Kaya, Vol. 3

Kaya #12-18

by Wes Craig (Writer/Illustrator), Jason Wordie (Colorist), Tom Napolitano (Letterer)

"One of my favorite storytellers taking us on a human and fantastical adventure. For the characters this is a journey across a desert but for us it's an oasis of joy." —KIERON GILLEN (THE WICKED + THE DIVINE DIE)

Kaya and Jin barter a deal with a band of pirates that can deliver them to their long-dream of safe harbor. But to earn their passage, first they’ll have to track down a rebellious princess in a city on the edge of revolution!

2023 Ringo Awards nominee for Best Kids Comic and Best Cartoonist

Collects KAYA #12-18

Genres: Comics, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Young Adult, Graphic Novels Comics

170 pages, Paperback

First published June 26, 2024

About the author

Wes Craig is the artist/co-creator of DEADLY CLASS with Rick Remender, and the writer/co-creator of THE GRAVEDIGGERS UNION with artist Toby Cypress, both published by Image Comics.

Working out of Montreal, Quebec, he has been drawing comic books professionally since 2004 on such titles as Guardians of the Galaxy, Batman, and The Flash.

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 3 out of 5]

(B+) 77% | Good
Notes: Fewer scales (more mammal tale), an urban setting shift, new allies/friends, dismay/dead-ends, severe betrayals/rifts.

*Progress updates: Preamble ◦ Issues #12-13 ◦ Issues #14-16 ◦ Issues #17-18

[MrGlassWontBreak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lord Vox, the Atrian Robot general responsible for the destruction of Kahaka and the capture of The Golden One, returns to the Atrian Capital to get scolded by the Mother Oracle, who implants him with a slow-acting virus that will continue to eat at his mind until he captures the boy. Kaya and Jin continue their journey into new lands, where they meet a cat lady named Phaedra, who takes them to the pirate king to negotiate a trip by sea to Monk Island, since a journey by land would be far too hazardous. The pirates refuse to take them since those waters are now heavily patrolled by Atrians, but they find an unbecoming pirate willing to take them through a secret route if they can find and bring him his estranged niece from the city of Shazir within six days.

Kaya and Jin get to Shazir to find it filled with Atrians, but they persist and continue their unsuccessful search for the girl. Jin starts having issues with using his powers, and they run into a bunch of rebels trying to assassinate the king of Shazir. Among the rebels is the girl they came looking for, Ell-Juna, who is also the daughter of the former king, and Varia, a young girl who believes in the prophecy of the Golden One and has lost a lot to the Atrians. At the rebels' base, Kaya and Jin learn from the rebels that the city has a tower with springs that holds special healing water, and that the Atrians, with a go-ahead from the new usurper king, are interested in commercializing this resource. So the convent sisters of the temple, along with the rebels, seal off and defend the temple from the new king and Atria’s forces. Kaya tries to get Ell-Juna to come with them but the rebel princess refuses and insists that Kaya help the rebels execute their own plans.

After learning of the healing properties of the water in the temple from Varia, Jin drinks far too much of it in an attempt to fix his powers, but he passes out and enters a catatonic state where he is forced to confront the entity in his mind. Ell-Juna and the rebels executed their plan to break into the vault of the king and steal all his wealth, but she was forced to stay behind to hold the guards off so the others could escape. Jin continues to battle the entity in his mind while his body severely heats up on the outside, until Kaya and Varia dive into the spring’s depths to get a special Red Lotus, which helps him wake up after seeing someone named Razel. The rebels return to the tower to inform everyone that Ell-Juan was left behind, just as the fully motivated Lord Vox finds them with help from a pirate who snitched, and attacks the fortified tower walls, attempting to bring it down. Kaya, Varia, and Jin go to help save Ell-Juna, and the rest of the rebels face off with the Atrians and the king's men. Upon finding the Princess, she betrays Kaya and Jin, leading them into an ambush of Atrian Robots, in an attempt to get the Atrians to leave the tower be,

Cornered and about to be captured, Jin transforms into a massive dragon, laying waste to the robots and flying him and Kaya to safety. Varia shows up and tries to help them get back to the temple to help defend it, but Kaya betrays her and the rebels, taking some of Ell-Juan’s stolen gold and heading for the city gates with Jin, planning to buy her way onto the ship since she couldn’t get the unbecoming pirate's niece i.e princess Ell-Juna, to come with them. Realizing that the Atrians would breach the tower, the head convent sister initiates a self-destruct sequence that floods the entire tower. Kaya and Jin manage to escape Shazir, but they reach the Pirate Bay shores to find that the ships have already left. Now they will be forced to travel to Monk Island through lands that hold a million dangers.

Okay, so at this point, the plot seems to be getting a bit all over the place to me, and what is up with each place they visit having a usurper king? The same thing was used in the last volume; Wes Craig should have come up with something else here, honestly. The art is still solid, though, and I’m three volumes invested in these characters now, so I might as well just keep going.

[Billy Jepma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I continue to like the broad strokes Craig is doing with this story, but the execution isn’t clicking for me the way I want. His artwork is as expressive as ever—although there were more times than usual when I couldn’t quite track the momentum from panel to panel—and the colors continue to be a major highlight. This world is so cool to look at, and if I keep going with the series, which I think I will, it’ll be to see more of it. I just hope the plot starts to find something more distinct because so many of the major story beats are either derivative or move too fast to carry much dramatic heft.

[Anna Quilter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm feeling the story got derailed in this Volume and Volume 3 is waaaay too early to attempt that.
Back to the main story please.

[Lucas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I get that he's trying to flesh out his world, and in that way this arc was kind of interesting, but it's literally just a side quest that leaves us at the exact same point we started at... Gorgeous as ever though

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I like this series, it's starting to become a bit repetitive. I might give the next volume a try, I might not. I don't know yet.

[Alican Kunta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wes Craig is a great artist, I love his unique and expressive style.
Writing-wise the fantasy world-building is very interesting but sometimes feels a bit childish and the multiple plotlines get lackluster after some point.
I've read 19 issues so far, it's easy-going and a fun read so I'll probably keep reading until the end.

[Mee Too · Rating 3 out of 5]

looking forward to volume 4.

[Clint · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Craig’s watercolored art still looks great, and is largely what has brought me back for vol 2 and 3. Like Birdking and a few other similar fantasy series following a journey that Image has ongoing right now, I would have been glad to see this story conclude by vol3, or at least see its instigating journey resolved. I’m now wary of the writer’s apparently more epic ambitions for a 5+ volume ordeal, and less sure of wanting to see them through.

[Blaine McGaffigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A high point for the story as Kaya and Jin get intertwined in a city and rebellion that is already firmly established. This book shows that it isn't afraid to mess with expectations and the heroes aren't always clean.

[Joseph Crook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as strong as the first two but the last two chapters were excellent.

[Gray Turner-Uttley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think it's getting a bit repetitive now, sadly... sorry, Dale