Creepshow Vol 3 #4 Review

 

Writers: Mike Carey & Acky Bright

Artists & Colorists: Mark Torres & Acky Bright

Letterer: Pat Brosseau

Cover Artists: Martín Morazzo & Chris O’Halloran; Mark Torres; Steve Beach

Editor: Ben Abernathy

Designer: Jillian Crab

Production: Richard Mercado

Masters Of Horror: Greg Nicotero & Brian Witten

Additional Creep Art: Michael Broom

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: December 25, 2024

 

Sergeant Thomas Campion is a British Redcoat. Abigail loses her boyfriend to a prettier woman. What can these two people, separated by over a century, have in common? And how do they relate to us today? Let’s leap into Creepshow Vol 3 #4 and find out!

 

Story: Flesh Wounds

As Mike Carey's story opens, Sergeant Campion has enjoyed an impressive career beneath the Union Jack. Like Emil Blonsky in Louis Leterrier's film The Incredible Hulk, Campion doesn't care about advancing in rank. Each venture into the fray is a chance to prove himself the ultimate fighter. Yet after a dozen or more years on battlefields around the world, a Bedouin nearly kills him. This assault on his invincibility rattles him more than he wants to admit.

 

While tending Campion's wounds, the medic mentions hearing of a devil in the desert. British-born Campion has fought against Catholics often enough that any remark approaching religion from a Papist infuriates him. Notions like fiendish genies who grant wishes to supplicants sound too much like the mysticism the reformers worked hard to expunge from the Church Of England. But O’Riordan insists another soldier has profited from bargaining with this evil creature. So, Sergeant Thomas Campion rides into the desert to make a deal that sounds too good to be true in Creepshow Vol 3 #4.

 

Art: Flesh Wounds

Sergeant Campion cuts a striking figure adorned in red, white, and black. Mark Torres' muted colors lessen the battlefield carnage. Yet bright and florescent colors lend a heightened reality to Campion's lust for conquest. Campion and his fellow Redcoats evoke the toy soldiers beloved by generations of British children and treasured by modern wargaming enthusiasts. Yet Torres often paints the soldiers' skin gray, suggesting the British Empire thrived by sucking the lifeblood from its subjects.

 

Campion’s deal with the devil occurs beneath a light blue and pink sky, while green coats the ground and an ancient temple. After receiving what he most desired, Thomas' skin looks hale as he charges into battle renewed. Yet orange, pink, purple, and green dominate panels when the devil pays Thomas a return visit in Creepshow Vol 3 #4. Hyper-real colors invade Flesh Wounds thereafter.

 

Story: Face

Abigail has a problem. Her boyfriend left her for another woman. The scorned lover vacillates between revulsion and admiration as she stares at a photo of her boyfriend with his new paramour. Yet his choice is irrefutable. So, in Acky Bright’s story, Abigail visits a clinic promising to give her a new face.

 

At first, this second story in Creepshow Vol 3 #4 seems innocuous compared with the first. Yet Abigail wields her new beauty like a weapon. Like the Roman god the clinic is known for, Abigail becomes two-faced. Her cosmetic surgery was supposed to unleash the person inside her. Instead, Abigail's actions suggest that her boyfriend dropped her because of her "inner beauty."

 

Art: Face

Acky Bright portrays Abigail as a schoolgirl who prefers comfort to elegance. As Abigail stares at her phone, the brightly colored ad for Janus contrasts with the gray dominating the first page. The surgeon's proposed makeover evokes Lady Cassandra from Doctor Who. Abigail smiles when agreeing to the surgery. Yet, as she waits for the anesthesia to take effect, beads of sweat form on Abigail's nose and chin.

 

Pink and lavender welcome Abigail to the Barbie Era. Acky Bright adorns flashbacks of Abigail's breakup in peach and brown. The nurse at Janus holds something that links Face with Flesh Wounds and evokes scenes in a classic Universal Monsters movie in Creepshow Vol 3 #4.

 

Lettering & Additional Creep Art

Pat Brosseau orders black, uppercase words into ivory dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. White letters haunt black cloudy balloons. The words grow bold for intonation and swell for volume. Gunfire fuels the rapid-fire conclusion of Flesh Wounds, while a banging door heralds the end of Abigail’s existence in Face.

 

Michael Broom frames the introductory scene in Flesh Wounds with our narrator's welcoming embrace. Then, the Creep invites us into his home as Sergeant Thomas Campion’s story about the price of war comes to its haunting conclusion. Our narrator climbs into the beginning of Abigail's story. But be warned: the Creep amplifies the disturbing conclusion of this story about our definitions of beauty and fears of the surgeon's knife. Thanks to Image Comics and Skybound for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Two people separated by time, place, sex, interests, and any other criteria you can think of embrace shortcuts to omnipotence in Creepshow Vol 3 #4, only to discover no one can remain invincible forever.

 

Rating 9.5/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Runescape - Untold Tales Of The God Wars Vol 1 Solicit

If you're a fantasy fan and you haven't been picking up the issues of this exciting series, you can capture the entire saga in this trade paperback. I suspect it will hold you as captivated as the patrons who gather to hear the Storyteller in the Flying Horse Inn. Better yet, you don't have to carry that heavy Godsword into battle!

Here's all the info from Titan Comics: 

 

RUNESCAPE - UNTOLD TALES OF THE GOD WARS VOL.1

(W) Ryan O'Sullivan

(A) Daniel Bayliss

Publisher: Titan Comics

FC, SC, 128pp, $17.99, On Sale July 23, 2025

 

The debut graphic novel set in seminal medieval fantasy MMORPG RuneScape expands on the fan-favorite God Wars Dungeon questline in a never-before-seen epic.

 

Delve into the Temple of Lost Ancients during the catastrophic and iconic God Wars, as four warring armies fight for control of the Godsword: the only weapon capable of killing a deity.

 

Trapped in the center of the conflict is the undead Maro, who dreams of breaking free of his master's clutches. But escaping from the necromancer’s clutches leads to a twisting, thrilling journey for Maro when he finds allies – and enemies – across the front lines.

 

Collects issues 0-4 of the comic series, plus behind the scenes content on how the series was made.

 

Order code: JAN250404     

 

For a look inside see my preview of the first issue.

 

For a more indepth look see my review of the first issue.

 

 

Forgotten Runes Wizard’s Cult TP Review

 

Writer: Joe Rechtman

Artists: Reilly Brown & Tony Kordos

Colorist: Jim Charalampidis

Letterer: Taylor Esposito

Publisher: Titan Comics

Price: $17.99

Release Date: December 18, 2024

 

After a technological singularity sends the continents crashing together, factories pollute the air, and Humans live in medieval villages or Old West towns. People seek aid from alchemists instead of doctors. How do the wizards get along with their unmagical neighbors? How do they spend their days on this dramatically altered Earth? And what of those who seek the knowledge of ages past? Let’s grab our spell books, leap into Forgotten Runes Wizard’s Cult TP, and find out!

 

Stories

In “Heist on the High Seas,” a down-on-his-luck wizard gets an offer he can’t refuse. After getting tossed out of the pub, a wizard cloaked in shadow wants Archmagus Crowley to steal a cursed chest. He will pay its weight in gold if Crowley steals it from the wizards aboard a storm-tossed ship.

 

“A Burning in the Bramble,” the second story in Forgotten Runes Wizard’s Cult TP, introduces Mystic Willow. While factories fill the air with smoke, Willow enjoys the solitude of her cabin in the woods. She incites her fellow wizards’ ire when she heals a traveler's broken ankle. The wizards discourage people from traveling through their enchanted forest. But their anger pales compared to the villagers when they suspect Willow of abducting a young girl.

 

In “The Wolf and the Egg,” Magus Alizam guards a giant egg. One evening, Magus Wazir arrives. Magus Wazir's superpower is helping the lost. He wonders why his magic led him to Alizam. As the guardian explains why he protects the egg, Magus Wazir realizes people can get lost while knowing where they are.

 

“The Alchemist’s Apprentice” transports a wizard from a snowstorm to a shop. Magus Devon offers to sell the wizard whatever she needs. The woman spots a pair of snowshoes but lacks money. Magus Devon offers to give the woman the snowshoes in return for a story. So, her customer tells about a young alchemist whose foul-tempered master starts being nice to everyone.

 

In “The Wagon Of Woe," students fight while walking to school. Enchanter Orbis appears and orders them to stop. Enchanter Artis arrives to protect the children when Orbis uses magic to force them inside his wagon. In his fifth and final story, Joe Rechtman explains the mystery underlying his tale about Mystic Willow. He also hints at the significance of Archmagus Crowley’s maritime mission to bring Forgotten Runes Wizard’s Cult TP to a satisfying and enjoyable conclusion.

 

Art

Reilly Brown handles the art for "Heist on the High Seas." Then, Reilly tackles the pencils while Tony Kordos assumes inking duties for the next four adventures. The artists conjure a verdant world filled with medieval villages, while nearby factories suggest an encroaching Industrial Age. The exception is the desert-bound “The Wolf and the Egg.” Decaying metal buildings cluster around an abandoned oil rig near an Old West town. Magus Alizam battles a giant serpent amid towering wind turbines.

 

Wizards come in all shapes and sizes in Forgotten Runes Wizard’s Cult TP. “A Burning in the Bramble” shows the most diversity, as the purple-haired Human woman plays a magical roleplaying game with a purple fox, a bear, and a man with a red and gray mushroom head. Jim Charalampidis lavishes a loaded palette of bright and varied colors on wizards as they wield crookneck staffs, flaming swords, crystal balls, and fireworks.

 

Perhaps the most endearing wizard is Magus Wazir, who wears a brown hood, green cape and shoes, a mauve coat, and gray slacks. The diminutive wizard evokes He-Man's friend Orko or a medieval Jawa. His magic bell glows yellow-green when casting visions and transports him through green portals.

 

Taylor Esposito casts the narrator’s small lowercase italicized words onto creased yellow parchment scraps. Magicians' familiars speak minute lowercase dialogue. Humans speak uppercase words into dialogue balloons. The words grow bold for intonation and giant size for volume. Colorful sound effects enhance spells, destruction, and battles between bespelled game pieces, while a triangle in a dialogue balloon often symbolizes a wizard’s spell. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Magicians prove as varied as their powers in Forgotten Runes Wizard’s Cult TP. Perhaps the most unique is Enchanter Orbis. He drives his colorful, snail-powered wagon through the forests, towns, and fields. While danger threatens the water supply flowing through the grand aqueduct of Rabbit Falls, smoking power plants choke Earth’s atmosphere. Yet a wizard's quest for power and public distrust of magicians hint at an oncoming storm threatening the Runíc Supercontínent in this whimsical and lighthearted collection.

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Forgotten Runes Wizard's Cult TP.

Welcome To Ghost Mansion Vol 2 Solicit

 

Say you plow your savings into an apartment complex. Now, all you need is renters to pay your 35 year mortgage and you're set for life. But what do you do when real estate agents show the apartments, and prospective renters run from the building in terror, claiming they've seen ghosts? Check out this fun new series from Titan Manga! 

 

WELCOME TO GHOST MANSION VOL. 2

(W/A) Nebukuro

Publisher: Titan Manga

B&W, SC, 192pp, $12.99, On Sale April 23, 2025

 

FOR FANS OF HORROR COMEDY, THIS IS THE SECOND VOLUME OF THE FEEL-GOOD SPOOK-FEST!

 

Kaoru can’t catch a break — just as she’s finally got the spirit tenants of Ghost Mansion settled in, an exorcist moves into the building! Tsuzumi comes from an ancient family of exorcists and occultists but can she put aside her training and live in harmony with Kaoru and her laid back attitude to the legion of ghosts?

 

Order code: JAN250411    

The Ambassadors Library Edition HC Review

 

Writer: Mark Millar

Artists: Frank Quitely, Karl Kerschl, Travis Charest, Olivier Coipel, Matteo Buffagni & Matteo Scalera

Colorists: Frank Quietly, Vincent MG Deighan, Michele Assarasakorn, Dave Stewart, Giovanna Niro & Lee Loughridge

Letterer: Clem Robins

Cover Artist: Frank Quitely

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

Price: $49.99

Release Date: December 25, 2024

 

While countries like China and Russia carve up Antarctica, someone builds a technological marvel on Earth’s southernmost continent. Those who stumble across it awaken far away, unable to recall their discovery. What is happening in this city of the future on the continent dedicated to scientific research? And how will advancements made there benefit our world? Let’s pull on our Lycra suits, leap into The Ambassadors Library Edition HC, and find out!

 

Story

Dr Choon-He Chung is serving a life sentence in the Cheongju Women's Correctional Institution. She wants to change that. Aided by Oksana Petrov, the South Korean scientist unlocks the Human condition. While building her Antarctic city, she develops a range of superpowers she can draw on. Now, all she lacks is freedom. That's where her knowledge of artificial intelligence comes in handy.

 

In The Ambassadors Library Edition HC, Choon-He Chung downloads her consciousness into a lookalike android. Then she announces a competition. Choon-He wants to share her discoveries with people around the world. She doesn't insist that they be bastions of morality. What matters most is a desire to help others and a willingness to represent their respective countries. Some work in lowly positions in society. Others profit from hurting others but vow to turn over a new leaf. Each of Dr Chung’s superheroes will enjoy health and long life. While doing good, they can borrow up to three superpowers at a time, relayed from Dr Chung's Antarctic stronghold.

 

Dr Chung’s actions threaten the countries that dominate our world. Her handful of superheroes can take on the armies of the superpowers, end wars, and protect countries from natural disasters. In Mark Millar's story, Choon-He's greatest threat is her ex-husband. Jin-Sung never loved her. Instead, he waited for the opportunity to capitalize on her discoveries by falsifying the evidence that imprisoned her.

 

While Dr Chung builds her superpowered version of Jeff Tracy’s International Rescue Corps, her ex-husband builds a team of billionaires. Jin-Sung’s recipients control the internet and the world media. After amassing fortunes, ruling the workforce, and influencing the masses, Jin-Sung’s billionaires want to further their legacies by living forever in The Ambassadors Library Edition HC.

 

Art

Mark Millar teamed with artists Frank Quitely, Karl Kerschl, Travis Charest, Olivier Coipel, Matteo Buffagni, and Matteo Scalera to capture panoramic shots like a plane flying over a domed city and a ship entering a Junk-filled Chinese harbor. Choon-He hovers above a stage while her assistant hobbles using a cane. Superheroes climb onto pogo stick-like supports to descend into a secret lair before roaring onto the streets in an exotic sportscar. Choon-He marvels as she watches orange and yellow-green fire streak through the evening sky, knowing the man flying like a bird (or a plane) used to need an oxygen tank to breathe.

 

Frank Quietly, Vincent MG Deighan, Michele Assarasakorn, Dave Stewart, Giovanna Niro & Lee Loughridge wield loaded palettes to convey gang wars in Rio De Janeiro, a rescue on a snow-covered mountain, and a man flying above a burning Australian village. They contrast these with scenes painted with limited colors in The Ambassadors Library Edition HC. People watch a red, blue, and yellow superhero on a screen in a grayscale viewing room. An organic gray spiral elevates glowing red letters circling a globe. Gray, beige, and tan fill the Oval Office as the President worries about the threats to the United States multiplying.

 

Clem Robins fills dialogue balloons and narrative boxes with uppercase black lettering that grows bold for inflection and enlarges for volume. Sound effects help us hear soldiers mowing down the opposition, villains making their bones, and an aggrieved ex-husband shattering furniture with a single blow. As superheroes bond over capturing a gang of thieves, we glimpse their takedowns through giant, colored sound effects. Biff! Pow! Smash! Thanks to Dark Horse Comics, Millarworld, and Netflix for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Should people who accomplish much win the most substantial prizes? Or are those who selflessly help others most worthy of power? One of history's prominent influencers claimed that those who doubled their investments (or talents) were most worthy of being entrusted with more. Then, he granted his followers eternal life regardless of their social status, wealth, or business acumen. The Ambassadors Library Edition HC ponders people's worthiness of receiving superpowers, the responsibility to represent their countries, and freedom from the limitations of age and disease.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Conan The Barbarian: The Original Comics Omnibus Vol 6 Solicit

 

REG: JOHN BUSCEMA (JAN250390)

This collection covers the early years when I started collecting Marvel's Conan The Barbarian series (along with King Conan and Savage Sword of Conan). The omnibus begins with Conan The Barbarian #150, which you could pluck off the spinner racks in 1983! Here's all the info from Titan Comics:

 

CONAN THE BARBARIAN: THE ORIGINAL COMICS OMNIBUS VOL. 6

(W) Michael Fleisher, Larry Yakata

(A) John Buscema

Publisher: Heroic Signatures and Titan Comics

HC, 7.25" x 10.875", 627pp, $125.00, On Sale July 2, 2025

 

THIS EPIC OMNIBUS INCLUDES OVER 625 PAGES FEATURING DIGITALLY REMASTERED ARTWORK AND A BONUS SECTION OF RARELY SEEN ARTWORK.

 

In an Omnibus extravaganza that covers the entire run of writer Michael Fleisher's two years on Conan the Barbarian, artist John Buscema turns in page after page of iconic artwork featuring Conan opposite some of his most mysterious foes: The scheming Jergal Zadh, the magic-wielding Alhambra, the conniving Baron Vjerzak and Conan's old comrade Fafnir!

 

Includes two mighty Annuals and a classic issue of What If? that asks the question: What if Conan was stranded in the 20th century?

 

This volume Reprints: CONAN THE BARBARIAN (1970) #150-171, CONAN THE BARBARIAN ANNUAL (1973) #8-9, WHAT IF? (1977) #43.

 

DM: MIKE KALUTA (JAN250391)

 

 

Amazing Spider-Man #64 Review

 

Writer: Justina Ireland

Artist: Gleb Melnikov

Colorist: Marcio Menyz

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Ed McGuinness & Marcio Menyz; Bengus (Marvel Vs Capcom 2); Skottie Young; Stonehouse

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Tom Groneman, Nick Lowe & C B Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: December 25, 2024

 

Doctor Doom selected Spider-Man as Earth's Champion. But whether he battles supervillains, struggles to keep a good-paying job, or maintains a treasured relationship, even when Peter Parker wins, he loses. Spider-Man has won three battles against the scions of Cyttorak. Yet each fight ended with his death. Can Peter break his losing-while-winning cycle? Let's thwip into Amazing Spider-Man #64 and find out!

 

Story

Peter Parker is no stranger to losing. That's why he works so hard to win. His Uncle Ben instilled this refusal to give up during Peter's adolescence. While conferring with Doctor Strange after his recent bout with Cyrios, Peter asks how he can improve. Doctor Strange tries to keep Peter focused on the prize. Thanks to the Reeds Of Raggadoor, dying doesn’t matter. But Peter must win each battle to prevent Cyttorak from unleashing pain and misery on Earth.

 

Unfortunately, Peter Parker isn't the Sorcerer Supreme, so he can't envision the contest like Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom. Worse, Doom relegated this duty to Peter as if defending his planet against destruction were unimportant. So, Peter seeks reasons to keep pushing, only seeing the constant, unending demands of being Spider-Man. Whatever trials beset him, Spider-Man can never fail. Nor can Peter take a raincheck in his personal life or crime-fighting career. Peter Parker doesn’t need Norman Osborn’s help to enhance his spider senses in Amazing Spider-Man #64. With more battles awaiting him and unable to choose the time and place of those bouts with Cyttorak’s scions, the dial of Peter’s spider-sense rises to eleven.

 

Peter's been trying to be more proactive lately. His attempts to throw Tombstone in jail may not have succeeded, but his relationship with Shay is going well. Unlike Black Cat, Shay Marken is a good fit for his life. Like Aunt May, Shay prefers helping people to hijinks and caring for others to crowns. So even though he can't be honest with her about his Spider-Man duties (at least not yet), Peter Parker is winning the battle of life. Unfortunately, he can't see it. In Justina Ireland's story, the greatest danger Peter faces is the inevitability of failure, given Peter's impatience to win each battle on his terms and get on with his life. 

 

 

 

 

Art

As Doctor Strange hovers in Peter's apartment, his blue astral form enhances his cold dismissals of his student's questions. Then, Randy Robertson backtracks on their agreement, insisting that Peter's colorful career must include photographs featuring blue and red. All the green-and-yellow villains that Spider-Man battles in Randy's collection evoke the device Peter built with Doctor Strange while anticipating his fights with Callix and Cyra. Merciless Marcio Menyz won't let Peter catch a breather at the luminous Gallery 862, as the colors adorning the owner and her father remind Peter of Cyttorak’s scions.

 

 

 

While Callix and Cyra study Earth’s champion, Callix talks big in Amazing Spider-Man #64. But unlike his otherworldly canines, Callix’s body language reveals his reluctance to fight. Gleb Melnikov shows Peter's eagerness to tackle his next challenge, leaping into battle fueled by confidence and anger. Yet while Spider-Man wails on a demigod, Shay's downcast expression and Aunt May's drawn features reveal the cost of keeping secrets from those we love.

 

Joe Caramagna’s thwips uppercase black lettering into dialogue balloons and red-edged narrative boxes. He bespells blue-edged balloons with blue words. The dialogue grows bold for inflection and rarely shrinks. White block letters guide us through this linear story about Peter fighting to keep his head above water. Beasts whose bite is worse than their bark fill scenes with vibrant vocalizing. Sound effects accompany Spider-Man’s efforts to level up and avoid an agonizing death in Amazing Spider-Man #64. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Peter grows so inured to the constant battles with demigods that he doesn't realize how fortunate he has been. He is so irritated by how these contests were foisted on him that Peter complains to the astral form of Doctor Strange about enduring the pain of each "temporary" death. So, when Peter attacks Callix in anger, the demigod hits him where it hurts most in Amazing Spider-Man #64. Yet, as Peter battles his latest foe, he fails to notice the similarities between him and a son overlooked by an uncaring father.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

The Loose End #1 Extended Preview

 

COVER A: ANDY BELANGER

 

I posted a preview for this title earlier, but Titan Comics sent me some new interior art pages to share. So let's hit the tables, place our bets, and see how the dice roll in The Loose End #1!

Here's all the info from Titan Comics:

 

THE LOOSE END ISSUE #1 (of 4)

Writer: Dave Dwonch

Artist: Travis Hymel

Publisher: Hard Case Crime, Titan Comics imprint

FC, 32pp, $3.99, On Sale: February 19, 2025

 

A HOMAGE TO CLASSIC 90s CRIME DRAMA MOVIES!

 

Tied up, tortured and thrown into a world of chaos, get ready for the wildest ride of your life!

 

With crushing debt, an aimless career, and a thirst for the high life punching down on him, failing screenwriter Steven Hollis is handed a ticket out of his dead-end lifestyle...an offer he can't refuse from the mob! Now all he has to do is kill the biggest exec in Hollywood.

 

Now, let's take another look inside:

 

 

 

 

Here's more cover options:

COVER B: ROBERT HACK RESERVOIR DOGS HOMAGE (RUNNING ACROSS #1-4)

COVER C: TRAVIS HYMEL

COVER D: KIT WALLIS

The Loose End Issue #1 is on sale February 19, 2025 at comic shops and digital.

 

Pre-order now from Forbidden Planet for UK/Europe. Fans and retailers can order from the upcoming December edition of Diamond PREVIEWS.  

 

To compare this post with the art I posted in November, check out my earlier preview.

 

 

The Elegant Courtly Life Of The Tea Witch Vol 1 Review

 

Writer: Ameko Kaeruda

Artist: Yorifuji

Translators: Motoko Tamamuro & Jonathan Clements

Letterer: Tom Williams

Publisher: Titan Manga

Price: $12.99

Release Date: January 1, 2025

 

Remy Pullis revels in her quiet life at court. While the other mages oversee government departments, Remy works alone. She never attends council meetings in the great hall. Instead, Remy concentrates on what she does best. What happens when Princess Stella takes a liking to Remy? Will having a royal friend make Remy's life even easier? Or will it upset the delicate balance of Remy's life? Let's brew some tea, leap into The Elegant Courtly Life Of The Tea Witch Vol 1, and find out!

 

Story

War rocked the enchanted kingdom of Shtora. When the war ended, military leaders won knighthoods, and the king appointed his magical defenders to positions in the royal court. While some mages oversee administration, security, or defense, Remy works in the palace gardens. She contemplates everyone's needs and brews tea from the plants available. The other mages spend their mornings discussing the problems of their departments. Remy enjoys the tranquility of nature and the artistry of her friend Alicia's manicured garden.

 

Yet trouble lurks in The Elegant Courtly Life Of The Tea Witch Vol 1. Princess Stella Mira Estasio is awed by Remy’s talents. While Remy enjoys a relatively carefree existence, guardians attend to Stella’s needs. They take such good care of her that Stella has never even left the palace grounds. But when all her father's advisors gather each morning, Princess Stella realizes she can sneak down to the garden and enjoy a friendly chat with Remy.

 

In Ameko Kaeruda’s story, this isn’t something Remy wants. The palace tea witch discourages the Princess from visiting her regularly. Remy asks her repeatedly not to address her by name. But Stella is young. Stella cannot understand that bestowing friendship will place Remy under scrutiny and create jealousy among the other court mages.

 

Remy has lived through one war. Although she isn’t supposed to use her magic to affect others, Remy sees frustration in the new government and uses her enchantments to reduce others’ tensions. So she avoids the spotlight as much as possible in The Elegant Courtly Life Of The Tea Witch Vol 1. The last thing the carefree Tea Witch wants is to get sucked into struggles for power in the new government.

 

Art

While the frowning government ministers fill the pews inside the council chamber, they gripe about Remy’s absence while dismissing her contributions. Yorifuji shows Remy brewing tea in the royal garden and savoring her drink. Yet she grits her teeth when Princess Stella bustles into Alicia's carefully tended garden in a billowing dress adorned with bows and frills. Stella's eyes shine brighter than the jewels on her crown. The Princess' radiant smile distracts from the long hair surrounding her like a regal cape.

 

Yorifuji shows Remy's preparations and how she wields her pot to work her magic. The tea witch walks past the desks of frowning administrators, leaving relaxed smiles on their faces after they drink her brews. The art also reveals the minor ways in which Remy works her enchantments. When Remy grows frustrated or frightened, the magic can burst out of her explosively in The Elegant Courtly Life Of The Tea Witch Vol 1. Yet when Alicia requests her aid, Remy wields her magic through her pot to protect the royal garden from danger.

 

Tom Williams casts large uppercase letters into dialogue balloons, narrative boxes, or unadorned backgrounds. He conjures balloons into different shapes to suggest emotions and tense situations. The characters' dialogue and thoughts enlarge but never shrink.

 

Motoko Tamamuro and Jonathan Clements translate the Japanese sound effects to help us hear the background chatter rise as Princess Stella speaks with Remy at a garden party and the tea witch's retreating footsteps. The translators help us feel Remy’s magic blasting through Alicia’s maze of hedges. Thanks to Titan Manga for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Life settles down when war ends, and the leaders of Shtora fight to secure the peace in The Elegant Courtly Life Of The Tea Witch Vol 1. As the court mages threaten to draw Remy into their intrigues, the tea witch discovers dangers threatening her life, the princess’ future, and the nation’s new regime.

 

Rating 9.5/10

 

To look inside see my preview of The Elegant Courtly Life Of The Tea Witch Vol 1.

 

For information on the next book in the series see my solicit for Vol 2.