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A review by thekarpuk
Second Quest by David Hellman, Tevis Thompson
3.0
I've been following Hellman since his webcomic days, so when I heard that he'd done a graphic novel that used Zelda myths as an inspiration, I went and bought the ebook immediately.
Overall I've probably spent way more time thinking about the Zelda universe than I've actually spend playing them. I'm one of those people who actually read those essays that attempted to tie together every single game into one universe. I have written Zelda-inspired fiction for creative writing classes. I am most certainly part of the demographic for this.
But I have to say, something about this book left me a little cold. The story starts off strong, with a girl who has visions dealing with a restrictive culture that floats in the sky. Somewhere around the halfway mark, I felt the the structure get a bit flaccid.
The protagonist's purpose never seems all that clearly defined, having something to do with keeping their city in operation. From the point where the city elder gets a hold of her I could only remember two really solid scenes: The scene where townspeople reenact the Zelda legend, which made it look like the hugest piece of propaganda, and the ending, which managed to feel satisfying regardless of any other issues.
It's a visual treat, but I feel like Hellman's art could have contributed to a much more powerful story with this premise.
Overall I've probably spent way more time thinking about the Zelda universe than I've actually spend playing them. I'm one of those people who actually read those essays that attempted to tie together every single game into one universe. I have written Zelda-inspired fiction for creative writing classes. I am most certainly part of the demographic for this.
But I have to say, something about this book left me a little cold. The story starts off strong, with a girl who has visions dealing with a restrictive culture that floats in the sky. Somewhere around the halfway mark, I felt the the structure get a bit flaccid.
The protagonist's purpose never seems all that clearly defined, having something to do with keeping their city in operation. From the point where the city elder gets a hold of her I could only remember two really solid scenes: The scene where townspeople reenact the Zelda legend, which made it look like the hugest piece of propaganda, and the ending, which managed to feel satisfying regardless of any other issues.
It's a visual treat, but I feel like Hellman's art could have contributed to a much more powerful story with this premise.