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A review by theirresponsiblereader
King Arthur & the Ladies of the Lake by Vincent Pompetti
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
What’s King Arthur & The Ladies of The Lake About?
This is a telling of the Arthur legend with a focus on the women in his life—his mother, sisters, Guinevere, the Lady of the Lake, and so on.
It’s also a telling of the clash between (a) Celtic religion and Christianity, with Arthur trying to maintain an atmosphere that allows both to coexist. I think the version of Celtic theology reeks of anachronistic thinking, and the “new” religion also feels a little off. But it works for this telling. It’s not just about religion—but about the way it works out in the lives and attitudes of Arthur’s people.
It’s really hard to say more than that—it’s Arthur from infancy through the end of his life, the growth of his reputation and kingdom, the controversies and losses.
A Word About the Art
So I really dig the watercolor art—it works well with the subject and the feel that Pompetti’s going for with the storytelling. There’s a dreamy quality to it that matches the storytelling, the magic and the visions that drive Arthur. I don’t know if that’s just how Pompetti works, or if he chose that deliberately for this story. Either way, it’s a win.
Yeah, there’s part of me that would appreciate a good inker and some more standard art and coloring. I think that’s primarily because that’s what I was raised with and am used to. But it just wouldn’t work as well for this work.
So, what did I think about King Arthur & The Ladies of The Lake?
I tipped my hand earlier when I talked about the clash of cultures driven by religion. Whoops (in my defense, I was trying to stretch that section beyond a couple of lines). While I didn’t appreciate the historical depictions, I did think it worked for a Fantasy tale.
In Pompetti’s telling there’s a feeling of groundedness to some of the standard elements of Arthurian legend—Excalibur, Guinevere’s affair, and so on. Yet, he didn’t remove magic and supernatural elements (I did wonder if that was the direction he was going for a moment)—it’s just not entirely the way we’re used to it with this story.
Like most people, I’m game for a good Arthurian retelling—and this is a pretty good one. I think the medium hurt it a little. 113 pages works for graphic novels, but it’s hard to squeeze in a lot of depth into those pages—particularly when the art looks like his does—the pictures are larger than they’d be with other artists, so the story details have to be lighter. It’s a tradeoff that’s worth it, I wouldn’t want Pompetti’s art to be smaller.
I enjoyed this on an initial read, and the bits I reread while preparing this post held up pretty well. I think it’s one of those books that I’ll appreciate more on successive re-reads, too. I’d absolutely read more by Pompetti and would encourage you to do the same.