Comics Bulletin logo
Search
  • Columns
    Random
    • All The Rage: Love & Theft

      Jason Sacks
      June 1, 2003
      All the Rage
    Recent
    • Revisiting the Witchblade/Fathom/Tomb Raider Crossover

      Daniel Gehen
      February 8, 2021
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 1

      Daniel Gehen
      October 30, 2020
    • What Looks Good
    • Comics Bulletin Soapbox
    • The Full Run
    • Leading Question
    • Top 10
    • The Long-Form
    • Jumping On
    • Comics in Color
    • Slouches Towards Comics
  • Big Two
    Random
    • WONDERCON - Young Animal

      Jason Sacks
      April 7, 2017
      Big Two, DC Comics, News
    Recent
    • Collecting Profile: 6 Most Expensive Comic Books April 2021 Update

      nguyen ly
      April 17, 2021
    • 3.0

      Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

      Daniel Gehen
      February 22, 2021
    • 4.5

      DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      January 22, 2021
    • DC Comics
    • Big Two Reviews
    • Marvel Comics
  • Indie
    Random
    • REVIEW: Reborn #1

      Jason Sacks
      October 18, 2016
      Image, Indie, Reviews
    Recent
    • 4.0

      Review: Beast Wars #2 another chance to change the past

      Stephen Cook
      March 3, 2021
    • 4.5

      Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Reviews
    • Archie Comics
    • Boom! Studios
    • Dark Horse
    • IDW
    • Image
    • Oni Press
    • Valiant
  • Reviews
    Random
    • 4.0

      Real Talk: Marvel NOW! Point One #1

      Jason Sacks
      October 17, 2012
      Reviews
    Recent
    • Singles Going Steady – Vowels, Who Needs Them?

      Daniel Gehen
      March 8, 2021
    • 3.0

      Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

      Daniel Gehen
      February 22, 2021
    • 4.5

      Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Singles Going Steady
    • Slugfest
    • Manga
      • Reviews
    • Small Press
      • Reviews
      • ICYMI
      • Tiny Pages Made of Ashes
  • Interviews
    Random
    • Salvador Navarro: Action, Love, Conspiracy, Betrayals, Technology...

      Jason Sacks
      September 2, 2011
      Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview: Jon Davis-Hunt Talks SHADOWMAN

      Daniel Gehen
      June 8, 2020
    • Interview: Becky Cloonan talks DARK AGNES and Her Personal Influences

      Mike Nickells
      March 4, 2020
    • Simon Roy

      Interview: Simon Roy on His Inspirations and Collaborations on PROTECTOR

      Mike Nickells
      January 29, 2020
    • Audio Interview
    • Video Interview
  • Classic Comics
    Random
    • The Essential Black Panther Part Three

      Jason Sacks
      August 1, 2012
      Classic Comics Cavalcade, Columns
    Recent
    • VISITOR is the Quintessential “SPIRIT” Story

      Daniel Gehen
      March 26, 2021
    • Countdown to the King: Marvel’s Godzilla

      Daniel Gehen
      May 29, 2019
    • Honoring A Legend: Fantagraphics To Resurrect Tomi Ungerer Classics

      Daniel Gehen
      February 15, 2019
    • Classic Comics Cavalcade
    • Classic Interviews
  • News
    Random
    • Exclusive Marvel Preview: "Future Imperfect" #5

      Jason Sacks
      August 27, 2015
      Big Two, Marvel Comics, Previews
    Recent
    • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Image Comics and TMP Announces SPAWN’S UNIVERSE

      Daniel Gehen
      February 18, 2021
    • SAVAGE DRAGON IS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 17, 2021
    • Press Release
    • Kickstarter Spotlight
  • Books
    Random
    • Review: Barbara Yelin's 'Irmina' and the Beauty of Third Acts

      Jason Sacks
      April 27, 2016
      Books
    Recent
    • Collecting Profile: Disney Frozen

      CB Staff
      November 22, 2019
    • Collecting Profile: NFL Superpro

      CB Staff
      August 31, 2019
    • “THE BEST OF WITZEND” is a Wonderful Celebration of Artistic Freedom

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2018
    • Review: ‘Machete Squad’ is a Disappointing Afghan Memoir

      Jason Sacks
      July 31, 2018
    • Review: ‘Out of Nothing’ is the Antidote to Our Sick Times

      Jason Sacks
      July 23, 2018
    • Review: ‘Bizarre Romance’ Shows Rough Edges in the Early Days of a New Marriage

      Jason Sacks
      July 10, 2018
What's New
  • Collecting Profile: 6 Most Expensive Comic Books April 2021 Update
  • Collecting Profile: Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Collecting Profile: 1990 Marvel Universe Trading Cards
  • Collecting Profile: Red Sonja
  • Collecting Profile: Dr. Doom
  • VISITOR is the Quintessential “SPIRIT” Story
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Contact Us
  • Write for us!
  • Visit Video Game Break!
Home
Reviews

Dungeon Monstres vol 4: Night of the Ladykiller

Jason Sacks
July 13, 2011
Reviews
Dungeon Monstres vol 4: Night of the Ladykiller
4.0Overall Score
Reader Rating: (0 Votes)

Most American comics readers love shared universes, which is why DC’s big reboot is so controversial. The whole interwebs has been absorbed with endless debate about the wisdom and direction of the new shared universe that DC is presenting, a debate which shows as much about the people debating the changes as it does about DC.

Meanwhile in Europe, a very different shared universe has been evolving over the last few years. Joann Sfar and Lewis Trondheim have been creating a unique and impressive shared universe, the Dungeon, since 1998. You can read a bit more about this universe on its Wikipedia page, but suffice it to say they’ve created an amazing imaginative shared fantasy universe full of wizards, strange anthropomorphic animals and some of the most wonderful and unpredictable plots you’ve ever read. The world is kind of like Lord of the Rings meets mid-Tom Baker Doctor Who meets nothing you’ve ever read before. If that gives you the impression that these are some awesomely weird and fun stories, you’re absolutely right.

This volume is part of the “Monstres” collection of stories, which tell side stories focused on some of the odd creatures that live in the shared Dungeon universe. It contains two stories. In the first, the gangly creature Horus the Sorcerer is accused of having impregnated many women with his children.

That simple synopsis probably leads you to think you can predict how this story’s plot will ebb and flow, but really nothing can give you an idea of the incredibly unpredictable way this story ambles and twists and turns. It alternates, in very surprising ways, between slapstick, high drama, gross-out moments, a touch of romance and a bit of horror.

Most of all, the story is tremendously original and intriguing. It’s about the characters as much as it’s about the events that happen to them, and every moment in the story seems informed by Sfar and Trodheim’s investment in building characters. The odd things that happen to these characters shape them and change them. At the end of this story, Horus comes to a decision on his life that might have been unimaginable to him earlier in the story.

That character growth is fascinating and wonderful, and the art in this story, by Jean-Emmanuel Vermot-Desroches, is the perfect match for the story. His style echoes the artwork of Trondheim, with its wonderful mix of seemingly casual character design and complex backgrounds and settings. It’s actually a pretty perfect style for this story. Seemingly simple but with surprising depth, Vermot-Desroches’s art seems simple but belies a surprising level of complexity that allows the story to work on a surprising number of levels.

Vermot-Desroches doesn’t draw the second story in this issue. The single-named Yoann paints the art in “Ruckus in the Brewers” and presents a very different story in a very different way. This story, which features the dimwitted Grogro, is a wild little shaggy dog story that thoroughly entertains.

While this story doesn’t have the surprising depth of the first story, it definitely as its own surprising twists and turns. This story also ambles and meanders from moment to moment, odd scene to odd scene, though the story always stays silly. Of course, the dumb Grogro is a much less complex character than the wizardly Horus.

In fact, the pair are a nice contrast to each other in this book. Horus is a genius who finds himself freed from his brain by the physical fate that’s flung upon him while Grogro is an idiot who’s forced to use at least a little bit of his limited brain power to make changes in his world.

Altogether this combination makes the book a real treat to read. Each story is a real treat on its own, but together they make a fascinating and charming contrast to each other. This book is an awesomely wonderful introduction to the shared Dungeon universe if you’ve never encountered it before. Once you visit the Dungeon you’ll want to revisit it again and again.


Jason Sacks has been obsessed with comics for longer than he’d like to remember. He considers himself a student of comics history and loves delving into obscure corners of this crazy artform. Jason has been writing for this site for about seven years and has also been published in a number of fan publications, including the late, lamented Amazing Heroes and The Flash Companion. He lives in north Seattle with his wife and three kids and works for a large technology company.

 

Jason SacksJean-Emmanuel Vermot-Desroches & YoannJoann SfarLewis TrondheimNBM Publishing

Share On:
Tweet
Monkeys and Midgets
Uncanny X-Men #540

About The Author

Jason Sacks
Publisher Emeritus

Jason Sacks has been obsessed with pop culture for longer than he'd like to remember. Jason has been writing for Comics Bulletin for nearly a decade, producing over a million words of content about comics, films and other media. He has also been published in a number of publications, including the late, lamented Amazing Heroes, The Flash Companion and The American Comic Book Chronicles: the 1970s and 1980s. Find him on Facebook and Twitter. Jason is the Owner and Publisher of Comics Bulletin.

Related Posts

  • Reliving the Craziest Decade in Comics History: An interview with Jason Sacks

    Mark Stack
    January 2, 2019
  • Top 10 Thoughts About Jack Kirby

    Jason Sacks
    August 28, 2017

Latest Reviews

  • Singles Going Steady – Vowels, Who Needs Them?

    Daniel Gehen
    March 8, 2021
  • 3.0

    Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

    Daniel Gehen
    February 22, 2021
  • 4.5

    Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

    Daniel Gehen
    February 19, 2021
  • 2.3

    Review: SAVAGE #1 Needs Taming

    Daniel Gehen
    February 16, 2021
  • 4.3

    Review: RADIANT BLACK #1 Shines Brightly

    Daniel Gehen
    February 12, 2021
  • 2.7

    Review: DEEP BEYOND #1 Can’t Commit to a Premise

    Daniel Gehen
    February 4, 2021
  • 2.0

    VINDICATION Falls Short of its Lofty Goals (Review)

    Daniel Gehen
    February 1, 2021
  • 4.5

    DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

    Daniel Gehen
    January 22, 2021
  • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

    Daniel Gehen
    December 14, 2020
  • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

    Daniel Gehen
    December 3, 2020
RSSTwitterFacebookgoogleplusinstagramtumblr

Comics Bulletin is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, Comics Bulletin earns from qualifying purchases.

All content on this site (c) 2018 The Respective Copyright Holders