Rachel Bellwoar reviews the first two Eimurian Tales…
There’s a certain pleasure to going into a series blind and M.D. Penman’s Eimurian Tales are exactly what you hope to uncover. A dark fantasy web-comic, the first two volumes standalone but leave an opening for the stories to intersect down the line.ar Penman is their writer, artist, and publisher.
Closing in on the castle ramparts, The Waterbringer begins looking every bit the epic tale, but stuns with how quickly it turns personal. Ever since the mines were burned during the siege, the citadel has been surrounded by smaug and it’s prompting weird reactions from the people who live there. That the air is a health hazard goes with the territory of pollution, but it’s the mental confusion that’s unsettling local residents, and forcing the princess to go on the run.
If she can find a safe route out of the castle, an early lettering choice says a lot about who the princess is. An authoritative scream bubble, the same lettering was used for the guards right before, to cover up the fact that they were nervous. There’s no question the princess is brave but the repetition of this speech bubble says she’s trying to act tougher than she feels.
Deciphering some of the fight choreography, as the princess makes her escape, can take effort, which isn’t optimum, but there is a follow-through to the combat sequences that’s well executed, if busy from diagonal lines in the background. These same lines put you on edge and set the speed of the conflict immediately, but can cause reliance on sound effects that leave little doubt that something’s gone wrong, but retain mystery as to what.
This is a comic that challenges itself to prioritize visual storytelling, and that means readers are going to have to figure out the rules around certain powers, like the waterbringer’s, from observation. Maybe those better-versed in dark fantasy would say differently, but Penman doesn’t pick the token creatures everybody knows. If beings have to identify themselves before you realize what they are, it’s fun to go without the safety net of recognition.
Rating: 8/10
The Shattered changes tracks to tell the story of Malwynn, who’s decision to befriend a sadir puts him at odds with a father, Mallory, who’s already an abusive drunk. Holding stature in the community from his service in the war against sadir, Mallory’s alcoholism has done nothing but keep him from throttling Malwynn, so he’s fit enough to complete beer runs. Appearing alternately in full armor, or with his head like the source of darkness, his imagery reflects his cruelty and the blame he casts on his son for something outside his control.
All through the story the power of words is represented by how much people fear them. It’s words that bring into question Sadamark’s intentions. An ally of Malwynn’s, who wants Malwynn to leave town, Mallory suspects his influence, but Sadamark has his own agenda. A little too intent on the sadir, without the balance of seeing her as a friend, many stories have addressed the challenge of communicating against a language barrier but there isn’t a one-sided push to have the sadir pick up English. Malwynn also works to speak her language, and it’s the classic tale of rival species coming together against their families’ prejudices.
Between the inquisition of The Shattered and the instability of The Waterbringer, where the smaug has prevented the guarantee of safety in the princess’ home, these are tales of young people being cornered into fights and finding out what they’re made of, and the reach of these stories is encouraging for what Penman can do in this world.
Rating: 7/10
The Waterbringer and The Shattered will be available at Thought Bubble Festival, where The Shattered makes its graphic novel debut.
Rachel Bellwoar
Originally published September 8, 2017. Updated April 17, 2018.
