WIKA, available from Titan Comics on March 16th, 2021, is the massive 4-book collection of the Steampunk/Fairy adventure epic from Thomas Day and Olivier Ledroit. Set in the world of Pan, malignant Prince Oberon sets out to destroy the rival rulers of the surrounding kingdoms to become the ultimate Fairy King. Fueled by his incestuous jealousy for his twin sister, Titania, Prince Oberon kills his sister and her husband, Duke Grimm, but not before they arrange the escape of their infant daughter, Wika. And so, Wika’s adventure begins…
The Details
- Written By: Thomas Day
- Art By: Olivier Ledroit
- Letters By: Jessica Burton
- Cover Art By: Olivier Ledroit
- Translation By: Christopher Pope
- Cover Price: $39.99
- Release Date: March 16, 2021
Was It Good?
It’s visually exquisite and narratively sumptious.
Oka, okay. Yes, those are some fancy words, but the bottom line, my intrepid readers, is this is a book collection of page after page of visual ‘wow’ moments, and it’s the steampunk fairy cousin to the Lord of the Rings you never knew you needed until now.
Every page could be a poster worthy of hanging in your favorite nerd den, and the adult-ish themes are dramatic, sexy, and kick-ass enough to keep you hooked for all of its beefy 230+pages.
To get a closer look at the art, check out our WIKA preview here.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD]
Evil Prince Oberon has ascended to his father’s throne with the goal of uniting all the kingdoms of Pan with an iron fist. Protected by indestructible armor and aided by his hybrid wolf/fairy children, Oberon rages war against CatelGrimm and its ruler, Duke Grimm.
Duke Grimm not only leads his land with honor and nobility but his Duchess is Oberon’s sister. Together, they have borne their only fairy child, Wika.
In classic fairytale fashion, the Duke and Duchess are slain but Wika is spirited away by the Duke’s man-at-arms so she can be hidden from Prince Oberon until she’s old enough to fight for herself. When Wika comes of age, she experiences life, love, and loss on her way to becoming the Duchess of her usurped kingdom and Grand Fairy of Pan.
There’s much too much to cover in a single review, so we’ll hit the highlights.
The art is excellent. It’s no exaggeration to say you could make a fairy poster out of nearly every page. The level of detail for such a large collection is astounding. What makes the art unique is the organic blend of fairytale fantasy with a steampunk aesthetic that doesn’t make it feel like a corny cosplay convention. Every mechanism is integrated into the settings, the machinery, and the costumes in a way that’s both powerful and delicate.
On the story itself, the main plot isn’t bizarre or anything out of the ordinary for a fairytale, but what sets this tome apart is the sheer scale and scope of every thread. There are curses that have endured over generations, dysfunctional royal relationships that would give Game of Thrones a run for its money, and more magical, mythical creatures than you can shake a stick at. I don’t think there’s a single human in this entire book.
If this one criticism, it’s that sometimes the level of detail can get overwhelming. It never looks messy, but it would be easy to say you don’t know where to look because the page is so busy with detail.
Final Thoughts
WIKA, available from Titan Comics on March 16th, 2021, takes the concept of fairy-centric graphic novels to another level. The art is impressive in its detail, scale, and beauty, and the writing is equally massive in scale and wonder.
Score: 9.5/10
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