adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25 ⭐

I am having a hard time stringing words together to describe this graphic novel. There are loads of words on their own that hint at what you'll find but I'm not entirely sure the best way to put them in order. Weird, beautiful, gory, twisty, surprising.
The art is gorgeous, the use of colour was absolutely stunning. I remember being blown away by a particular page that was at both times incredibly gruesome and gory but also strangely beautiful. The story is weird, which may recommend it to some, and put others off, but as someone who has been actively seeking out weird sci-fi it scratched an itch for me.
The story is written non-linearly which also recommended itself to me, but again I can appreciate might put others off. Wondering where the story was going to go next, and what was happening in the long game kept me hooked.

All that said, while I really liked it I would be cautious who I recommended it to.
Thank you so much NetGalley and IDW Publishing | Top Shelf Productions for the review copy.

✨️I want to thank the author, IDW Publishing and Netgalley for providing the eARC in exchange for an honest review✨️

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up

Disclaimer; I didn't read a lot of Graphic Novels in my life, so keep in mind I don't have lots of experience with those.

First and foremost, I enjoyed the story. It was an easy read and had Sci-Fi and Fantasy in it. It was also a fast read, I think it took me like around an hour to read it. I liked following Billy's story. The art is well made, I like how Lukas Kummer did it with the colors and everything.

The only thing that I struggled with was the back and forth between real time and flashbacks. I sometimes had whiplash because of how it did it without expecting it. Then again, maybe it's just because I am unexperienced with Graphic Novels!? 🤷🏻‍♀️

The story was kinda simplistic but also covered some serious subjects that people would probably find relatable.

All in all, I enjoyed it and recommend it.

I bloody love this. Graphics are amazing on my iPad and the colours are saturated, going from very dark to very light which makes the book visually appealing. I chose the book because I especially enjoy reading books that are written in another language and then translated or where the authors first or primary language is not English. Some how it gives the tone of the writing more depth for me and even in this graphic novel I felt this.
I think I don’t want to describe the Story because I think there would be spoilers. I think I can say I agreed with the comparison with a combination of Tintin and Bladerunner.
It is explicit at times so not for children, a significant swear word at one point, sexual topics and extreme violence. At times it’s sad, scary, poignant and even laugh out loud funny.
It was confusing at times but less so than some Dr Who episodes. It was a quick read and I can imagine reading it again to discover more detail and maybe get a better understanding. It,as be I missed something or, I hope, there will be a sequel. I would definitely look out for more by this author and illustrator.

Ionheart is a visually striking sci-fi fantasy graphic novel that grabs attention with its bold, poppy color palette, even if the art leans toward the simplistic. The first story is the standout—an engaging blend of medieval aesthetics and modern technology, cleverly framed as magic by the characters. It’s a fresh and cohesive narrative that hooks you early.

Unfortunately, the second and third stories don’t quite carry that same spark. The initial intrigue fades, and the plot loses momentum. However, the ambiguous ending is somewhat of a redeeming highlight. Whether it’s a time loop, a parallel reality, or total annihilation, the conclusion invites thought and interpretation (my money is on creating another present on a multiversal planet on which the story repeats with the tiniest differences).

Overall, Ionheart is an imaginative read with strong moments, especially early on, but uneven storytelling in the latter half keeps it from reaching its full potential, in my opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-graphic novel arc in exchange for an honest review.

This graphic novel was not for me. The plot was kind of all the place and made me contemplate DNFing as it is just a tough read. The artist also uses a more minimalistic approach to his artwork, which blended together after a while, contributing to the lull. I can see how some may like it as it does have a certain humor to it that some may like at times, but I just could not get behind it.

What a beautiful blend of medieval and futuristic elements wrapped in striking illustrations. I would venture to say this graphic novel dabbles in the dark fantasy genre. It is also true to its "Blade Runner" comparisons. While I did find the story to be disjointed at points, it didn't impede my overall experience reading. If any of those genres fascinate you, I would recommend you check this out.

"I always found it cruel to give feelings to a machine."

Ionheart had one of the most interesting summaries I'd read in a long time, and the cover was gorgeous. Perhaps my expectations were slightly too high, however. For some positive notes, the artist chose a beautiful color palette and pages are pleasing to the eye because the palette will be consistent across the entire page. The art style wasn't my favorite personally, but that type of thing is subjective, so I don't dock points for that. For reference, it reminded me at times of an adult swim cartoon. Chapter two had some genuinely sad moments, because they were so true to real life (the kind of stuff we probably read fiction to escape). I felt those were well done. I also enjoy scenes where a character reflects on their life and what got them to where they are now, and how they're coming to peace with it, which that chapter had.
For the downsides, I was confused at times because I couldn't tell if the author was being satirical or not (I still can't tell you, truth be told. I feel kind of stupid for that). Sometimes the writing was trying to be funny and sometimes it was serious. The two tones felt confusing to me. Mostly though, I just felt the story was kind of boring. I never connected to a single character. I didn't see why I should care, and I was never given a reason to. So for me that really was the main problem.


Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an arc to review 💜

Ionheart by Lukas Kummer is a bold mashup of sci-fi and fantasy, blending Arthurian-inspired knights with transdimensional robots, demons, and time-hopping chaos. The concept is undeniably creative—imagine a *Lovebot* turned hitman turned knight, wrestling with identity across fractured timelines—and the striking, vibrant art style gives the book a distinct visual flair. At its best, the story is emotionally gripping, with moments that delve into heavy themes like toxic relationships, purpose, and the darker sides of humanity.

However, the execution falters. The nonlinear storytelling often feels disorienting rather than clever, with abrupt jumps in time and setting that leave the reader scrambling to piece together what’s happening. Some sections (particularly Part Three) introduce major plot points—like a sudden murder mystery—that feel rushed or tacked on, disrupting the flow. While the shifting color palettes are a neat stylistic choice, the art itself may not click with everyone; its nostalgic, almost cartoonish vibe sometimes clashes with the story’s darker, more violent tone.

The biggest issue, though, is coherence. The protagonist’s multiple identities (knight? robot? assassin?) are intriguing in theory, but the transitions between them are jarring, making it hard to stay invested in his journey. The demon antagonist, initially compelling, fades into the background, and key emotional beats—like betrayal and forgiveness—don’t land as strongly as they should due to the breakneck pacing.

There’s a lot to admire here—originality, bold themes, and a clear passion from the artist—but *Ionheart* struggles to balance its grand ideas with clear, satisfying storytelling. If you love experimental, genre-blending graphic novels and don’t mind a bit of confusion along the way, it might be worth a look. For me, it was a fascinating but frustrating read that didn’t quite live up to its potential.

2.5 stars rounded up

I really loved the colors used in this story, and parts of the plot. But the art style, and the way the story kept jumping around really didn't work for me. I don't know if I would continue with this series.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

Emotionally gripping and amazing storytelling! I never thought I'd ever read something like this, a (graphic) novel where literal science fiction mixes with fantasy and at the same time tackle heavy themes like toxic relationships and questions about humanity.

At first I doubted that I'd enjoy this because of the art style that I'm not used to, but I was later amazed by how complex the story itself was as I read onward. Even though I was initially taken aback by the heavy stuff tackled in the story (TW for cussing, gore and violence, and mentions of sex) it is a legit solid story. Thank goodness I gave this one a chance despite all that mentioned because it was really worth bingeing.

Thank you NetGalley and IDW Publishing for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

An absolutely beautiful graphic novel, the artist has clearly put in a lot of time and energy into their work and it shows! The artwork has a nostalgic feel to it, a mix of Dungeons and Dragons meets Adventure Time.

I loved the story it felt completely original and perfectly formatted to a graphic novel, I like that it was split into 3 parts, the 3rd part did feel the weakest just because the murder plot came out of nowhere but I still enjoyed it!

Id recommend this to any graphic novel lover!

In Ionheart, we follow Billy—a type of robot called a Lovebot—through time and space as he journeys through struggling to find his purpose in his programming, first (in his experience, not ours) as the service-oriented bot he was originally programmed to be, next as he was reprogrammed to become a hitman for a crime boss, and finally as a knight in a kingdom without modern technology. Kummer’s storytelling excels at portraying the gruesome sides of Billy’s experience with humanity. In Part One, we are treated to plenty of gore and violence. Part Two emphasizes the way love loses its shine and rots through, how it can turn ugly even when it is still held up by a strong foundation. Part Three focuses on themes of betrayal and forgiveness, though I wish this part were longer and that these were more thoroughly explored within the story.

Ionheart feels like refreshing return to the sorts of comics I ate up as a teen. It’s a fascinating world (or two) that I would have loved to have spent more time with. The art style and color palates chosen are perfect for the story. While ideally I’d like a little more depth in my storytelling these days, I highly recommend this to anyone looking for sci-fi-leaning graphic novel.

Big thanks to Netgalley and Top Shelf Productions for the eARC of this comic.

The art in this was amazing and I loved how it jumped between two points of time and even without changing the art style or giving clear indications it was so easy to follow. I loved seeing modern and future technology being considered “magic” and playing into the dangers of nuclear warfare too.

"He was no hero. And neither was I, for that matter."

Ionheart was not the comic for me. While I enjoyed the simplistic art style in juxtaposition to the dark story, overall the narrative felt too bleak and pessimistic to me. Adding to that a weirdly non-chronological order of events on top of odd pacing, this story left me unsatisfied. I did appreciate some of the ideas in this like the concept of the parallel worlds, but I failed to get a grasp on the overarching narrative and message of this work. That however might be on me as the reader.

I would recommend Ionheart to people who think they could enjoy the art style of Adventure Time combined with a story that portrays a bleak, nihilistic worldview.

Pursued by a demon, a young knight flees across the radioactive ruins of a fantasy land. As his journey progresses his secrets begin to unfold and questions are asked.

A lovely blend of science fiction and fantasy, Ionheart immediately grabbed my attention with it's luscious colour palette and interesting synopsis. It is a fast paced graphic novel with an interesting concept. However I found myself a little disappointed with the execution.

The plot was just a little all over the place for me with the being thrown back and forth in time with little explanation or context. I had to reread a number of pages and sometimes felt like I might have accidentally skipped pages (I hadn't).

Whilst the colour palette of this graphic novel is gorgeous, the actual art style did not work for me. It didn't fit the tone of the book and as a result I struggled to fully immerse myself in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and IDW publishing for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc.

This novel follows a knight as a demon follows him. I like the colors and the art of this novel. This novel is a twist of many timelines. I really enjoyed the science aspect of this book. Some of the explanations were slightly confusing. However, it was a fine novel. The development of the young knight was interesting.

I don't read graphic novels often. Very rarely in fact, since the format tends to work budiously on me. I can see all the effort put into the making of a draphic novel, but having more images than words isn't something that works well for me. This read as confirmed it.

'Ionheart' mixes science fiction with fantasy (literaly, with robots, nuclear power and very medieval world too). It does it pretty well, with a story playing with time, told in a non linear timeline. It's interesting, with a nice differenciation in the colour palette for each world, helping the reader's comprehension. Lots of people will probably be lost by all the different identities and story line, but I thought it was pretty well done.
I can't say I was super invested in the story, but it is more a matter of format that doesn't suit me than a problem with the story, I think.

Ionheart was such a delightful read. the Artwork, on its own, is really great but the story is also a page turner. What I enjoyed the most was the placement of different time that made the story even more thrilling. Despite the time structure the pacing was smooth. Everything made sense.

The art is excellently engaging and the time skip sequences create a captive reader. It does have an awkward ending; however, much like a good wrestling match sometimes the ending doesn't matter as long as the rest told a good story.

"Ionheart" by Lukas Kummer (Out 19 August 2025 from IDW) was not what I expected at all,in the best way.

A knight is being chased by a demon in a wasteland. And then it isn't about that.

Reasons to read:
-The art style is cute and horrific in the same page
-Story went places I did not see coming
-Holy crap that's a brilliant crime
-Was riveted the whole way through

Cons:
-reader was bugged so I thought there wasn't text for 30% and I was making details up in my head. Went back and I was wrong about a lot.