Flight of the Prince is an excellent graphic novel that combines a fantasy plot with coming-of-age queerness.
The city of Pipetown is unique in the world of Esserial… it is free of magic. Or at least that’s what most of the population believes. But, all who have the talent are forced to hide the physical signs or they move their lives underground… into the sewers. They have hopes that their “ailment” will be “fixed.”
Enter Wynd. A young man whose pointy ears give away his secret. Sure, he uses his shaggy hair to cover them up, but the crown has other means to sniff him out… The Bandaged Man has the ability to smell magic, and he’s accepted the task to clear out Pipetown of this scourge to create a pure human utopia. A complex villain…
When the city guard gets close it is time to Wynd to run… away from his family and all he’s known.
Wynd completely got me with the feels. He’s stuck in the roller-coaster of adolescence. At the same time, he is noticing the son of the city groundskeeper, his ears are growing… things are changing and he has no interest in leaving the support of his friends and family in Pipetown. But, out there in the wild and magical world there may be an answer and a way for his feelings to be free.
As you can tell from the paragraph above… I really attached to Wynd and his plight. …add a quick-paced plot and I was hooked.
As for the artwork: The colors stuck me as did the details. Just look at the cover! The streets and buildings of Pipetown are vibrant with a perfect pallette for above the cobblestones and below in the dirty sewers.
This is a book for today… A way to allow all kids of see themselves in between the pages of a beautiful graphic novel. Representation in all genres! I’ll be happy to recommend this graphic novel to the librarian at my school.
4.5 out of 5
Thank you to NetGalley, Boom Studios, the author and the illustrator for an advanced copy for review.
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