When Ralph and his close companions, the religious mage Yassou and the lie-detecting thief Zania, encounter a group of immortals, Ralph finds himself with more in common with his enemy, Vam Syrus, than he ever realized. Ralph Azham’s path as the Chosen One ends here one way or the other. Will he fulfill his dark prophecy? Answers will be revealed when Ralph Azham is forced to make decisions that not only impact the people he loves, but the safety of the entire kingdom of Astolia. These are the climatic concluding chapters of this sprawling fantasy tale full of magic, knights, castles, angry ghost hordes, and deadpan humor, from legendary comic creator Lewis Trondheim!
In this sprawling adventure by award-winning cartoonist Lewis Trondheim, filled with heavily-guarded castles, apocalyptic red skies, flying beasts, and deep mythos, our protagonist Ralph Azham discovers he has a long-lost sister, Captain Rose Azham. She had a vision that the two siblings will fight to the death sometime in the future. To interrupt the family reunion, a King possessed by the wicked sorcerer Malick declares a vendetta against Ralph, after Ralph’s uncanny power to conjure spirits. Now, guided (and sometimes dragged) by spirits, Ralph and his loyal page Yassou must flee the puppet king’s forces through treacherous mountain passes to hazardous high seas… Nowhere is safe for Ralph and his scrappy entourage. But how long can he run for? And what of the rumors Ralph has been spotted in cities causing more chaos and destruction? The fate of the world, or the end of the world, might depend on Ralph’s next step.
Ralph Azham, the wayward, shamed, would-be Chosen One, is still on the hunt to stop the infamous Vom Syrus, Superintendent (and secret age-defying King of Astolia), and save his own reputation and the lives of his family. But more twists and turns abound, as Ralph must recover a new magical relic, Angthar’s wand, from unwelcoming magicians to help grant him the upper hand in this battle of power…easier said than done. Then, a new community of zealots appears which has dangerous repercussions for Ralph. It’s a whole new era for this unfolding fantasy tale full of magic, knights, castles, angry ghost hordes, and deadpan humor. From award-winning comics creator Lewis Trondheim.
From the award-winning mind of cartoonist Lewis Trondheim comes the expansive and rich anthropomorphic medieval world of Ralph Azham. After failing the test of the Chosen One as a young duck, Ralph had a tough time growing up as the village pariah, often getting into trouble due to an innate extra sense that’s rather unbelievable, embarrassing, and unfortunate. That was only compounded by the constant visit of spirits that only he, Ralph, could see. Cut to today, his village is threatened by a vicious Horde, an apocalyptic flood may take the life of Ralph's only supporter, his father, and the Wise Men's Counsel are out for Ralph's hide after rumors he had his way with one of their daughters. Ultimately Ralph must leave the village and unlock the secrets of his childhood as he journeys to the Kingdom of Astolia, but not before he takes a young ward, Raoul, who bears an uncanny similarity to Ralph. It's a sprawling story of fathers and their sons, magic, mysticism, with plenty of action, adventure, and signature Trondheim madcap humor.
"Ralph has a tough time growing up as the village pariah, often getting into trouble because of his innate extra sense that's rather unbelievable, embarrassing, and unfortunate. If that wasn't enough, he can also see spirits of the dead. It all leads to Ralph setting off on a personal quest that may either free him from his endless troubles or end his life permanently. It's a sprawling story filled with magic, action, adventure and Trondheim's trademark dark humor." -- Back cover of volume 1.
The epic conclusion to Lewis Trondheim's fantasy adventure! When Ralph and his close companions, the religious mage Yassou and the lie-detecting thief Zania, encounter a group of immortals, Ralph finds himself with more in common with his enemy, Vam Syrus, than he ever realized. Ralph Azham’s path as the Chosen One ends here one way or the other. Will he fulfill his dark prophecy? Answers will be revealed when Ralph Azham is forced to make decisions that not only impact the people he loves, but the safety of the entire kingdom of Astolia. These are the climatic concluding chapters of this sprawling fantasy tale full of magic, knights, castles, angry ghost hordes, and deadpan humor, from legendary comic creator Lewis Trondheim!
The Braves of the Six Flowers forge ahead, struggling desperately to escape Tgurneu's latest scheme and discover the imposter among them before it's too late. But this time, the Braves have agreed to work with one of the fiend commanders...!
A personal account of an Iraqi childhood Poppies of Iraq is Brigitte Findakly’s nuanced tender chronicle of her relationship with her homeland Iraq, co-written and drawn by her husband, the acclaimed cartoonist Lewis Trondheim. In spare and elegant detail, they share memories of her middle class childhood touching on cultural practices, the education system, Saddam Hussein’s state control, and her family’s history as Orthodox Christians in the arab world. Poppies of Iraq is intimate and wide-ranging; the story of how one can become separated from one’s homeland and still feel intimately connected yet ultimately estranged. Signs of an oppressive regime permeate a seemingly normal life: magazines arrive edited by customs; the color red is banned after the execution of General Kassim; Baathist militiamen are publicly hanged and school kids are bussed past them to bear witness. As conditions in Mosul worsen over her childhood, Brigitte’s father is always hopeful that life in Iraq will return to being secular and prosperous. The family eventually feels compelled to move to Paris, however, where Brigitte finds herself not quite belonging to either culture. Trondheim brings to life Findakly’s memories to create a poignant family portrait that covers loss, tragedy, love, and the loneliness of exile. Poppies of Iraq has been translated from the French by Helge Dascher. Dascher has been translating graphic novels from French and German to English for over twenty years. A contributor to Drawn & Quarterly since the early days, her translations include acclaimed titles such as the Aya series by Marguerite Abouet and Clément Oubrerie, Hostage by Guy Delisle, and Beautiful Darkness by Fabien Vehlmann and Kerascoët. With a background in art history and history, she also translates books and exhibitions for museums in North America and Europe. She lives in Montreal.
