Ah, you taste that? That’s the taste of a satisfactory ending of a story arc. What I absolutely dig about this series is that while it is an ongoing story with a grand adventure, each book/volume manages to feel complete on its own. Upon reading the ending of book two I don’t feel cheated or that the story is simply looking to leave me with a Mario Brothers: The Movie ending, but rather that a story with a beginning, middle and end has been completed. I know that doesn’t seem like a big deal, but I really cannot think of another comic book series that has successfully told a larger story through a series of mini-series, in which the mini-series can stand on their own. Other than the Mignola-verse, this is literally my only example. I can think of plenty of failed movie attempts and so can you, just think about any trilogy that had the second and third film shot at the same time and there you have it… it’s more difficult than it looks. The reason I’m so focused on this is because I think it’s important to understand how strong of a writer Whitley is. To be quite honest, the way he crafts this story and world is amazing. I would even go as far to say that he is one of the most skilled writers in comics today. He has a masterful understanding of the medium and of storytelling. (Also I hate him for it, but that’ s just envy talking)
Okay so the story! I’m not going to tell you a whole lot since it’s the final issue of the arc, but I will say that it starts off a bit differently than the other issues. We actually open up to Angelica’s narration this time around as she walks us through her life. She explains how she came to accept her beauty and also how accepting her beauty helped result in her early departure to a tower. This basically brings the story up to speed to the point where Adrienne touched her and released the curse that has kept all the knights from rescuing her. From there it’s a showdown between the glowing lion and the three ladies.
Again, the writing is terrific. Angelica becomes a fleshed out character and after the cold introduction we were given to her in the last issue, you actually understand her life and the way she is. The interaction and dialog between the three ladies is great. Though Bedelia and Adrienne have only been with each other for a little bit, they act very close. They care about each other and support each other whenever possible. I would like to see Bedelia be a little tougher in the next series; when we first meet her she had a fighting spirit, but she was a bit more passive in this volume.
I’m 100% sold on the art. I hope that Martin is returning for the next volume because she has left her mark on this series in a big way. Literally my only gripe with the art is that Sparky doesn’t look as good as the first series, but hopefully with more practice on the character she’ll improve. I’ve listed what I think Martin’s influences on the art style are in previous reviews, so I’ll just say that it’s the right fit for this world.
If this is the first you’ve heard of Princeless then do yourself a favor and track down the first volume and the back issues for this one (or wait until this volume is traded next month). It’s a great series and this second volume only confirmed what I felt about the first book… this is going to be a great story once it’s done. It really is an instant classic in my opinion.
Score: 5/5
Writer: Jeremy Whitley
Artist: Emily Martin
Publisher: Action Lab Entertainment
Price: $3.99
Release Date: 6/26/13