Grimwood's Daughter [Hardcover]

Jan Strnad (Author), Kevin Nowlan (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 22, 2009

Grimwood's Daughter chronicles the last days of the elves in their desperate war against man, magician, and dragon. Artist Kevin Nowlan's powerful images elevate Jan Strnad's dark, cautionary tale into a true gem of fantasy fiction, a graphic fable that is compelling, timeless, and unforgettable. Includes a special section with Nowlan sketches and preliminaries!

Product Details

• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: IDW Publishing (September 22, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1600105041
• ISBN-13: 978-1600105043
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 6.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,089,558 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterful Storytelling, December 9, 2009

By 

Fernando H. Ramirez "The Common Man's Final Word" (San Antonio, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Grimwood's Daughter (Hardcover)

GRIMWOOD'S DAUGHTER is a comics story written by Jan Strnad, and drawn (and partially lettered) by Kevin Nowlan. This is almost a cautionary tale about the circumstances leading to the last battle between man and elves. The story is thought-provoking, and explores various themes: those of hatred, forgiveness, regret, love, environmentalism, war, and death.

This short story was originally serialized as a backup over several issues to a comic called DALGODA, which was published by Fantagraphics in the early 80's. It was originally presented in color, with some of the coloring done by noted philosopher/artist Kenneth Smith. This new edition, published by IDW, is... however...in black and white. I actually prefer the story in black and white, and Nowlan's drawings are exquisite.

The only problem I have is the story is so SHORT! There are 5 chapters... each is 9 pages, including title pages. The title pages are frequently 'story summaries', so that makes a real total of 40 pages of storytelling. The story is SO GOOD, you will wish it was longer. Thankfully, the IDW package (my copy was a handsome hardback, well manufactured, with a nice paper stock) was a bargain, for the fantastic price of $12.99! The book, which is 64 pages total, comes with a LARGE sketchbook section of Nowlan's layout work, logos, and other cool material. It's an insider's look at the behind-the-scenes processes of artist Kevin Nowlan.

Readers will enjoy the story, which is well-written, memorable, and eventful. Think of this as a Tolkien-esque fantasy foray. It is comics done at a high-level by two masters of the genre. Would-be comics artists will enjoy studying the work of Nowlan, who above his great craftsman abilities... is a good storyteller. Highly Recommended!