Without giving too much away, a rag-tag group of stuffed animals belonging to a boy go off into "the dark" on a great adventure. Their boy is in trouble, and while the stuffed animals are only toys in the "real" world, once they enter "the dark"...they become truly real. A teddy bear becomes a "real" bear, hulking, giant and clawed. A toy duck becomes a "real" duck, able to fly and quack and float on water. It's a delightful story with even more delightful drawings.
Set in 1944, the story takes place over the course of three graphic novels. Mike Raicht and Brian Smith are the writers and Charles Paul Wilson III is the illustrator. Villard Trade Paperbacks publishes the series. The series is totally new, copyrighted in 2010 by Raicht, Smith and Th3rd World Studios.
If you're in the mood for a fun read with themes of loyalty and perseverance (my favorite!), check out The Stuff of Legend. There are lots of goodies including added features like a war journal from the toy soldier known as "The Colonel" and some cover art, artfully done.
I also appreciated the quality of the book itself. The heavy-stock, glossy paper, the careful coloration adding authenticity to the illustrations...all top notch! If you're interested in learning more about The Stuff of Legend, I suggest going to: www.th3rdworld.com Th3rd World's motto is "We've got character," and that's no exaggeration!
While others may bring a romance novel or the latest trade fiction to the beach, I've got my Hellboy or some other graphic novel, along with a MAD magazine and a Popular Science in tow. What can I say, once a comic-book geek, always a comic-book geek...and PROUD of it! Einstein was quoted as saying that if you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairytales, but if you wanted your children to be more intelligent, read them MORE fairytales...a book like The Stuff of Legend is a 21st century version of the fairytale. Einstein also said that his talent for fantasy was more valuable then his ability to think in the abstract. While some scoff at the genre of the graphic novel or the comic book, such skeptism should be saved for other things, like the plans to plug the oil pumping by the ton into the oceans for the last 52 days. Maybe if the BP engineers had read more comics and graphic novels, we wouldn't be in the midst of the worst human-made natural disaster in the history of the planet???
The Stuff of Legend...buy it, read it, and enjoy!
Until next time, dearest readers....