“The
Blue Elves’ Crystal” (Elves, Volume 1) / "Le Crystal des Elfes Bleus"
by Jean-Luc Istin (script), Kyko Duarte
(artist) & Diogo Saïto (colors)
Publisher: Soleil Productions
The review is based on bought copy of the book
I
could trace my love for the elves to my first fantasy books that landed on my
reading table, J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” and R.A. Salvatore’s “Dark Elf” novels. Or I could go further back in time and discover
that this trail begins with the German fairy tales I enjoyed in my childhood
years. Nonetheless, the attraction remains as strong as in those magical times
and I find myself unable to resist to books such as it is Jean-Luc Istin and Kyko
Duarte’s “The Blue Elves’ Crystal”.
Returning
from a journey the blue elf Lanawyn and her human friend Turin reach the city
of Ennlya only to discover that all its inhabitants have been killed. The
evidence they uncover points towards the human clan of Yrlanis as responsible
for the atrocity. At the same time, in the island city of Elsémur, Vaalann, a
young blue elf, appears to be the chosen of whom an old prophecy speaks of, the
one who will control the powerful blue elves’ crystal.
Jean-Luc
Istin’s “The Blue Elves’ Crystal” is not a groundbreaking story, most of its
elements are very familiar. But if this tale doesn’t score points for
originality, it still delivers an interesting and entertaining story. Two arcs
go in parallel for the most part of the graphic novel, the criminal
investigation in the Ennlya’s massacre and Vaalann’s attempt in fulfilling the
blue elves’ old prophecy. The alternation between the two makes the intrigue
work better, provides good suspense and allows the plot to accumulate enough
mystery for the final twist to be effective. Blood runs hot within the story as
well, there is plenty of action to be had, both on grander and smaller scales, some
tense encounters and presence of mythical creatures that quicken the pace
nicely and add something extra to the tale.
The
characters are pleasant as well. “The Blue Elves’ Crystal” 54 pages does not
offer much space for the characters to develop properly, but they still manage
to be lively to a certain extent. Little elements of their personalities make
themselves present and the reader can guess a couple of other aspects regarding
the characters from here. They are not memorable, but there is no regret in
spending time in their company either.
The
liveliness of the characters gains potency from the drawings of Kyko Duarte as
well. His art is wonderful, the personalities and emotions well captured in all
the characters, the scenes captivating and the landscapes and locations
represented wonderfully. Kyko Duarte’s art complements successfully the story,
it intensifies the enjoyment of this little graphic novel and provides some
splendid frameworks. The minor details tend to get blurred into a mass within a
couple of cadres, but that might be put on perfectionist demands rather than
the fault of the artist. The overall result obtained by Kyko Duarte with each
frame is nothing but satisfying.
I
pursued my attraction for the elves to Jean-Luc
Istin and Kyko Duarte’s comic
book and I feel no disappointment in doing so. “The Blue Elves’ Crystal” is an epic fantasy that doesn’t defy the
standards and does not challenge the reader, but it is a fun and relaxing
story. And since this is the first comics in a series of independent stories
set in a universe of elves I hope that the next volumes would keep fueling the
joy of reading kindled by “The Blue
Elves’ Crystal”.
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