bianca_horkan's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure I liked this enough to read the rest...
readinggod's review against another edition
3.0
The tales of things going bump in the night are not tales at all. This lesson is learned first hand by the stuffed animals in this story when their owner is taken by the Boogeyman. Determined to save their owner, the toys plan a rescue mission and enter the dark that is the closet. Once on the other side they will have to travel the dark and battle enemies unknown.
The art in this graphic novel are fantastic. It is done in various shades of brown and black which add to the mood of the novel.
The art in this graphic novel are fantastic. It is done in various shades of brown and black which add to the mood of the novel.
mckenzierichardson's review against another edition
3.0
For more reviews, check out my blog Craft-Cycle
This story works perfectly as a graphic novel. I love the contrast in characters' appearances in the "real world" vs. The Dark. The artwork is amazing. It is such an interesting contrast between childhood play and actual war.
The plot itself is very interesting. It's kind of like Toy Story if Buzz and Woody went on a murderous rampage to save Andy from a nightmare incarnate. Awesome stuff.
Cool beginning to the series. I am looking forward to reading the next book.
This story works perfectly as a graphic novel. I love the contrast in characters' appearances in the "real world" vs. The Dark. The artwork is amazing. It is such an interesting contrast between childhood play and actual war.
The plot itself is very interesting. It's kind of like Toy Story if Buzz and Woody went on a murderous rampage to save Andy from a nightmare incarnate. Awesome stuff.
Cool beginning to the series. I am looking forward to reading the next book.
krash9924's review against another edition
4.0
The "worst" volume of "The Stuff of Legend" so far, with an increasingly sinister tone throughout, something just felt off compared to earlier stories. Art was still amazing. This volume wasn't bad just not as good as the first two.
bribriny's review against another edition
5.0
The art in this is unbelievable. Such a good story as well.
leslie_d's review against another edition
4.0
If you are already thinking Toy Story stop there. Yes, the toys come to life. That is all. Even in the Pixar toy’s darkest hour (Sid), they’ve nothing on the scale of this graphic novel for the older crowd or The Dark.
In Book One of The Stuff of Legend: The Dark the toys risk going into the closet and into the realm of the Boogeyman’s The Dark to rescue the boy. There is no explanation for the Boogeyman’s kidnapping of this particular brother from this particular Brooklyn bedroom, and for the time being that is not the concern. The question is: Who will save him? And after entering The Dark the question takes on a greater nuance to: Will anyone survive to save the boy?
A fantastic imagining for these animated toys are how they change once they enter The Dark. They become as real externally as they’ve been internally all these years. It is a wonderment for both the toys and the Reader. It also makes the strain the non-plush family dog and the stuffed bear Maxwell have experienced all the more interesting. Maxwell is no longer a vulnerable teddy, and has been properly scaled to size as an actual bear.
The renderings are of incredible detail and quite elaborate in the battle sequences, the walled city of Hopscotch, the close-ups of characters. These are living breathing figures of action in sepia. And the story both in visual and text is dark, and violent, so mind the sweet children who see that cute teddy on the cover. The peril is intense and the Boogeyman creepy. Even the jack-in-the-box Joker, a good guy, is quite wicked looking.
The toys have context, and not all of our primary character’s stories are revealed in Book One. The character development when necessary is very quick but viable; the Colonel in particular, but also the piggy bank Percy. With Percy you get a very nice flashback to the room, to an earlier time for him, and it complicates things for the Reader. The amusement factor for a “What if a boogeyman stole a child into the dark?” is taken up a notch.
a brief note on the art and layout: The artist and the writers do everything right (as somewhat expected) from transitions to compositions of frame and page to the gorgeously atmospheric. Charles Paul Wilson III brings the collective imagination to life and it is fantastic to join him and the writers there–for a little while. The Dark is a wonderfully scary place; but this alternate realm for toys is better than Oz.
The Stuff of Legend isn’t just pretty, it has a good story. You’ll be aching for Book 2: The Jungle (2011) & 3 (?) : A Jester’s Tale (?)**, because Book One: The Dark only really gives you a strong taste of the beginning.
–when I say older crowd, 10 & up (w/parents deciding on their own children’s sensitivities–as well as their own)
L @ omphaloskepsis
http://contemplatrix.wordpress.com/2011/09/09/the-stuff-of-legend-the-dark/
In Book One of The Stuff of Legend: The Dark the toys risk going into the closet and into the realm of the Boogeyman’s The Dark to rescue the boy. There is no explanation for the Boogeyman’s kidnapping of this particular brother from this particular Brooklyn bedroom, and for the time being that is not the concern. The question is: Who will save him? And after entering The Dark the question takes on a greater nuance to: Will anyone survive to save the boy?
A fantastic imagining for these animated toys are how they change once they enter The Dark. They become as real externally as they’ve been internally all these years. It is a wonderment for both the toys and the Reader. It also makes the strain the non-plush family dog and the stuffed bear Maxwell have experienced all the more interesting. Maxwell is no longer a vulnerable teddy, and has been properly scaled to size as an actual bear.
The renderings are of incredible detail and quite elaborate in the battle sequences, the walled city of Hopscotch, the close-ups of characters. These are living breathing figures of action in sepia. And the story both in visual and text is dark, and violent, so mind the sweet children who see that cute teddy on the cover. The peril is intense and the Boogeyman creepy. Even the jack-in-the-box Joker, a good guy, is quite wicked looking.
The toys have context, and not all of our primary character’s stories are revealed in Book One. The character development when necessary is very quick but viable; the Colonel in particular, but also the piggy bank Percy. With Percy you get a very nice flashback to the room, to an earlier time for him, and it complicates things for the Reader. The amusement factor for a “What if a boogeyman stole a child into the dark?” is taken up a notch.
a brief note on the art and layout: The artist and the writers do everything right (as somewhat expected) from transitions to compositions of frame and page to the gorgeously atmospheric. Charles Paul Wilson III brings the collective imagination to life and it is fantastic to join him and the writers there–for a little while. The Dark is a wonderfully scary place; but this alternate realm for toys is better than Oz.
The Stuff of Legend isn’t just pretty, it has a good story. You’ll be aching for Book 2: The Jungle (2011) & 3 (?) : A Jester’s Tale (?)**, because Book One: The Dark only really gives you a strong taste of the beginning.
–when I say older crowd, 10 & up (w/parents deciding on their own children’s sensitivities–as well as their own)
L @ omphaloskepsis
http://contemplatrix.wordpress.com/2011/09/09/the-stuff-of-legend-the-dark/
crowyhead's review against another edition
4.0
When a young boy is dragged into his closet by the Bogeyman, it's up to his faithful toys and his dog, Scout, to venture into the closet after him. There they find themselves in The Dark, and are surprised to discover that there, they are real. Percy the piggybank is a real pig and no longer needs to worry about breaking. Maxwell the teddy bear is a real, ferocious bear. And all of the others (with the exception of Scout, who's still a normal puppy) have new bodies and new abilities.
The artwork is GORGEOUS! I haven't seen anything this beautiful in a long time. The storytelling is occasionally a wee bit heavy-handed, but for the most part the writing is good, and I am really enjoying the story and can't wait to find out what happens next.
It's worth noting that while this appears to be a children's story, it's actually quite realistically violent. I probably wouldn't recommend it for a kid younger than 12, and parents who are considering it for their child should probably read it first.
The artwork is GORGEOUS! I haven't seen anything this beautiful in a long time. The storytelling is occasionally a wee bit heavy-handed, but for the most part the writing is good, and I am really enjoying the story and can't wait to find out what happens next.
It's worth noting that while this appears to be a children's story, it's actually quite realistically violent. I probably wouldn't recommend it for a kid younger than 12, and parents who are considering it for their child should probably read it first.
sunbear98's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely fabulous story and art. A young boy's toys come to life in a place called "the dark" and try to rescue the boy from the Boogyman. The drawings are beyond compare. You simply MUST read this book. I am now on to the 2nd in the trilogy.