The classic serial comic strip variant of the time of King Arthur is often known as Prince Variant – when translated into German, the main character and title became Prinz Eisenhertz (literally “Prince Iron Heart”). This legendary and long-term comic strip about the Knights of the Roundtable – their chivalrous acts in a romantic medieval world, fighting and defeating demons, magicians, evil of all sorts – captured the minds and imagination of German-speaking audiences just like American readers. For many, this vision of Arthur’s world remains the standard on which all stories of knights and chivalry are based.
Austrian-born cartoonist Lucas Kumar knows and understands the genre very well and its expected ratio trop. And he gave his comics, originally written in German – the play of words as the title “Print Gigahertz.” In translating the work into English, IDW’s Top Shelf Productions decided on a similar play on words, “Ionheart.” When Kummer begins this graphic novel, he wants readers to think about all the dreams of the knights, princess and princess. But he only wants us to remember all these themes and undermine them in ways that we don’t expect.
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It starts with the title and mixes the knight’s medieval names with modern scientific terms. And we are presupposed a bit as some modern technology slowly creeps into the medieval world. And when a nuclear explosion transforms the kingdom into a wasteland near the beginning of the story, we realize that this is not a simple story of knights and chivalry.
This is the greatest strength of Lucas Kumar’s Ion Heart in my heart. The way he starts with a recognizable genre, but then completely interesting is to shatter the genre and reveal and twist it gradually undermine all my expectations.
This is also done in the art itself. It’s a very minimalist picture in the style of childhood comics like Adventure Time and humorous comic strips like Pickles. But be careful, this is not a child’s comic. Instead, Kummer uses the childlike nature of art to build a childlike trust. He does even greater effect with sudden gory violence and unexpected embarrassing sexual scenes. Adult themes and situations are carried out throughout the book.
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The book is divided into three chapters. In fact, they are three complete stories individually released in German, collected for this graphic novel.
The first chapter is undoubtedly the strongest, and Kummer builds a world where interesting genre bending is perfectly consistent and thoughtful. The wonderful pacing is most evident in the story of Prince Ionheart, who is fiercely trying to escape the merciless “devil” chasing him. As tensions grow, more and more unexpected surprises become apparent, and we learn more about this strange world. Also in this chapter, Kummer shows a good sense of cinematography, repeating the same settings and scenes as they did after the nuclear explosion, adding weight to the story.
The second chapter is essentially a prequel, relating to the story of the origins of the medieval world where the protagonist comes to call himself. In fact, origin stories are actually used as a framework to reflect UPS and mostly marriage down. I hope Kummer intends this as a warning story, but I’m not sure. In any case, it definitely fits well with the apocalyptic nature of the book and is filled with the good phors of its theme.
The final chapter – the weakest – plays it as a detective novel that runs through both the protagonist’s past and future. However, this murder mystery appears to be used solely as a narrative framework necessary to bring a sense of closure to the romantic plot between Prince Ionheart and his beloved princess. It’s the ending of the book, but it leaves things open for more adventures.
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As you might already assume, Kummer utilizes non-linear storytelling throughout Ionheart. Luckily, he uses a variety of color schemes to make jumping time easier. I really enjoyed the nonlinear way because Kummer uses it well to support and explain unexpected twists and reveals.
Ionheart – the English debut of German-speaking Austrian-born cartoonist Lukas Kummer – will undermine all your expectations. The beginning appears to be an adventure like Knight and Chivalry Arthur – drawn in a child-friendly cartoon style – quickly becomes a fantasy scattered genres that mean only mature audiences. It’s probably not everyone’s tea, but Kummer had a very creative vision that he skillfully brought it to paper with this collected graphic novel.
“Ionheart” will undermine your expectations
Aeon Heart
“Ionheart” will undermine all your expectations. The beginning appears to be an adventure like Knight and Chivalry Arthur – drawn in a child-friendly cartoon style – quickly becomes a fantasy scattered genres that mean only mature audiences.
An interesting twist on a famous genre.
A well-timed release.
It undermines expectations.
It’s not going to be everyone’s stuff, especially mature content.
Chapter 3 is weaker than the other chapters.
