Gryphons Aren’t So Great by James Sturm (review)

Despite the title, gryphons actually are so great if you’re the Knight, but if you are his best friend and trusty steed, Edward, who is now being ignored, then yeah, they’re lame. This intrepid duo, first encountered in the clever Sleepless Knight (BCCB 7/15), do a lot of gallivanting and hanging out, which suits them fine, until a gryphon comes along, and Knight is spellbound. Edward’s steadfast support comes through in the end, though, and Knight realizes the lesson of the book with an appealingly melodramatic “What a fool I’ve been!!!” With step by step instructions for drawing the main characters, simple panel design, and clear color cues, this graphic novel will work for very young fans of the format (and will spark confidence in early cartoonists that they can achieve something similar), and they’ll be happy to note that two more adventures with Edward and Knight are planned.