Our favorite comic book dealer, Capitol City Comics‘ Bruce, recommended The Courageous Princess to Plum one day when she was looking for something new to read. We couldn’t be more pleased to have this new family favorite volume on our shelves.
As so often happens, our young princess Mabelrose is ignored at the prince’s big Ball and ends up a bit mopey in the garden, where she’s captured by a dragon. After being whisked away to a far off land, she tricks the dragon into explaining in too much detail all his various defenses. When the princess finally concludes that no one will come rescue her, she decides to rescue herself by using nothing but her wits, a few well-chosen items from the dragons lair, and whatever clues she’s learned by speaking with the Dragon.
Having never had a princess escape, the dragon declares that he must have her back. While he chases her through many lands, Mabelrose is making friends with various critters and people, toppling despots, and upsetting the dragon greatly. The princess is smart, brave, and kind. She sticks up for her friends and her friends stick up for her.
This beautifully drawn and exciting book encourages the whole family to gather on the couch to see what will happen next. It’s a true favorite of ours. It is drawn in a manga-influenced style, which only helps in its appeal to Plum. Bruce tells us he has recommended the book dozens of times and he’s never heard a negative word back on it.
We love this story as a transition between comic strips like “Calvin and Hobbes” and “Pogo” and longer-form novels.
The only thing we don’t like about it? There’s no sequel. Yet. (We’re hoping for soon.)