Graphic Novel Review – Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Dragons by Daniel Bayliss and Jim Henson (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Middle Grade and Older
Genre: Graphic Novel/Fantasy
Length: 144 pages
Publisher: Archaia
Release Date: August 9, 2016
ISBN-13: 978-1608868742
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5 stars

“The critically acclaimed Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Dragons includes four tales of dragons and the men and women courageous enough to face them, inspired by folklore from around the world, all told in the spirit of Jim Henson’s beloved television series.

Featuring an astounding collection of styles and stories by some of today’s most original voices, including Daniel Bayliss (Translucid), Nathan Pride (Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard), Hannah Christenson (Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard) and Jorge Corona (Feathers), this stunning hardcover edition also includes an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the process and care taken in adapting each of these timeless legends.”

This book consists of four different stories about Dragons. I liked the overall format with ”The Storyteller” introducing each story. This is the first of the Jim Hensen’s Storyteller books I have read. My nine year old son actually picked this up at the comic book store and desperately wanted; he enjoyed it quite a bit. The book is beautifully put together with a lovely embossed cover and thick full color pages.

My favorite story of the bunch was Samurai’s Sacrifice by Jorge Corona. This story had lots of action, some humor, character growth, excellent illustration and was just generally really well done.

Overall this was a solid anthology of fantasy graphic stories featuring dragons. It’s appropriate for middle grade and older kids and was a fun read. See below for details on each individual story.

“Son of the Serpent” by Daniel Bayliss and Fabian Rangel Jr (4/5 stars)
This is an American Indian themed story about a father who desperately tries to save his son from an evil horned water serpent. It was well drawn and well told. It looked at a different kind of dragon and I enjoyed it.

“The Worm of Lambton” by Nathan Pride and Cassie Kelly (4/5 stars)
This is a retelling of the Worm of Lambton story about a giant evil worm that grows in part because of a young lord’s carelessness. This was another well drawn story and was well told. I enjoyed it.

“Albina” by Hannah Christenson (3.5/5 stars)
I didn’t like this one quite as much as the previous ones. I liked the artistic drawing style quite a bit but the story seemed a bit incomplete to me. It’s about a young woman warrior who is unhappy at home and goes out with another woman to slay a dragon.

“Samurai’s Sacrifice” by Jorge Corona and Jen Hickman (4/5 stars)
The illustration style for this one is more cartoony than the others; it’s very well done and easy to follow. I liked this story a lot, there was a lot of irony in here, some excellent character growth, and a lot of awesome action scenes. I think this was my favorite story of the bunch.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Graphic Novel Reading Challenge
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
– New Release Challenge
– Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge