A new graphic novel imprint from a major publisher is
something to be celebrated – comics and graphic novels certainly need the investment and
promotion. The Runaway Princess marks the first release from Random House
Graphic which will focus on books for kids and younger teens.
It’s worth pointing out that despite the
title and the slightly fearful look of the central character on the cover of
the book, the story and mood within its pages is entirely fun and offbeat – the princess is running towards adventure rather than away from something fearful. She soon meets a small group of boys who
remain her friends throughout the book. The fairy-tale world is full of
impossibilities (mermaids in bubbles, floating baths, little pumpkin people)
and the three stories have an air of aimless whimsy told in child-like art
like a far-flung offshoot from the Dungeon series by the great Lewis Trondheim
and Joann Sfar. The colouring is almost neon in its vividness which heightens a
sense of the alien to the familiar shapes of castles, giants and fish floating
through the air.
Importantly, the characters are all charming. Princess Robin
is eternally curious and good-natured – I particularly loved how, even when she
is kidnapped, she helps her kidnappers write ransom notes and convinces them to
put on a musical show for the people that turn up with the ransom so that they
will feel that they have got value for money.
The format is quite short
and chunky, which may be a challenge for little fingers, but there are some nice pages of interactivity such as mazes, spot-the-character-in-a-crowd, or even a request to the reader to close the book and shake it!
You can check out an interview with the creator Johan Troianowski on The Beat here.
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