Dungeon: Monstres - Vol. 2: The Dark Lord (v. 2) [Paperback]

Joann Sfar (Author), Lewis Trondheim (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2008 | Series: Dungeon (Book 2)

Terra Amata has exploded into many little floating islands and Herbert has become a very dark and very powerful lord. In both stories in this volume, the key is to find the map to the new world and great forces are in the way.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This latest collection of the French heroic fantasy spoof finds the cast dealing with Terra Amata, the landscape where the series takes place, exploding into a myriad of floating islands that resemble a cartoon version of a Roger Dean Yes album cover. In The Great Map, Marvin the Red, a fanged rabbit hero in a suit of armor, must find the map of the just-exploded realm, while in The Dark Lord, the Grand Khan, a powerful dark lord who also happens to be a duck, renounces his baleful powers, an act that causes the sundering of the world. There's a lot going on in both stories, all of it quite entertaining and very well illustrated. The guest artists acquit themselves nicely—Andreas's work brings to mind Sergio Aragones or Stan Sakai, while Stephane Blanquet's highly appealing style looks like a fusion of Charles Burns and Gabor Czupo. Great fun, although the curious are advised to pick up the previous volumes. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Grade 10 Up-Monstres retells tales of minor characters in &Dungeon,& a 15-volume (so far) comic series. This book offers two perspectives on the same end-of-world scenario. In &The Great Map,& Marvin the Red, a rabbit with an Iron Man-like suit, has been instructed to transport the women of his land to a safe location. An explosion turns the world into a series of floating islands, however, and Marvin has a new task: find the new map of the world and deliver it to the Dust King. After some mishaps and a fight with the Grand Khan, Marvin finds himself enamored with the Khan&'s daughter. An encounter with monks desperate to give up their vows of celibacy lends this chapter a Monty Python quality. &The Dark Lord& takes the perspective of the Grand Khan, a duck anxious to rid himself of the evil spirit that, along with nine objects of destiny, keeps the planet from blowing to bits. Without the spirit, the Khan can neither hold the planet together nor keep his enemies from trying to kill him. Khan flees his castle in search of the same map Marvin was tasked with finding in the first story. At first glance, the Grand Khan&'s appearance brings up memories of the 1990s &Darkwing Duck& cartoon series, and the color artwork is similar to that in Sfar&'s Vampire Loves (Roaring Brook, 2006). Dungeon pokes fun at Dungeons & Dragons, as well as any number of &hero worship& comic titles.–Sarah Krygier, Solano County Library, Fairfield, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Paperback: 94 pages
• Publisher: NBM Publishing (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561635405
• ISBN-13: 978-1561635405
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,194,072 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More like Duck Lord am I right?, October 29, 2008

By 

Michael Stearns (Ellensburg, WA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Dungeon: Monstres - Vol. 2: The Dark Lord (v. 2) (Paperback)

It's Dungeon time again! Once again, another book, devoured in a couple days (I was strong this time). The stories in this one are really good, each focusing on the events leading up to and immediately after the earth-shattering events (Dungeon fans will know exactly what that's about) in the other Twilight stories, but with a neat twist: one story is centered on Marvin the Red, and the other on Herbert, with a bit of overlap thrown in for good measure.

It's very entertaining, but it's definitely appealing to fans of the other books, filling in some details. The previous book in the "Monstres" series was light and humorous, and could stand to be read on its own, but not the case with this one, fitting in quite specifically with the continuity in Twilight. The art style for the second story, as with the last Monstres volume, diverges from the norm, but it isn't nearly as jarring as last time, and the story itself is also excellent.