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Title: The Wizard's Tale by Kurt Busiek, David T. Wenzel ISBN: 1-887279-75-X Publisher: Image Comics Pub. Date: November, 1997 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $29.95

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Average Customer Rating: 3.6 (5 reviews)

Rating: 2
Summary: Great artwork.
Comment: This comic caught my eye with its very nice-looking artwork, And, indeed, the one unalloyed positive aspect of the book is the art: it simply oozes with warmth and charm creating the old-tyme fantasy feel the artist was clearly going for. It seemed to me that what we had here was clearly an homage to the classic swords-and-sorcery type of thing, and, although (let's face it) the vast majority of fantasy is hideously bad, I can definitely in theory get behind the concept, so I was willing to check this out.

My assumption was correct, of course, more or less. Regrettably, it also features the ever-so-cutesy conceit of self-aware characters who know and frequently comment upon the fact that they're acting out fantasy cliches, but I suppose I can live with that in this one instance.

At any rate, I did enjoy the comic, in the hour or so it took me to read it, but once I was finished, I realized how remarkably flimsy and insubtantial it was. For all that it involves a potentially cataclysmic good vs. evil struggle, there's no particular sense of conflict or urgency conveyed. Sure, we know good is going to triumph, but does it have to triumph in such a lackadaisical manner? The biggest obstacle is the title wizard's self-doubt, but let's face it, this ain't going to win any prizes as a psychological drama; we really need something more than that.

And what's the deal with the kid, anyway? Okay, yes, I know that this particular template includes a humble village boy who goes on adventures and sees the world et cetera, but here he plays little meaningful role. Characters have to have a purpose other than just being there because we think they OUGHT to be there, and he does not. And then at the end they make him KING? Okay, once again, followin' the template, but seriously, what the HELL? He does nothing particularly noteworthy over the course of the story. What possible qualifications could he have? And just where do these people get the authority to be appointing absolute rulers, anyway?

So anyway, I can't really recommend this comic. Unless you just want it for the artwork, I find it difficult to justify paying the heftyish price for something this lightweight.

Rating: 2
Summary: Not at all like Busiek's more sophisticated works.
Comment: I'm a fan of Kurt Busiek, but I found this book to fall way below the (high) standards he set with the "Astro City" series. Maybe he was just aiming for a pre-adolescent audience. In fact, it might be an OK kid's story, but, if you are a more "mature reader", I suggest that you pass it up.

Rating: 5
Summary: A great work in an underused genre
Comment: Okay, so we all know Superheroes dominate the world of comic books. We can't deny that. But they are by no means the only genre -- horror comics were huge at one point, as were romances, westerns, science fiction and crime comics, all of which survive in one form or another to day.

But one genre which has always been oddly neglected in the realm of comics is pure, epic fantasy. I mean the Tolkien-esque, swords and sorcery style of storytelling. It has existed, to be sure, but it's never been big.

Kurt Busiek tried to remedy that in this woefully underrated graphic novel. The tale of an evil wizard who, frankly, isn't very good at being evil, is a wonderful story with a lot of humor, a lot of magic and a lot of heart. The artwork is beautiful and, if given the proper push, this is the sort of story that could bring fantasy into mainstream comics in a big way.

Busiek is one of the best writers the artform knows. "Marvels" and "Astro City" are masterpieces of superhero fiction. "Shockrockets" was a great science fiction tale. Now check out Busiek's take on fantasy -- you won't be disappointed.