A review by brucefarrar
The Dragon Slayer: Folktales from Latin America by Jaime Hernández

5.0

Hernández retells and draws three Spanish American folktales. In the first a bold young woman turns misfortune into success using determination and courage. It just takes outwitting two monsters with the aid of a magic wand to win her prince. In the next another young lady finds a coin and buys herself a hair ribbon to enhance her natural charms. It’s all she needs to attract the mouse of her dreams for a husband, only to have him fall in a pot of boiling soup. In the final tale the youngest of three brothers uses brains instead of brawn and many small friends to find his fortune.

Hernández’s sharp bold lines are filled with bright color. Aztec designs and motifs enhance the comics. The notes provide context, and the bibliography supplements the tales. This is a superlatively designed book.