - I would have liked to have seen them go into more depth than spirits above and spirits below', or at least changing the wording up a bit. Also the bit with Picorna not remembering a prayer starts off the book, and ends it too - which is a bit much I think. Still, a solid first offering in the series. It ends on a literal cliffhanger.
Perils of Picorna Issue 2
Writing: Amy Kaczmarowski & Rick Silva, Art: Missy Pena, Lettering: Missy Pena, Cover Art: Missy Pena, Cover Lettering: Missy Pena, Editing: Rick Silva
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Issue two picks up right where we left off with issue one's literal cliffhanger. The opening page is visually stunning, with the giant statue and the perspective of our heroine hanging off of it while the villans look up at her being very well done. While the bad guys make off with part of what Picorna found on the statue, a bookmark key that they leave behind provides an important clue. They're off to the repository, where Petrus knows a girl that can help them. Picorna seems a bit jealous - could there be romance at some point in the future between her and Petrus? It's a subtle hint, but it's there. They wind up in a gypsy camp later in the story, and I'm curious about the nomadic people. The kingdom seems to have a fairly complex and interesting background, and I'm interested in the story. I'm also curious about the technology level of Picorna's world - several people are seen wearing eyeglasses, and in one scene you see what looks like a large barrel pistol. The issue ends with Picorna in peril again - another cliffhanger! There's also a nice touch of including some fanart at the end. Looking forward to the next issue.
Troll Brothers Gruuf
A Tunnels & Trolls fan comic written by Rick Silva and Illustrated by Gynn Stella. Eight-page b/w minicomic.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In this take on a classic story, a demon lord wanting to cross a troll bridge learns that no matter how important you think you are, sometimes it's best to just pay the toll. The dialog and illustrations are great - I really enjoyed the troll brothers and would love to see them appear in another story.
Kaeli & Rebecca 1
Kaeli & Rebecca is an ongoing fantasy comic series written by Rick Silva and illustrated by Katrina Joyner.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Kaeli, a priestess of death who wants to understand life, and Rebecca, her fighter friend - visit a crumbling manor house and discover a world behind the mirrors with denizens seeking release. The comic is nicely laid out, and the fight scenes are well illustrated especially. The story is a bit confusing - I wanted to know more about who Kaeli and Rebecca were. The Kaeli character has little stalks growing from her head and pointy ears- I don't know what manner of creature she is supposed to be. Rebecca's ears are pointed too, but she doesn't have stalky things - are they elves? Is one a fairy? I had a hard time getting past that and just enjoying the story.
Zephyr & Reginald Minions for Hire in Giant Spider
Zephyr & Reginald: Minions for Hire #3 by Rick Silva & Gynn Stella. Cover coloring by Gary Scott Beatty and cover lettering by Missy Pena.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Lovable minions of evil Zephyr and Reginald are back! Dr. Despot wants them to genetically engineer a GIANT SPIDER. He's less than impressed with their results. The Legion of Good Girls gets wind of their plans, and invades the lair to try and defeat the giant spider - with hilarious results. Reg's cat 3 gets a great battle scene, and Darlene the spider is just plain adorable. Full of laugh out loud puns, and funny pokes at the super hero genre, this is a solid third offering in the Minions series. I can't wait for number 4 to see what Zephyr and Reginald get up to next.
Stone Issue #1
Writing: Rick Silva, Art: Alice Veidt & Vincent Veidt, Lettering: Steve Kuster, Cover Art: Alice Veidt & Vincent Veidt, Cover Lettering: Missy Pena, Editing: Rick Silva
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Donna Stone is getting on in years, and she's a big woman with bigger confidence - not your typical medieval heroine. She doesn't wear chainmail bikinis, and she isn't drop dead beautiful. That gives this tale a healthy dose of realism to start. Stone encounters a group of woman living in the forest and fighting for survival in a kingdom that has been usurped, and teaches them some fighting techniques - but more than that, she teaches them cunning and how to fight smart. I won't spoil the big battle at the end of this, but it had me cheering for Stone and her compatriots, and anxiously awaiting the next issue.
Perils of Picorna Issue 1
Writing: Amy Kaczmarowski & Rick Silva, Art: Missy Pena, Lettering: Missy Pena, Cover Art: Missy Pena, Cover Lettering: Missy Pena, Editing: Rick Silva
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Picorna started out as a child of the streets, but now she serves the first sister in her religious order. When an assassination attempt is made on the first sister's life, Picorna gets sent on a mission with brother Petrus. There are a lot of perils they face along the way, and there's a lot of good work done with getting to know the characters. The cover art and coloring are very lovely, and the illustrations are well done. One thing I felt there could be more of is variety in the prayers - I would have liked to have seen them go into more depth than spirits above and spirits below', or at least changing the wording up a bit. Also the bit with Picorna not remembering a prayer starts off the book, and ends it too - which is a bit much I think. Still, a solid first offering in the series. It ends on a literal cliffhanger.
Perils of Picorna Issue 2
Writing: Amy Kaczmarowski & Rick Silva, Art: Missy Pena, Lettering: Missy Pena, Cover Art: Missy Pena, Cover Lettering: Missy Pena, Editing: Rick Silva
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Issue two picks up right where we left off with issue one's literal cliffhanger. The opening page is visually stunning, with the giant statue and the perspective of our heroine hanging off of it while the villans look up at her being very well done. While the bad guys make off with part of what Picorna found on the statue, a bookmark key that they leave behind provides an important clue. They're off to the repository, where Petrus knows a girl that can help them. Picorna seems a bit jealous - could there be romance at some point in the future between her and Petrus? It's a subtle hint, but it's there. They wind up in a gypsy camp later in the story, and I'm curious about the nomadic people. The kingdom seems to have a fairly complex and interesting background, and I'm interested in the story. I'm also curious about the technology level of Picorna's world - several people are seen wearing eyeglasses, and in one scene you see what looks like a large barrel pistol. The issue ends with Picorna in peril again - another cliffhanger! There's also a nice touch of including some fanart at the end. Looking forward to the next issue.