Customer Reviews

Grimwood's Daughter

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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!