From the very first page, Ionheart hooked me with its incredible art style. The colors reminded me of Paper Girls, while characters were more Nimona or Adventure Time, blending into this unique cyber-medieval aesthetic that’s as striking as it is immersive. It's beautiful in its simplicity.

The story unfolds non-linearly, with timelines and realities weaving in and out until the bigger picture comes into focus. I loved it so much that I immediately reread it as soon as I finished. Everything clicks even more the second time through. The mix of time- and universe-bending sci-fi with medieval fantasy was everything I wanted in a graphic novel.

While the murder mystery subplot in the third arc didn’t grip me as much as the central relationship, I was surprised by how emotionally rich this graphic novel is. Beneath the robots, knights, and apocalypse, it’s really about love: not just falling into it, but maintaining it as people (and circumstances) change. It’s shockingly deep for a book about knights with "cursed" weapons in medieval radioactive wastelands.

The worldbuilding we do get is fantastic, spanning pre-, mid-, and post-apocalyptic eras, but I found myself wishing we could spend more time exploring each setting. I feel like this would make a solid animated tv show I would be totally addicted to.

In short: Ionheart is bold, beautiful, and unlike anything else I’ve read. If you’re into ambitious, time-warping graphic novels that mash up genres and still manage to hit you right in the feelings, this is one to pick up.

This was such a cool concept. Time bending sci-fi mixed with medieval fantasy with some gory bits. But I kind of got bored of the murder mystery plot line.

3.5 stars rounded up

DNF at 30%. The art wasn't my cup of tea, but that's usually fine with a strong script, which I didn't find either. The story was erratic, threw too much to you at the same time, tried to be funny when it just relied on shock value, and tried to make you care about things that were just barely being shown as they happened. Didn't work for me.

I picked Ionheart to read because of the colors on the cover as I felt they were kind of funky and I wanted to see what was inside. And although I struggled to understand what was happening at the start, I quickly realized that this graphic novel was just as funky on the inside! I did end up enjoying Ionheart and I'd recommend it to others; especially lovers of Heavy Metal magazine. I will say however that someone reading Ionheart needs to let go of the idea that time is linear because it certainly isn't here. If you have the chance to read this graphic novel, I'd say give it a try.

First and foremost, thank you to Netgalley and IDW Publishing | Top Shelf Productions for providing this ARC copy in exchange for my honest review

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⚝ Rating ⚝: 2✩ / 5✩’s

⚝ Review ⚝: This just...was not for me. Didn't know what to expect, but it certainly wasn't that. The melding of modern AND future technology in a fantasy/medieval background was interesting, but that's about all it had going for it. I just could not take it seriously, especially the dialogue.

⚝ Illustrations⚝: The illustrations for Ionheart are extremely simplistic, reminiscent of popular shows like Adventure Time, Rick and Morty, or Futurama. Don't let this simplistic style fool you though, this is VERY much an adult story. The cover art matches pretty well to what to expect inside the story, and while the colors are vibrant, the linework is clean and clear, and it's easily distinguished and stylistic, it just isn't for me.

⚝ Representation ⚝: N/A

⚝ TWs ⚝: Blood, Gore, Death, Violence, Nudity

Thank you to IDW Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC!

Ionheart truly blends the sci-fi and fantasy world with a medieval kingdom and futuristic "magic." The colors and art help draw you into this blend of genres that helped give the story a steampunk vibe that was enjoyable! Overall, Chapter 1 is the strongest of the three, especially with the twist ending that I didn't see coming! And while parts of the story were a bit confusing with the timeline jumps that often took a beat to realize where you are at in the timeline, the graphic novel does provide an intriguing storyline. If you are looking for something unique and want to dive into a dark world of magic, robots, and a little murder mystery... would recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! Sadly, it just wasn't for me. The story sounds really interesting, but I just couldn't get into it. I wasn't a huge fan of the art style either, but it was really charming!

Ionheart is a mix of sci-fi and action for those who love those genres. The setting is a mix of medieval and futuristic following knights, princesses, and murderous robots. It’s a good blend of a variety of genres.

The artwork is sleek and consistent with clean lines, bold panels, and bright color. Text is large and easy to read.

The novel does weave through past, present, and alternate realities. While ambitious, the non-linear and not clearly distinguished jumps make it a bit hard to follow a cohesive story. This is likely not an issue for those who love time jumps in stories.

Overall, this was a quick and interesting read for those who enjoy sci-fi, time jumps, and action packed graphic novels.

Der Zeichenstil ist ganz cool gemacht und gewählt - passt zu dem Setting ganz gut. Der Plot ist an sich interessant, für mich war allerdings irgendwann etwas die Luft raus. Es sprang immer Mal etwas hin und her von den zeitlichen Abläufen - gehörte aber dazu, denn so wurde einiges erklärt. Mir war es aber etwas zu wild und ich wusste teilweise einfach nicht mehr so richtig, in welchem Zeitstrang wir uns ungefähr befinden. Zu den Charakteren bekam ich irgendwie kaum einen Draht, was mich schon etwas traurig gemacht hat. Sprachlich war's an einigen Stellen etwas komplex, da musste ich paar Dinge googlen. Die Bilder allein erzählen an sich aber auch schon viel. Ich kann gar nicht so genau sagen, was mich nun “gestört” hat - ich wurde einfach nicht richtig warm damit.. 😬
Vielleicht versuch ich's einfach nochmal mit einem anderen Titel des Autors irgendwann.

Shockingly deep! I checked this title out because I couldn't find anything I wanted to read, and I was very happily surprised! It's a very nuanced and complicated story with lots of twists. I thought the book ended at one point only for there to continue to be more!

Thank you for NetGalley for the arc
This was such a interesting read
Honestly wasn’t sure what was going on in the beginning but I was still very entertained. I also didn’t see the plot twist coming.

The combination of a medieval setting combined with futuristic tech that they call magic is beyond cool. And unraveling what happened in the past was fascinating. The art style isn't one I'd typicaly enjoy, but I quickly came to appreciate it. Especially the beautiful landscapes those I stopped to appreciate this spreads every time.

I was really getting into the story but then the graphic content showed up. The violence drawn in detail with people's organs in display was particularly jarring. Then we got to the 'monastery' scene where people are drawn having sex all over the place. And I decided I didn't need to keep reading something that would have this kind of content repeatedly popping up.

Had lots of potential, but I dnfed at 17%

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This graphic novel is fast-paced and very well illustrated. Such a wonderful blend of sci-fi and fantasy with character development I didn’t expect from a graphic novel. Although I got confused by the chronological plot (which seems to happen when time travel is involved), the story is interesting and very entertaining. Would recommend!

Thanks to Idw Publishing and Netgalley for a copy of this ARC

Can we just take a moment to talk about the art in this book? So simple but so impactful with a color scheme to die for this would be a trade id want to buy twice. One as a reader copy and one as a trophy.

The story is deceptively complex with a non linear timeline that is rewarding to wade through to its conclusion.

Perfect for fans of Kyle Starks and for fans of Declan Shalvey’s run on Moonknight

Ionheart sets out with the really interesting premise of a medievel-ish world where technology that mysteriously appears out of thin air is viewed as "magic." I could've explored that idea for much longer before the twist was revealed, but a strong start nonetheless. My interest waned a good bit after that.

Thank you to Netgalley and IDW Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this graphic novel. This was a bit confusing for me in my personal opinion because of the time skipping and paths that the characters take. In addition, I did not understand the motivation behind the plot. the artstyle though is beautiful (reminded me of Nimona). Because of these points, I have to give this a 3 out of 5 stars.

A knight and demon engage in a conflict that is far more complicated than it originally appears. While a post-apocalyptic medieval/futuristic setting serves as a backdrop, the comic also dives into different dimensions and is a lot of fun to read. Of all the books, I enjoyed book one the best and could very easily recommend that to comics fans.

I have tried on so many nights to pick this up and read it, but it is not my cup of tea. It is slow and kind of boring. The only good thing about it has been the colors. I love a beautiful brightly colored cover and graphic novel, so it has that going for it. I am DNF’ing at page 30+. I just can’t do it.

This wasn’t for me and that’s ok.
A knight being followed by a demon, seemingly across dimensions? (Might have got a bit confused). The great thing about NetGalley is that I can try new things ☺️

3.5
The story it had some really strong points, but also a few things that didn’t totally work for me. First of all, the concept was super creative. The way fantasy and sci-fi elements were mixed together felt very cool, and I liked how the story didn’t shy away from darker or emotional topics. Billy as a character had depth, and I could see his growth through the story. I appreciated how the themes were handled. The illustrations were also really cool, at first I wasn’t sure about the style, but it actually fit well with the tone of the story. The part that was harder for me was the structure. The timeline wasn’t always easy to follow, and I had to go back a few times because I got a bit lost. It didn’t ruin the story, but it made the reading experience less smooth. I also felt like some scenes could’ve used more explanation. Still, I was glad I read it. Not perfect, but definitely worth checking out. Thank you so much to the author, IDW Publishing and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read the book in advance, I received this for free and I'm leaving a honest review