Graphic Novel Review – The Toy Collector (The Stuff of Legend, Book 4) by Mike Raicht, Brian Smith, and Charles Paul, III Wilson (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Graphic Novel/Fantasy
Size: 124 pages
Publisher: Th3rd World Studios
Release Date: August 27, 2013
ISBN: 978-0983216179
Stand Alone or Series: 4th book in The Stuff of Legend
Source: Gift
Rating: 5/5 stars

I have really loved The Stuff of Legend series so far, so I was incredibly excited to get the 4th volume in the series for Christmas. This book does not wrap up the series, so there will be at least one more book. I loved this book it was absolutely excellent. It’s like a darker Toy Story with a bit of an Alice in Wonderland feel to it. You definitely want to start with reading the first book in the series.

The toys have been broken up into different groups. The Indian Princess is desperately seeking the Jester, the Jester has been badly wounded, and the Boy is struggling through the Dark seeking a way out. Maxwell the Bear has grouped with some of the other toys to journey to retrieve the Night Light which is a sacred object that he hopes will defeat the Boogeyman once and for all.

This is a fantastic graphic novel series. It is an excellent read for all ages (except really young kids who might find it kind of scary). The illustration is stunning and the story is epic. All the characters come to life and are engaging and the world of the Dark is imaginative and absolutely stunning.

Our characters are more scattered in this book since the Boogeyman is seeking to drive them apart from each other. So the story switches viewpoint quite a bit. It was well done and I enjoyed that we got to spend more time with The Boy in this story.

Our beloved toys meet more of the Boogeyman’s minions in this novel and they are excellent new characters. The main two are the Toy Collector and the Toy Mender. As you can tell by the title, the Toy Collector plays a major role in things and makes some important decisions that have a large effect on the storyline. The Boogeyman is as creepy as ever and very well done.

A lot of the story features Maxwell too. He was chosen by the animals of the Jungle to be their ruler, however he doesn’t want to rule…he wants to seek out the Night Light.

I love how there are different story threads woven together in this book. I am desperate to know how things play out in the next book. This is a great book to read for kids and adults alike. The boogeyman is pretty scary, the plot gets a bit complicated, and there are scenes of war which get pretty intense…so I wouldn’t recommend for little kids. I am going to wait a couple more years before reading these with my son who is 6 years old right now. However, middle grade and older readers should be fine.

The illustration is amazing. It is all done in sepia tones and the drawing is intricate and beautiful; it really adds so much to the story and I love it. This is one of my favorite graphic novel series out there for the quality of illustration.

Overall a spectacular continuation of this series. I absolutely love this graphic novel series. Think darker Toy Story, or a lighter Plucker by Brom. There is also a bit of a Wonderland feel to this. I love the characters, the story, the world, and the illustration…it is all absolutely perfect. I would recommend to fantasy and graphic novel fans middle grade and older.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Graphic Novel Reading Challenge
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
– 100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge