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saramarie08's review against another edition
5.0
Canto is a charming fantasy that is 1 part Labyrinth, 1 part Wizard of Oz, and 2 parts entertaining hero's journey. In this story, Canto is part of a race of beings enslaved by another race to continuously chop down fuel for the mighty furnaces. Canto's people are bereft of their hearts as babies so that they cannot feel. In their place, they are given a clock that winds down to their inevitable deaths. However, Canto finds himself falling in love with another of his kind. She gets injured, and the only way to save her is to undertake a journey to recover her stolen heart. Canto makes friends on his journey who help him come face to face with the Shrouded Man, the being at the center of the enslavement of the world.
Canto certainly tugs at the heartstrings (pun intended). He is small but mighty, and his courage is certainly inspirational. Though he faces many set backs, he continues to persevere to save the one he loves. The story weaves in the only "tale" that has survived generations -- that of a knight questing to save a princess atop the tallest tower on the tallest mountain. The tale has no ending, and Canto discovers why when he gets atop his own tallest tower on the tallest mountain. While the repetition of this story throughout can be a little monotonous, it is a nice through-thread to the very end of the volume. The art of this book is whimsical and perfectly complements the fantasy elements throughout. The colors are mainly soft and often pastel, which also lends itself perfectly to the story.
I would rate this story for older elementary and up, owing to a slight bit of fantasy violence (no blood), and some serious elements, such as slavery and death, that might not suite younger readers.
Sara's Rating: 10/10
Suitability level: Grades 5-12
This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Edelweiss.
Read more graphic novel reviews at www.graphiclibrary.org.
Canto certainly tugs at the heartstrings (pun intended). He is small but mighty, and his courage is certainly inspirational. Though he faces many set backs, he continues to persevere to save the one he loves. The story weaves in the only "tale" that has survived generations -- that of a knight questing to save a princess atop the tallest tower on the tallest mountain. The tale has no ending, and Canto discovers why when he gets atop his own tallest tower on the tallest mountain. While the repetition of this story throughout can be a little monotonous, it is a nice through-thread to the very end of the volume. The art of this book is whimsical and perfectly complements the fantasy elements throughout. The colors are mainly soft and often pastel, which also lends itself perfectly to the story.
I would rate this story for older elementary and up, owing to a slight bit of fantasy violence (no blood), and some serious elements, such as slavery and death, that might not suite younger readers.
Sara's Rating: 10/10
Suitability level: Grades 5-12
This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Edelweiss.
Read more graphic novel reviews at www.graphiclibrary.org.
capannemazing's review against another edition
4.0
Canto is a refreshing take on fairy tales and specifically The Wizard of Oz. The art is beautiful. Canto takes the tropes of fairy tales and spins them to show how one person's courage can create change.
Initially I was confused by the twin plots that were being told but as they started to coalesce the story became clearer and took on heart and depth.
Initially I was confused by the twin plots that were being told but as they started to coalesce the story became clearer and took on heart and depth.
a_erives17's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
thebeardedpoet's review against another edition
3.0
In David Booher's Canto, the concepts and themes are charming. Like the Tinman in the Wizard of Oz Canto is on a quest for a heart, but not his own. There are several heartwarming incidences here. Where the story falls down is in the development and details. The battles resulted in too easy victories, and there were several too convenient assists to the little hero. As a result, I never fully believed in the story, even though I liked the ideas.
crookedtreehouse's review against another edition
2.0
The art on this book is gorgeous. It looks like an modern epic adventure story should. A dark fantasy rather than just a dark fairy tale. Vittorio Astone's colors set precisely the proper tone.
Unfortunately, I couldn't get into the story. I enjoyed the concept of telling a complete fairy tale in the first few pages and having it be a legend to our protagonist and other characters, but once we got to the characters, I lost interest. Replacing a heart with clockwork just feels like too trite a trope for the 21st century. You have to really add some intriguing character designs for that to work. And, unfortunately, having all the slave race in the same armor but with slightly different colored sashes didn't work for me.
I ended up skipping entire sections of the book due to a lack of interest. And then I found the afterword where the author first explains why he thinks L Frank Baum would like his story. Ummm. That has no place in your published book. Talk about the process of creating your book, and the books that inspired you, don't theorize which dead writers would be fans of yours. It's pretty gross.
If you're super into fantasy comics, this might be worth checking out, especially if you enjoy familiar tropes. It's also definitely worth checking out for the art.
Unfortunately, I couldn't get into the story. I enjoyed the concept of telling a complete fairy tale in the first few pages and having it be a legend to our protagonist and other characters, but once we got to the characters, I lost interest. Replacing a heart with clockwork just feels like too trite a trope for the 21st century. You have to really add some intriguing character designs for that to work. And, unfortunately, having all the slave race in the same armor but with slightly different colored sashes didn't work for me.
I ended up skipping entire sections of the book due to a lack of interest. And then I found the afterword where the author first explains why he thinks L Frank Baum would like his story. Ummm. That has no place in your published book. Talk about the process of creating your book, and the books that inspired you, don't theorize which dead writers would be fans of yours. It's pretty gross.
If you're super into fantasy comics, this might be worth checking out, especially if you enjoy familiar tropes. It's also definitely worth checking out for the art.
hwilliams's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
bookwomble's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
iffer's review against another edition
3.0
I like the retro fantasy art, with it's thick inking and color palette. This is a solid contemporary dark fairy tale adventure that manages a dark-but-hopeful tone.
kristinasshelves's review against another edition
4.0
Canto is a knight who lives in a world where members of his race are slaves to another race. Their hearts are taken and replaced with clocks. Names, caring about others and love are all forbidden, but Canto feels love. When the woman he loves is injured, Canto embarks on a forbidden quest away from his village to seek out her stolen heart. The world that develops is beautiful, with unique creatures and beautiful landscapes. I thoroughly enjoyed the choice of color palette, focusing on daker tones, reds and purples.
This graphic novel is fantasy, with doses of steampunk and fairy tale. The elements of the author’s inspiration from the in the Wizard of Oz are apparent. Oz is which is one of my favorite books/series/movie of all time so I very much enjoyed the nods to that universe.. Overall, this was a fun read!
Thank you to Netgalley and IDW for a PDF of this graphic novel for review.
This graphic novel is fantasy, with doses of steampunk and fairy tale. The elements of the author’s inspiration from the in the Wizard of Oz are apparent. Oz is which is one of my favorite books/series/movie of all time so I very much enjoyed the nods to that universe.. Overall, this was a fun read!
Thank you to Netgalley and IDW for a PDF of this graphic novel for review.
theverbalthing's review against another edition
5.0
Canto absolutely knocked me off my feet this year. This heart-pounding, evocative series about a small, courageous robot who goes on an epic quest to save his beloved before her time runs out — literally — reduced me to tears with nearly every issue. I did not expect this series to be so good, but I’m so glad that it is; it’s all-ages appropriate, packed with adventure, irresistibly charming, and so utterly adored by its creative team that their affection for the characters and their world shines through on every single page.