Dungeon: Vol 2: The Barbarian Princess

European Comics
Dungeon: Vol 2: The Barbarian Princess
By Hervé St-Louis
May 23, 2005 - 8:03

NBM Publishing
Writer(s): Joann Sfar
Penciller(s): Lewis Trondheim
Inker(s): Lewis Trondheim
Cover Artist(s): Lewis Trondheim

In the second volume of Dungeon, Hebert’s slyness gets him into trouble again as the people of Cephalonia are looking for their princess in the dungeon. To avert a terrible war and pillage, Hebert must find the fictitious princess and return her to her kingdom. However, the fictitious princess he does find appears to be more lively and more trouble than the brewing war her retrieval is supposed to avert.

As usual, this story is mature and to the point without being snobbish. Sfar writes Dungeon with a matter of fact quality where people just die when trying to go about their lives. There is nothing heroic about any of the characters. Yet they remain very endearing and the multiple problem Hebert encounters throughout the novel are fun. One never quite know how he’ll get out of the latest scheme.

One could describe Trondheim’s artwork as a elaborate scribbles quite similar to Sergio Aragone’s Groo. Nevertheless, Trondheim’s strength is his ability to tell a story with images. One quickly forgets that beneath the complex designs he covered with simple brushstrokes lies a story that captivates. Trondheim makes his work look almost too easy and unfortunately, many will dismiss his work before experiencing it.