I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A beautifully crafted and illustrated world brims with life and death in author Nathan Peabody’s Boylord: Genesis. Along with illustrator Manuela Soriani, these two amazing creators bring to life the story of Ettan the Boylord, a child born into an alien race gifted with special abilities. Here’s the synopsis:
The genesis story of Ettan the Boylord, and his mystical journey to become part god, part cat. Born into an alien race with advanced powers, Ettan is abducted by a demon lord, and has his soul tossed into hell. His family rallies to save him in an epic adventure. The story is original, and full of surprises.
This book 1 contains a mixture of space opera and fantasy genres. Float away into a new world with 200 pages of gorgeous, full color, art by Italian artist, Manuela Soriani. Book 1 is the genesis of Ettan’s superhero powers, when a war-goddess enlisted to help find him in hell unwittingly endows him with powerful abilities. In book 2, Ettan starts to discover these powers. In book 3 and beyond, Ettan starts to use these powers to turn evil infested humanoid planets into good, and healthy, planets.
An exciting blend of science fiction, fantasy and even at times horror, this adult graphic novel features some of the most creative storytelling I’ve seen in the graphic novel realm in years. Blending demons with alien races, distant galaxies with hell dimensions, and the lengths not only a kingdom but a parent is willing to go to in order to save a child is explored wonderfully in this story.
The definite highlights of this book are the wonderful world building done by the author and the gorgeous illustrations done by the artist. When blended together these two elements help bring a whole new mythos to life in ways you wouldn’t expect. The special blend of magic and technology in this story reflects in the blend of illustration and story that the creators went through in this novel.
Overall I loved this book. The characters are exciting and adventure seeking, and the worlds in which the writer and illustrator mesmerize the reader with are so full of light and darkness that it’s impossible to look away. With an open ended final chapter that leaves readers wanting more, this reviewer can only hope we get to see a book 2 in the near future. If you haven’t yet be sure to pick up your copies of Boylord: Genesis by Nathan Peabody and Manuela Soriani today!
Rating: 10/10
artist: Manuela Soriani
Manuela lives in the same small town in northern Italy where she was born in 1979, in the heat of summer and fog in winter, near the river Po. Manuela studied to become an accountant, but Art asked to be part of her life. So she answered the call, found a teacher (and later, friend), and became an artist. After six years in comic books, Manuela began creating both traditional paper books and animated apps for electronic devices. Around 2013, she added comic book projects back into her daily job, alongside children’s books and cover arts. She uses cutting edge technology to deliver the most brilliant artworks she can, adding details to make her illustrations full of life.
Follow her on Facebook and Patron.
View her latest work on Deviant Art.
creator/ writer: Nathan Peabody
Nathan lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he has recently embarked upon a new career in teaching. In Nathan’s spare time he has been writing the story Boylord, which has been rattling around in his brain for quite some time. In elementary school he was obsessed with comics, Dungeons and Dragons, and Star Wars. In undergrad at UC Berkeley he was infused with a variety of spiritual beliefs, including nonviolence. His passions include insects (his PhD was in Entomology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa), Chi Kung/Kung Fu (which he practiced in a Chinese cemetery in Hawaii), and hiking in ancient sequoia forests.
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