‘The World of Quest (Part One)’ – Jason Kruse (Yen Press)

It turns out that Yen Press aren’t just doing Manga, they’re also releasing comic book adaptations of cartoon shows. ‘The World of Quest’ is one of these and while it hasn’t quite made me want to go out and get a TV licence (so I can watch the show) it did make me chuckle on the tube to work.
What do you do if you’re a Prince whose father has gone missing and whose kingdom is in danger? It’s simple; you go and find the hero with the biggest jaw in the kingdom and get him to help you. What if he doesn’t want to help you though? That’s where the fun begins…
‘The World of Quest’ is a quick read, a little too quick in fact. Although there was plenty going on it ended rather suddenly and left me thinking, ‘oh… was that it?’ I enjoyed the artwork, nice and bright with plenty to look at. Ideal for a guy who’s trying to wake up on the way to work! There are also plenty of original ideas that mark ‘The World of Quest’ out from other fantasy comics in a light hearted way. I particularly liked the walking prisons and Quests innovative way of escaping one of these! There’s plenty of humour evident but it’s very much aimed at the 8-10 year old audience that would be watching the cartoon on TV. It made me laugh (I really should try growing up one day…) but it may not be to your taste.
The relationship between Nestor (the Prince) and Quest has been likened to Calvin and Hobbes. To be honest I didn’t see this at all but it may become more apparent in later books. Their interaction is full of quips and a mutual dislike based on each other’s perceived superiority to the other, should be fun to see how this one develops.
‘The World of Quest’ is a quick fun read but at a first glance feels like it probably worked better as a twenty minute cartoon rather than a 140 page comic book. Maybe this will change as the series grows. In the meantime though, it’s definitely one for the kids or maybe for you if you fancy something light and not taxing…


Six out of Ten