THE SEVEN KINGDOMS (chapters 11 to 13) is the 4th volume release from indie publishers Black Sands, which specializes in graphic novels showcasing African American creators. This unfolding series—targeted at Middle Grade readers—follows the adventures of Prince Ausar, a boy destined to rule the kingdom of Kemet (an ancient name for Egypt). Accompanied by a magical hammer and three companions, Ausar must prove himself while traveling across a landscape dominated by gods, demi-gods, and brutish, power-hungry humans.
Manuel Godoy’s story of young Auser and his quest to rule a plethora of ancient civilizations is, in this edition at least, the fusion of some (but not all of) a series of ancient-world-spanning texts into a larger compendium: one that’s rooted deeply in a kind of quest-themed folklore, ancient angles, and mythology. Alongside the main text, BLACK SANDS: THE SEVEN KINGDOMS dedicates significant time to asides designed to explain the context of the regions that its characters pass through, going into detail ranging from their trading approach to their style of rule, as well as their strengths and weaknesses as societies. These asides, written against a kind of aged-paper backdrop, add charming color to the broader direction.
The main narrative of the text, however, starts in the middle of a story, and as a consequence is initially quite hard to follow. It opens with a scene where memories are extracted directly from the mind of a young member of Auser’s party, resulting in a fiery recollection of past drama. The party then begins a search for a 50-foot Titan called Hyperion, a powerful being who has been buried in a cave system. Hyperion is a potential game-changer as war unfolds, but they’re never released. Instead the characters explore a beautifully illustrated cave complex and stumble across an army of ancient warriors that forces their hands. Elsewhere, the Minoans and Sparta fight a vicious sea battle just above the cave system, and the reader is introduced to the rigidly-controlled region of Kemet, an area around the lawless Nile delta that the Pharoah (head of the Empire) hardly dares to interfere with.
Naturally, as with all comic books, the art is critical to the overall feel of this text, and David Lenormand’s illustrations have a moody aesthetic: dark in tone, and sometimes with an almost visceral aggression. A number of pages here would look spectacular framed on a wall, and the overall contribution that the emotively-drawn characters and distinct tone have on the story cannot be understated. More broadly, the book has a quickly compelling, easy-to-read narrative that nonetheless contains complexity and depth. It’s highly recommended to read this series from the beginning, as it is fairly hard to follow without the missing context. Nonetheless, the book is compelling and merits regular breaks from the actual text to admire the artwork.
An imaginative and original comic book anthology written by Manuel Godoy and illustrated by David Lenormand, BLACK SANDS, THE SEVEN KINGDOMS (Volume 4) deftly combines ancient mythology with rich, fantastical world-building that results in an epic, energetic adventure.
~James Hendicott for IndieReader