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geekwayne's review against another edition
4.0
Wendell's dad is dead, and he has nothing in common with his step-dad Ted. When Ted and Wendell have a fight, it leads Wendell on an adventure to the old, abandoned Renaissance Faire outside of town. He meets a knight there who is looking to kill a dragon, but is the knight who he says he is? Is there really a dragon?
It's a good coming of age story about a boy who doesn't fit in, and a knight who might not either. The art by Jeff Stokely uses the color palette of late autumn and early winter, with it's deeper, richer colors and falling leaves. There are leaves falling everywhere in the pages. I love fall, so I'm drawn to it's colors.
The book includes a series of short stories by other creators using the main characters of the book, Wendell, Ted and the knight, Sir Habersham. According to Sir Habersham, "You're either a knight, or you're not."
It's a good coming of age story about a boy who doesn't fit in, and a knight who might not either. The art by Jeff Stokely uses the color palette of late autumn and early winter, with it's deeper, richer colors and falling leaves. There are leaves falling everywhere in the pages. I love fall, so I'm drawn to it's colors.
The book includes a series of short stories by other creators using the main characters of the book, Wendell, Ted and the knight, Sir Habersham. According to Sir Habersham, "You're either a knight, or you're not."
grilledcheesesamurai's review against another edition
4.0
Fun read. There's an awesome pull out map at the beginning depicting the fair grounds that are kind of fun to pour over.
The art is the centerpiece. Loved watching the knight with his joust on the motorcycle! Brilliant! I loved every panel. The story itself is fun and easy to take in. You feel for Wendell at the begining, and end up cheering for him towards the end...just as you should for any kind of hero arc.
Archaia puts out some of the finest books out there, and this one certainly makes a great addition to the bookshelf.
merer's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this so much better than I did. I mean, it's about an abandoned Renaissance Faire. I think it needed to be about 3 times longer than it was for me to really feel attached to any of the characters or empathize with what was going on, though. This felt like listening to someone rush through a really important story in a hurry.
literati42's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best graphic novels I've read. I loved the emotion of this story, the art was beautiful, and the characters were wonderful. I finished and just wanted more.
atperez's review against another edition
3.0
Actual rating: 3.5
In an ideal world, there would have been more story in between Wendell breaking Sir Habersham loose from the hospital and their defeat of the dragon, a bit more on how, why and when the dragon was sent to this world, or just more opportunities for Wendell and Habersham to interact, period. It'd also be nice to see how, if at all, this experience changed things for Wendell besides him getting a literary surprise in class.
With that complaint out, I do want to say I greatly enjoyed the graphic novel. You really get a sense for what Wendell's life is like, dealing with bullies and trying to live up to his idea of what his dad would have wanted and learning Sir Habersham's backstory - which is just plain tragic - you come to understand why he acted as though he really came from medieval times. It's also apparent the two need each other; Wendell to help Habersham absolve his misplaced guilt and Habersham to help Wendell find his strength.
My favorite part of the graphic novel was, of course, the art. Beautifully drawn and just as beautifully colored, an already fun and touching story was really given life by the artists who worked on this. Definitely recommended to young teens.
In an ideal world, there would have been more story in between Wendell breaking Sir Habersham loose from the hospital and their defeat of the dragon, a bit more on how, why and when the dragon was sent to this world, or just more opportunities for Wendell and Habersham to interact, period. It'd also be nice to see how, if at all, this experience changed things for Wendell besides him getting a literary surprise in class.
With that complaint out, I do want to say I greatly enjoyed the graphic novel. You really get a sense for what Wendell's life is like, dealing with bullies and trying to live up to his idea of what his dad would have wanted and learning Sir Habersham's backstory - which is just plain tragic - you come to understand why he acted as though he really came from medieval times. It's also apparent the two need each other; Wendell to help Habersham absolve his misplaced guilt and Habersham to help Wendell find his strength.
My favorite part of the graphic novel was, of course, the art. Beautifully drawn and just as beautifully colored, an already fun and touching story was really given life by the artists who worked on this. Definitely recommended to young teens.
donnaisreading's review against another edition
2.0
it...felt like something was missing some how. I can't explain it really, but I just...didn't really care enough about the characters; they weren't developed. Kind of cliched but still cute, I guess? I just wanted...more?
wcs53's review
4.0
The Reason for Dragons is a very enjoyable coming of age story in graphic novel form. The artwork is wonderful and really adds to the whole reading experience.
The story centres around Wendell, a 16 year old having trouble fitting into his world, where he has to deal with bullying from his peers along with a strained relationship with a stepfather, who seems more interested in his motorcycle and mechanic work. Wendell has no memories of his real father, who it seems died when he was too young to remember. We are given lots of clues as to who his father was and how he might have died, but nothing concrete is given.
Without giving too much away, the story is one where reality and fantasy collide, giving Wendell much to think about and challenging him to act in ways he may not have previously thought possible. My only disappointment with this book is that the story seemed to conclude too soon, when things seemed to be getting interesting. However, there are a number of short stories at the end that help to explain a number of questions raised by the main story and add to the understanding of some of the things in it.
This book is worth checking out, even for the artwork alone, but the story is one that is enjoyable as well.
(Disclaimer: I received a free ARC copy of this book from NetGalley, but this in no way influenced my opinion or review)
The story centres around Wendell, a 16 year old having trouble fitting into his world, where he has to deal with bullying from his peers along with a strained relationship with a stepfather, who seems more interested in his motorcycle and mechanic work. Wendell has no memories of his real father, who it seems died when he was too young to remember. We are given lots of clues as to who his father was and how he might have died, but nothing concrete is given.
Without giving too much away, the story is one where reality and fantasy collide, giving Wendell much to think about and challenging him to act in ways he may not have previously thought possible. My only disappointment with this book is that the story seemed to conclude too soon, when things seemed to be getting interesting. However, there are a number of short stories at the end that help to explain a number of questions raised by the main story and add to the understanding of some of the things in it.
This book is worth checking out, even for the artwork alone, but the story is one that is enjoyable as well.
(Disclaimer: I received a free ARC copy of this book from NetGalley, but this in no way influenced my opinion or review)
jorybear's review
3.0
This is one of those stories that doesn't have enough actual content to go anywhere. The art is great, capturing the atmosphere and feeling perfectly. The characters are cliche archetypes and there wasn't enough time for them to become actual characters. I think maybe that's what they were trying to do with the short stories at the end, but it just didn't come together. This was a quick, fun read, but it had so much more potential.
shidoburrito's review
4.0
Read the introduction before reading this graphic novel! It is actually a great little story about how this comic came to be, and good insight as to how difficult it is to become an animator or comic illustrator. Onto the actual graphic novel: it was short but sweet. A fun little tale about a teen bullied into entering an abandoned Ren Faire where he encounters a knight looking for a dragon. Is he an actual knight or just a deranged, old employee of the fair? Is the dragon real? Like I said, read the story behind this comic. If I hadn't, my review would be a bit harsher. The story is pretty simple, the bullies are cliche, but there's certainly a lot of heart put into the creation of the characters.
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