A dark and beautiful masterpiece. This was deeply disturbing, and I’m not sure I could put into words why. Of course it’s dark to see humans being eaten nonchalantly, but that wasn’t it. It was the whole package. Lovely, dark, and terrifying beauty. There were, after all, three distinct sizes of human-like beings in this book (very large ogres, small ogres, and tiny humans). We’re supposed to relate to the smallest ones, the humans, but it’s still interesting to consider eating very small creatures that resemble us and think nothing about it. Just a normal meal.

I think the black and white art and the subject matter are only part of what makes this so disturbing, because sometimes the lack of color is quite lovely and not dark at all. It's more than that. The dialogue, or just words that are yelled out, along with the facial features of each person… that’s what really gets me. The faces are so emotional, no matter what emotion it is being depicted, even if that emotion is blankness. It’s unnerving. It’s at times so accurate and then such an exaggeration, sometimes mere panels apart. I love it. It makes me very uncomfortable, in the best way. The triplets are especially creepy. The giant ogres eat the little humans and have the humans as servants.

The main illustrated story is broken up by little section pages from The Book of Ancients. Absolutely beautiful ornamental pages that really set the dark fairy tale mood. Although it’s mostly illustrations, this book also has full page stories of character backgrounds and the like, similar to what you’d see in a book of fairy tales. These stories are so beautiful, I would read an entire book of stories like this. If the author sold The Book of Ancients as an actual book with the occasional illustration near the bottom, I would buy it. I loved these stories. So well written, so interesting, beautiful. I really enjoyed the Desdee Story, the God-King Story, and the Founder’s Story. I loved them all, but those are the ones that stick out.

Little things here and there just set this graphic novel apart. Even small things, like juxtaposing a serious situation and great, dark art with a word balloon that is just a black scribble to show his anger and frustration.

And what a crazy ending for a first volume. I am so excited to read the next one! I have a few ideas about where it could go from here, but I know I’ll be surprised no matter what. This is now one of my favorite graphic novels. I have no complaints, only praise.

An engaging graphic novel steeped in lore and true classic storytelling. The story was engaging and the illustrations were really well done. I hope the next book continues Petit's story. (I want to know more of the giant's history and what lead to their fall... though with the way the story went I doubt it will be delved deeper into.)

Vivid, bold, and perfect for fantasy readers. This book is high concept and high reward for readers who enjoy a quality comic.