Broken Frontier

Ever stolen a garden gnome and smashed it? You might not wanna do that anymore. You may be sealing the fate of the world.

Andy Rutfield is a normal guy. He has a hard time holding down a job, needs someone to love and is new in town. What he doesn’t know is that his uncle was a sorcerer who might have doomed the planet before he mysteriously vanished. Now that Andy is getting used to his new location and has met someone special, a gift - a magical garden gnome - might ruin it all.

Dwonch does something refreshing here. In the age of super decompression, he tells an epic story in 63 pages. He has an epic prologue, a long period of the hero discovering himself and training under a dubious mentor and then an epic battle with the world at stake. Jack Kirby would be proud.

Dwonch has an eye for characterization to be sure. Andy is the ultimate slacker put in an absurd situation. Keith Giffen would be hard pressed to make the story more delightful. At its core, that’s what this all ages title is, delightful. It doesn’t talk down to its audience or play to a younger audience. What it does instead is tell an entertaining yarn that strays from any kind of vulgarity or graphic violence. It is not playing safe, per se, but it is not inappropriate.

Fans of fantasy books should like the references to Lord of the Rings and the works of George R.R. Martin. Just to show that the book is for everyone, Dwonch even throws in a reference or two to Jackie Chan’s most lauded film Drunken Master. I can respect a book that wears its influences on its sleeve.

The art is a mixed bag. While it is fairly inconsistent in its execution, it should be pleasing to folks who like what Mahmud A. Asrar is doing on Dynamo 5 or Derec Donovan on Youngblood . With the exception of Ryan Ottley, I am not a fan of this style.

What really stands out is the expressions of the characters. Dwonch has a keen eye for making a face show what the character is thinking or feeling, much like Terry Moore. The other thing that stands out is the coloring, especially in the backgrounds, which appear to be digitally colored photographs. It makes a stark contrast to the line art and makes what would not appeal to my sensibilities much more palatable.

If you are looking for an entertaining and all ages safe read, you could do far worse then Gnome. And remember, leave those garden gnomes alone, they may be your savior.