Scales & Scoundrels Vol 2: Treasurehearts
By: Sebastian Girner
Illustrator: Galaad (art); Jeff Powell (Letterign)
Release Date: July 17, 2018
Publisher: Image Comics
Series: Scales & Scoundrels #2
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:

I absolutely adored the first volume of Scales & Scoundrels. The second volume has now been released and it has proved just as fantastic as the first. Scales & Scoundrels Vol 2: Treasurehearts is a fantastic high fantasy adventure story that fans of volume 1 are sure to love.

But Scales & Scoundrels is more than just a fun fantasy adventure. It is a story about friendship. It’s about familial bonds and relationships with family members. And, most importantly, it’s about reaching across societal divides and making an effort to understand those who are different.

This volume begins right were the last one left off. Lu and the others are in the midst of battle, making the opening chapter on the tenser side. This arc concludes very well, but I will not spoil anything here. The following chapters focus on Lu as she travels the world. We meet several new characters including Iriel, a mercenary and elf. Iriel was very interesting character whose views were much different than many of the other character’s we’ve met thus far. The old ways of the world, the time of elves and urden, is what Iriel wants to go back to, a time that seems to have passed into legends and distant memory. This leads into some chapters with one off adventures, and, more importantly, more about Lu, Lu’s past, and the history of the world.

The world portrayed here is one where humans have largely taken over. They are more prominent as a species than the dragons, elves, or dwarves, at least as far as we’ve seen. These older magical being still walk the world, yet many of these characters prove to be jaded in their beliefs, wanting things to go back to the old ways. Lu, however, stands stubbornly in the middle, not willing to give up on her heritage or her people but unwilling to follow the older ways.

One chapter in particular that I liked was chapter nine. In this chapter we meet a man whose voice has been taken by a mermaid. Because he can’t talk he communicates with Lu by drawing pictures in the sand. There is no dialogue until the very end of the chapter and only after the fisherman regains his voice. What few speech bubbles are present contain drawings, not words. This was very clever. The use of images to tell stories and convey what is often left for dialogue was wonderful. Both concept and execution were excellent.

The art in general is something I really love. This is a very expansive world, and we really get a feel for that in this volume. The backgrounds and color palates change as Lu journeys on. The world is a colorful one, something I love. The night skies in particular are beautiful, filled with blues and purples and twinkling stars.

I cannot recommend this series enough. If you like fantasy stories and adventure I would highly suggest picking up the series. Scales and Scoundrels Vol 2: Treasurehearts is a fantastic fantasy story that people of all ages will love.