I was committed to Scales & Scoundrels when I found out it used to be published at Image Comics but got cancelled. Here we've gotten another Dungeons & Dragons type of story for an all-ages audiences. It's one that benefits from long-form storytelling in graphic novels, hence why it changed publishers; all-ages graphic novels need to be sold not just in comic stores but general book stores.

At first glance it feels generic with a band of adventurers and the twists and turns along the way. But the intensity and motivations feel compelling for each adventurer and readers get a sense in what each character wants and needs. It can only get better with the second trade that went incomplete.

For anyone who is a huge fan of dungeons and dragons, this comic series is for you!! It features a team of fantasy characters on an adventure for ancient dragon treasure, deeper than any dwarf has ever dug.

Give It A Chance

At first this seemed fairly generic, and even cartoony. The dialogue was serviceable, but the plot seemed like a standard quest deal, and the drawing was simple and spare. But wait.

Fairly quickly, the characters open up a bit and develop some heft. The quest also takes on some interesting twists and turns, and the tale is enriched by a fair number of engaging cameo characters. Even the drawing gets bigger and more creative as we get deeper into the underworld. Then, about halfway through, we get secrets and hints at a decent backstory for one of the heroes; we meet an excellently demonic monologuing villain and then a mysterious hunter who may or may not be a bad guy. At that point the tale switches into a much higher and more interesting gear before we hit the cliffhanger. This is, after all, only Book One, but it seems that an even better Book Two is right around the corner.

So, this wasn't super compelling at first, but it was an engaging enough hero story that had its heart in the right place. It just kept getting better, and sometimes that's exactly the sort of diversion you want.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

I received an eARC from NetGalley for the purposes of this review.

This book was a little slow to start, but once all the main characters had met and the relationships between them established, the story got very interesting very quickly. The characters are easy to distinguish, both in the art and in the writing, and each has a distinctive voice and personality. Each has their secrets, and as the story goes on, they become more and more intriguing.

There are several scene-establishing shots that are incredibly beautiful. The pairing of writing and art creates a sense of curiosity and wonder throughout.

I’m looking forward to seeing where this series goes. This is definitely one to watch.

Super fun! The art is very detailed and the story is dialogue heavy, making for an easy to follow adventure story. This is reminiscent of Nimona in both art style (particularly the styling of the human / human adjacent characters) and in characterization. Where Nimona is sort of steam punk fantasy heavy on the sci/fi.... this story is more classic quest fantasy.

The copy I've read is a special peek preview of Scales & Scoundrels Book 1.
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This story follows:
Luvander -- Treasure Hunter, Adventure Seeker, and Life Saver.
Aki -- Prince of The Scarlet Sands, who is on his sacred journey
Koro -- Protector of the prince, who is his loyal shadow
Dorma -- Dwarven guide, who is afraid of the dark

They are all on adventure to find the myth Dalden Laria, "The Hall of Dreaming Treasures". Will the group find this mysterious Dalden Laria? No other adventurers have come back from the journey. Luvander also seems to have some secrets of her own, that may cause problems for the group. What could she be hiding?
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I cannot wait to read more of this series. I am very interested just from this peek preview. I love the characters, the world, and the plot. This was definitely a page turner for me. The artwork is amazing as well!


Thank you to NetGalley and TKO Studios for the ARC

This graphic novel contains some of the usual tropes, a group of friends on a quest, a thief, a prince and his protector, and a warrior. Elves, dwarves, goblins, and dragons, all creatures I love! I also like the fact that three of the main characters are women.
Lu, our protagonist is a scoundrel, so it appears. There is more to her and we learn as the story develops that first appearances can be deceptive. When she meets up with the rest of the little group chaos ensues.
The author does a great job with the flow of the story and keeping you interested in what is coming up next. The artwork is ok, I didn't really care for the way the characters were drawn, but the background was beautiful.
I recommend this to readers of all ages, it was a fun break between huge fantasy tomes I usually read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the author, Sebastian Girner, for the opportunity to read and review this graphic novel.

I got this as an ARC from NetGalley and I was pretty excited because I love comics and I love dragons, so the title and genre caught my eye.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed.

I only got about halfway through this before I lost total interest. I didn't find any of the characters particularly interesting and, for me, characters are the most important part of a story. If I'm not interested in the character's journey or I don't like them, then I'm probably not going to be able to get into it.

Also, if a story can't grab me 50% of the way through, then it's never going to grab me.

This book just wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sebastian Girner, and TKO Studios for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

It took me about the first of six issues to really get into this series, but once it picks up, the characters are interesting and conflicted, and the adventure is classic and fun.

Lu is a scoundrel, causing a lot of problems for people in villages. She doesn't have a coin to her name, but it is hinted early on that she is a dragon, she just hides her identity. When she saves a prince, his guard, and their escort from a group of scoundrels, Lu joins them as they are searching for an ancient dragon treasure that may be no more than a myth. Lu herself wants to go visit her home of origin, the place where dragons once resided.

Many challenges present themselves to the group along the way, including someone who seems to be hunting Lu and will no give up until she is dead.

This is a fun adventure story that starts off with some Dungeons and Dragons vibes, but quickly transforms into a fantastic adventure quest that readers of all ages will enjoy.

This was a surprisingly gripping story. I'm never sure with graphic novels how good they'll actually be. Some are too childish, others rely too much on graphic content for shock and awe, but this was perfect.

The premise sets up a large fantastical world with varying creatures and factions. The main characters all have super varied backstories, though none of them are overly unique, but it works really well. The characters mesh really well.

There's an undercurrent of runaway princess/thief plot with a good ole treasure hunt and proving oneself. Totally recommend for people wanting a solid read, and I cannot wait to continue.

Mystery, intrigue, action, secret identities, quests, dragons, demons, this one has it all! Mysterious Lu is a treasure hunter who runs into a small company including a naive prince, a brooding bodyguard, and a dwarf afraid of the dark. Throw in a tracker who follows Lu's every step, and let the adventure begin!

This is a thoroughly engaging graphic novel with great characters, good action and pacing, and revised artwork which is expertly drawn and vibrantly colored.

The ARC version I reviewed was a partial copy, which was a shame as the portion I read was very engrossing. A definite recommendation.

Luvander (Lu) is a dragon princess bound in human form as punishment for breaking dragon law. She wanders the countryside looking for treasure. She happens upon Prince Aki of the Scarlet Sands empire who must complete a quest before returning home, his bodyguard Koro, and a dwarf named Dorma. She travels with them for a while until they are all attacked by a man who is hunting Lu. The become trapped in the ruins of a dungeon said to reach the bottom of the earth. They discover treasure, a group of people, and things they thought were lost. Lu's true nature is revealed when Aki discovers a gemstone, but he chooses to keep her secret. Will Lu ever be able to break her curse or convince the other dragons that they are wrong?