Il Cavaliere del Drago

Le Chevalier au Dragon #1

by Emanuele Arioli, Emiliano Tanzillo (Illustrator)

Partito alla volta della corte di Re Artù alla ricerca delle sue origini, il giovane Sivar scopre che Merlino è scomparso e Morgana, dopo aver intrappolato tramite la sua magia oscura i Cavalieri della Tavola Rotonda, sta per prendere il potere. Ha inizio così un'emozionante avventura dove Sivar, alla ricerca del Sacro Graal e inseguendo un drago visibile solo a lui, tenterà di salvare la Tavola Rotonda e fermare i piani della malvagia Morgana. Il team creativo italiano formato dallo storico, divulgatore e attore Emanuele Arioli e dal disegnatore Emiliano Tanzillo firma "Il cavaliere del drago", un emozionante racconto fantasy divenuto un caso editoriale in Francia e raccontato dal documentario prodotto da Arte. Un testo perduto del Duecento, riportato alla luce proprio da Arioli dopo una personale ricerca bibliografica durata un decennio per le biblioteche di tutta Europa, e fatto rivivere oggi nella magia del linguaggio del fumetto.

Genres: Fantasy, Bande Dessinée, Comics, Graphic Novels, Historical, Dragons, France

112 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2023

Reviews

[Alyssa (HeartwyldsLibrary) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up because I love Arthurian legend and so I wanted to see what was done with this tale in graphic novel form. I'm sorry to say this but this was very poorly constructed. The story jumps around a lot, and there is very little exploration into building the characters. Didan was the most frustrating character in the story because he would just throw random information out but the story did nothing to show us how he got that information, it's just told to us that he travels from place to place. So everytime he gave facts about something especially when he told everyone where Merlin was it was jarring and left me confused and annoyed.

The relationship between the characters was surface level. The humor was stale and poorly timed, but I think it mostly didn't hit because I just didn't care or beleive the friendships that were forming, they lacked any really sense of depth. You don't get to spend enough time in each scene to really take it in and feel the weight of the events, this mostly feels like its stuck on fast forward. The more I read the more I became less interested in what was happening. I think the overall issue is that this story is to big to try and be told in a 107 page graphic novel and so it severely suffered from its short length.

The art was what initially captured my eye, but after awhile something in it felt unsettling and as I progressed I liked it less and less. A lot of the characters had very dead eyes, even though their faces held expressions, so this contributed to my unsettling feeling I had but also led to the story feeling like it was void of any emotion, regardless of how much emotion was present in a scene. It was easy to tell what was happening in each frame which is very important, and the speech bubbles where easy to follow along with

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy, all thoughts are my own.

[The Bibliophile Doctor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Life is better for those who know no more than what their hearts require. - The dragon knight

The art work is good but I feel it is very fast paced for my liking. It is easy to read a fast paced book but here it was like I had to haste myself coz this was a quite long story.

I prefer if graphics are little bit of smaller size that this one. It is good , it is just not for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Europe comics for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

[Lucille]

Très très beau niveau dessin, les pleines pages sont sublimes. L’histoire est sympa mais je n’ai pas autant aimé que j’espérais je suis un peu déçue, mes attentes étaient peut-être un peu trop grandes. Je suis aussi malade en ce moment et mon état de fatigue y fait peut-être

[Clervie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mi aspettavo di più da questa graphic novel che parla della perduta leggenda del Cavaliere del Drago. La storia invece è costruita male, non da tempo ai personaggi di svilupparsi e al lettore di simpatizzare con loro e capire le loro motivazioni. Peccato, perché l'ambientazione arturiana e le atmosfere fantasy che evocava erano un ottimo punto di partenza per quella che poteva essere una storia molto più bella!

[Hello · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this comic. The artstyle is magical I have no other word for it. Sivar being left-handed AND heterochromic got me interested. As a left-handed person myself it's rare to see a left-handed knight. Also wow so many right-handed knights weren't trained at fighting left-handed people AT ALL. ARE WE THAT RARE???

I don't want to comment on the story itself because it's really short and I don't want to spoil it. Suffice to say it's pretty standard Arthurean legend with a hint of fresh paint on it. Such as Arthur being very Christian and Morgana being very pagan.

Didan and Golian have stellar couple dynamic.
Didan: You dumbass
Golian: 😭
Didan: Sorry, I was joking.
Golian: 🙂

Thank you Netgalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. (It got archived before I downloaded it so I bought a copy for myself)

[Kip Kyburz · Rating 2 out of 5]

The artwork is stellar but cannot do enough to push a somewhat rote story over the top. Based on a forgotten manuscript, later completed by the author; it makes sense that many elements of the story do not feel overly imaginative. A cool concept but unfortunately a story that feels rather flat compared to other modern graphic novels.

[Przemysław Skoczyński · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sugerując się wydawnictwem, spodziewałem się raczej gry konwencją, zabawy z czytelnikiem i przełamywania schematów, a dostałem drugoligowe fantasy z oklepanymi rozwiązaniami, niepotrzebnym patosem, sztywnymi dialogami i kijami w dupach bohaterów. Szkoda życia.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

La trama di per sé è abbastanza insignificante, soprattutto per il modo molto frettoloso che ha di svilupparsi. Invece molto interessante la postfazione, in cui viene spiegata la scoperta del manoscritto originale.

[starksreactor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the fantasy setting and the artwork of the volume as well as the story. Its been a while since I have read a fantasy themed graphic novel and this hit the spot for sure !

[sol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Europe Comics for providing me with a copy, all thoughts are my own!

4/5 stars

I really enjoyed reading this comic, the story itself wasn’t the best of the best but it was still interesting and entertaining. I was captivated by the drawings since the beginning, the style of the characters and places was exactly how the story needed it to be: adventurous and aggressive in the battle moments, but still as comical as some parts were.
In my opinion Golian and Didan were the best of this comic. They were so fun to read and their friendship was everything.

Even though the plot unraveled rather quickly for my liking I think that that made the story easy and fast to read.

I think every one who likes fantasy-adventure stories would at least enjoy this book, as it has a captivating plot, enjoyable characters, good drawings and it’s very easy to read.

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Europe Comics for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really like the idea of this. I love King Arthur legends and I appreciated the pre and post scripts where the author explains the research and devotion that went into creating this story. Also, the illustrations are absolutely GORGEOUS.

The Dragon Knight starts out like most legends with a young man setting out on a quest to find out the truth about where he comes from, learning that he might not be just an ordinary human after all. On his journey he makes some friends and allies, but also has to go through trials and face an evil villain. There is magic, and dragons, of course.

A lot of this book just felt a little boring, and at times, confusing. I'm not familiar with the legend of the dragon knight, but I have a feeling that the problems I had with this book are because the author was trying to stick too closely to the original legend. I think the plot could have been more entertaining if the author, maybe, took more liberties with it.

It was still very enjoyable though, and it's suitable for children (I'd say ages 8 and up)

[TC Rittenhouse · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.00 stars
The premise was interesting, and the artwork is gorgeous, but it doesn’t make up for the lack of a plot line, the odd translations, and the flat characters.
This one was ultimately not for me.

Thank you to Europe Comics for the opportunity to read this eARC, my opinions are my own.

[daria · Rating 5 out of 5]

ugh that was amazing

[Georgina (forgottenangstycharacter) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a sucker for any type of Arthurian-inspired folktale. I don’t care if it's a new take, a completely made-up story, or an aesthetic, so I jumped at the chance to read The Dragon Knight.

The Dragon Knight is a graphic novel that tells the story of Sivar who grew up in an isolated village during the reign of King Arthur. After it is revealed to him that his father is not his birth father and that the wizard Merlin left him in the village, Sivar goes out on a quest to learn about his mother. However, his village is destroyed and he must go to Camelot to gain Merlin and Arthur’s support so he can avenge his hometown. This leads into the famous hunt for the Holy Grail.

This graphic novel appears to be the life’s work of Emauele Arioli who wrote his doctoral thesis on his reconstruction of the forgotten Dragon Knight or le chevalier au dragon in Arthurian lore. This story is retold within the graphic novel which adds an extra layer to this story. I loved the nods to Arthurian canon like Nimue entrapping Merlin and the hunt for the Holy Grail. This graphic novel appears more as a retelling of the story rather than an adaptation or take on a forgotten Arthurian legend.

The art of this graphic novel was stunning. Emiliano Tanzillo balances gore with detailed landscapes and exquisitely drawn characters. The art carried what the story lacked. I could gush about the use of colour, especially red which juxtaposes the often grey backdrops. If I were going on the art alone, this would be a 5-star read.

However, there was a lack of signposting with the story moving quickly through time not allowing the reader to catch up. For example, I would have liked to see Sivar's quest up the mountain rather than have him run away from home in one panel and then be at the top of a mountain the next. The dialogue often fell flat or was just too on the nose leaving nothing for subtlety. The dialogue served to push the plot forward rather than revealing things about the characters. Part of this may be the source material missing parts that were not reconstructed. However, that is one of the things that can be changed in a retelling, those gaps can be filled rather than just using the bare bones of the story. Creative licenses can be taken to tell a good story. Characters need to emerge as agents rather than marionettes dancing across a stage with strings attached. Throughout the story, there are anachronisms which I quite enjoyed — and that the author acknowledges in a tongue-in-cheek statement earlier in the preface — but it shows that changes have been made to the source material, I just wish more changes were made.

That leads me to the women. Again retellings allow for the fleshing out of characters and nuance that may not have been recorded. They can be updated for the 21st century. Women can have more motives than just being evil, psyches can be explored and different people can showcase different facets of their world. There is an interesting contention between women’s and men’s worlds, with men outlawing women’s knowledge. This is an important theme that is barely explored. Meanwhile, the women are confined to the tropes of the temptress and innocent, naive dupe. Then there’s the fridging trope. Only men seem to survive in this world.

The story behind the graphic novel is fascinating and the art incredible. I just wish the story was more fleshed out.

[Ocean Of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Retrouver tous mes avis lectures sur mon Instagram, mon Tiktok et ma page Facebook sous le pseudo : ocean.ofbooks)

• Titre : "Le Chevalier au dragon"
• Tome : 1
• Genre : Bande dessinée
• Thèmes : Légende arthurienne, chevalier, table ronde, dragon.
• Textes : Emanuele ARIOLI
• Dessins: Emiliano TANZILLO
• Éditeur : Dargaud
• Note : 5/5

• Extraits :
"La vie est meilleure pour ceux qui n'en savent pas plus qu'il n'en faut à leur cœur."


• Résumé :
" Ve siècle. Dans la Grande-Bretagne déchirée par les guerres, le roi Arthur se lève pour rassembler les peuples celtes. "Un royaume, un roi, une foi !" proclament fièrement les Chevaliers de la Table Ronde. Cependant, cette noble quête de paix entraîne le bannissement des anciens cultes et des traditions magiques...

Loin de ces tumultes, au coeur des Terres Libres, un jeune Celte aux énigmatiques yeux vairons découvre qu'il est le fils d'une puissante magicienne. Aura-t-il l'audace d'accepter son destin et de partir vers l'inconnu ? S'embarquera-t-il dans une quête hors du commun... à la recherche du Graal ?"

• Avis :
Grandiose !

Après cette lecture je n'ai qu'une envie, c'est de remercier Emanuele A. pour sa persévérance pendant près d'une décennie à travers toute l'Europe, pour n'avoir rien lâché après une découverte historique majeure, celle d'un manuscrit. Et pas n'importe lequel, non, car il s'agit d'un manuscrit appartenant à un roman de la Table Ronde et qui parle d'un chevalier qui nous était jusqu'ici inconnu, mais qui au moyen-âge était connu sous le nom de Ségurant le Chevalier au Dragon.
Je n'en dis pas plus et vous laisse découvrir les préface et postface d'Emanuele A. qui vous en parlera bien mieux que moi. (Pour les grands curieux, je vous conseille aussi le documentaire sur arte.tv à ce sujet, il est génial.)

En ce qui concerne l'ouvrage, c'est donc une adaptation de ce roman retrouvé afin de le faire découvrir à un plus large public.
La BD est magnifique, les dessins d'Emiliano T. sublime cette histoire à merveille et la rend encore plus épique.

Je sais que pour certains, c'est juste une histoire parmi d'autres. Mais pour moi, ce fut bouleversant. Une telle trouvaille prouve que nous avons encore beaucoup à découvrir.

[Mystic DreamClouds · Rating 3 out of 5]

Special thanks to the author(s), publisher, Goodreads and/or NetGalley for the review copy. All views and opinions expressed are honest and my own.

A standalone graphic novel depicting the story of the mysterious Knight of the Round Table, Sivar.

The cover is the selling point. When I see it, it invokes a feeling of adventure, danger, warmth and new beginnings. The art style seems rough around the edges, yet detailed and inviting. The colors utilized are contrasting yet subtly muted so as not to overshadow anything. And this is the same artwork found throughout the graphic novel. If anything is missing, then it’s the lack of facial expressions.

The story itself is unevenly paced making for a disjointed connection. It starts with a sort of prologue but then immediately indulges into Sivar’s life giving us bits and pieces with time skips throughout. Afterwards, the story goes back and forth between a narrator’s briefing and letting the reader’s experience the journey with the characters. The narration basically served to give information while allowing the story to skip ahead. I think if this was a series then the pacing would have been better. Also, it would have also allowed the reader to understand the characters better; they’re personalities and decisions.

The plot is interesting although why certain decisions and events happened were confusing. Since the story skips and doesn’t allow the reader to connect with the characters, it was hard to understand certain things. The story uses a sizable cast, each unique and critical for the development of the story. My favorite was surprisingly Didan, as he was witty and resourceful.

This story is quite dark in some aspects. Death of humans, death of animals including cannibalism, dark magic, ostracizing, are some of the topics in this graphic novel. I would avoid this graphic novel if any of those are not something you’re comfortable with. This graphic novel does not shy away with showing those in its artwork.

Overall, this was an interesting story but not really something I would reread. Honestly, I don’t know much about Arthurian Britain but I wanted to give it a chance because the cover was appealing. In the end, I’m still glad I did because the artwork, although detailed, was beautiful and the story was good while it lacked execution.

Read more reviews @ Mystic's Review Shelf

[_sweetshelves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lorsque je me suis plongée dans les deux premiers tomes de Le Chevalier au Dragon, je ne mesurais pas l’ampleur du travail de reconstitution titanesque qu’il y avait derrière ce récit. On sent qu’il est le fruit de longues années de recherches et de passion, et rien que pour cela, je le trouve encore plus beau. Merci également aux précieuses notes d’Emanuele Arioli, qui permettent de réaliser toute la richesse et la profondeur de ce travail.

Tout d’abord, j’aimerais mettre en avant le travail de dessin et de colorisation d’Emiliano Tanzillo, tout simplement magnifique. Les traits sont plus bruts que ceux des romans graphiques que je lis d’ordinaire, mais cela ne m’a absolument pas dérangée : au contraire, ce style s’accorde parfaitement à l’ambiance de l’histoire. Un autre type de dessin n’aurait, à mon sens, pas eu le même impact. Les planches fourmillent de détails, ce qui rend chaque page agréable à contempler. Un vrai bijou visuel.

J’ai lu les deux tomes à la suite. Le premier peut parfaitement se suffire à lui-même, puisqu’il raconte l’histoire du Chevalier au Dragon avec une vraie conclusion. Mais le deuxième tome vient sublimer le premier, en apportant davantage de quêtes épiques, de magie, de rebondissements et de liens familiaux et fraternels. J’ai adoré cette richesse d’intrigue, qui s’appuie sur de nombreuses thématiques évoquées plus haut. Je ne m’y attendais pas, et cela maintient le lecteur en haleine du début à la fin.

Du côté des personnages, nous suivons une petite troupe haute en couleur, particulièrement attachante. Le lien de type found family qui se tisse entre eux est un vrai plaisir à suivre, et c’est sans doute ce qui m’a le plus séduite. Sivar est un personnage que j’ai beaucoup aimé, même si j’aurais souhaité que sa psychologie soit davantage approfondie pour renforcer encore mon attachement à ses aventures.

En somme, je suis ravie d’avoir découvert ces deux tomes, qui sont une vraie réussite et que je ne peux que recommander !

[May · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot:
Arioli collected fragments of an Arthurian tale to piece together the story of the Dragon Knight. He turned something so unknown to the public into a fast-paced graphic novel.
I deeply admire his dedication to his work, however, because there is so little information on the Dragon Knight, Arioli seemed to have built the story only on plot points. The Dragon Knight lacked soft moments and filler, making it feel like an outline of a story. It leaves you wanting more and feeling like you were cheated out of learning something more about the characters.

Characters:
Sivar, the main protagonist, seeks out King Arthur, but is sidetracked when he sees something else no one else can see. On his adventure, he’s accompanied by Didan, a gnome who knows a lot more than he lets on, and Golian, a half giant who’s a gentle giant.

Merlin is in there, by the way, he was just pre-occupied to Sivar had to step in.


Because the plot moves so fast, the major character points are there, but there is no buildup. For example, Golian is supposed to be a gentle and dumb half-giant, but he quickly figures out how to solve a trial. There’s also missing information or maybe a continuity error because Didan knows Merlin is trapped, but Morgan hadn’t spoken to Didan since he joined King Arthur’s court.

Art:
The designs and layouts were beautiful. Rarely were there white pages with panels and the backgrounds transitioned so well.

Overall: Thank you to #NetGalley and #EuropeComics in exchange for an honest review. 4/5 Graphic Novel was approximately 100 pages.
The plot was incredibly fast and felt like character development was missing. If you like Arthurian tales and wanted to read something you probably didn’t know about it, then I’d highly recommend it.

[Selena Flamariel Bambozzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non potevo lasciarmi scappare questo volume. Ha tutte le carte per attrarre chiunque abbia a cuore la storia di Artù e della sua (e nostra)infinita ricerca del Sacro Graal.
Come nelle migliori trame di film d'azione e d'avventura, attraverso lo studio di alcuni frammenti di un romanzo perduto e poi ritrovato, sulle gesta dell'ultimo cavaliere della tavola rotonda, E. Arioli ritrova le parti del medesimo sparse in tutta Europa, in una ricerca durata dieci anni, e le ricompone in un unico volume a fumetti, disegnati dal talentuoso E. Tanzillo.
Egli stesso ci rivela che, purtroppo, alcune parti della storia sono andate perdute, o non è riuscito a trovarle nonostante la totale dedizione. (Sulla cartina, io, personalmente, ho qualche dubbio nel collocare Camelot così entroterra, l'ho sempre immaginata abbarbicata su qualche fumoso promontorio non lontana dalle terre del sovrano Ban di Benoic, nella baia di Caerfyrddin, di cui comunque non vi è certa collocazione, sono mie congetture personali).
Ho apprezzato molto il protagonista, Sivar (e l'autore ci spiega la scelta di questo nome), il predestinato cavaliere del drago che troverà il Graal, porrà fine alle mire di Morgana e ricaccerà il popolo mitologico dei Tuata dé Danann nel Sidh, sigillandone completamente l'entrata (grazie alla coppa che contiene il sangue della stessa Dea del popolo fatato), assieme a due compagni d'eccezione.
Una nuova avventura, un nuovo cavaliere della Tavola Rotonda... questi bardi medievali avevano una fantasia smisurata!
Ovvio che, di nuovo, la fantasia galoppi verso quel passato lontano e magico, oscuro e colmo di creature fantastiche, continuando a chiederci dove diamine sia finita la coppa sacra, se mai passeggiando in certi luoghi nebbiosi potremmo trovare un varco verso luoghi incantati.
Io continuo a sognare.

[Frank Lang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emanuele Arioli hat nach eigenen Angaben zehn Jahre benötigt, um den verschollenen Ritter der Tafelrunde zu finden. Der Roman, der dieser Recherche entsprang, wurde im Herbst 2024 veröffentlicht. Dieses Buch ist die Adaption dieser Geschichte als Graphic Novel.

Die Erzählung ist deutlich stärker von Magie und nordischer Mythologie geprägt wie alle anderen Artus-Geschichten, die mir bekannt sind. Dadurch, dass die dunklen Mächte in diesem Buch Einzug erhalten, ist das Buch nur bedingt für jüngere Leser geeignet. Ich persönlich finde die Geschichte zudem relativ komplex, weshalb es nachvollziehbar ist, dass der Verlag das Buch Lesern ab 12 Jahren empfiehlt.

Es ist auch darüber hinaus kein klassischer Schwert&Degen-Roman und hat auch weniger etwas von einer Abenteuergeschichte. Für mich hatte die Geschichte viel mehr einen deutlich Einschlag von Fantasy. Es mag vielleicht an der jetzigen Zeit liegen, dass der Autor seine gefundenen Fragmente in dieser Art und Weise zusammensetzt. Immerhin hat er mir die Romanvorlage interessant genug gemacht, als dass ich sie mir irgendwann mal vornehmen möchte.

Die Zeichnungen sind markant und die Farbgebung der Story entsprechend angepasst. Was aber besonders auffällt, ist das Großformat, in dem das Buch gedruckt wurde. In diesem kommen die Zeichnungen opulent zur Geltung und gar nicht mal selten, werden Passagen ohne Text erzählt.

Fazit
Es ist eine Geschichte nach meinem Geschmack. Sie bietet eine ausreichend komplexe Story, ist ein gelungener Genremix und ist als Gesamtpaket sehr ansehnlich. Wer gerne für diese Art von Geschichten empfänglich ist, sollte unbedingt einen Blick riskieren.

[Samuel Da silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Une Bonne Bd.
Une histoire digne des légendes arthurienne.
Des recherche qui ont aboutie à ce scénario efficaces des personnage attachant et sublimes par de très belle illustrations.
Une bande dessinée pour vivre une belle aventure chevaleresque au côté de sivar le chevalier au dragon .

L'ère de l'Empire Romain touchait à sa fin, une nouvelle période commençait : le Moyen Âge.
Les Romains s'étaient retirés de la Grande-Bretagne - la province de Britannia, comme ils l'appelaient - sous la pression des Pictes, des Saxons et d'autres peuples venant du Nord ou de la mer.
Les peuples Celtes de la Grande-Bretagne étaient en conflit entre eux : les plus " romanisés" s'opposaient à ceux qui perpétuaient leurs traditions dans des régions périphériques qu'ils appelaient les terres libres.
Un chef de guerre pacifia alors plusieurs peuples avec le rêve de reconstruire une nouvelle Britannia unifiée.
- Que le sang celte et le sang romain mêlés dans nos veines viennent irriguer un coeur unique : celui du Royaume de Logres !
- Longue vie au Roi Arthur !
Camelot le Château du Roi Arthur
- Un royaume, Un roi, Une foi !
Le Roi Arthur s'entoura des meilleurs chevaliers de l'époque : les Chevaliers de la Table Ronde.
- Que Dieu notre Seigneur guide notre roi !
Mais cette paix retrouvée avait un prix : l'écrasement des anciennes traditions par celles que les Romains avaient amenées avec eux.
L'art magique du Seidr et les anciens cultes furent bannis du royaume de Logres.
Certains préférèrent la voie de l'exil et rejoignirent les terres libres : la Cornouaille, le Pays de Galles, le Nord et les Îles.







Ce que j'ai particulierement apprecié, ce sont les magnifiques dessins en couleurs. Il sont tres bien reussis et j'aurais plaisir a relir une bande dessinnée du meme genre.

[Madison · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Dragon Knight follows the legend of knight Sivan from Author’s round table. He embarks on an epic quest to find his family’s history as well as save the world.

To start, there is animal violence which I personally did not like and felt that it did not add anything to the story. If the death of an animal companion is going to be written, I feel it needs to be a pivotal moment in the character’s story line. The relationship of the characters are surface level. I did not feel their connections between each other or their reasons for their actions. There are mysteries to Sivan’s mother that we never solved as a reader. If more was discussed I would find more interest in Sivan’s journey. The story jumped around a lot which lost me a little bit. I would like history and world building to be more invested in the story. We did not get snaps of the character’s thoughts, just their conversations.

I really enjoyed the art style of this graphic novel. The colors are vibrant and the layout was stunning. The epic journey was interesting, just lacked the emotion and the why. I found the story attractive since it was inspired/based on a recent discovery of historic documents that explore the tale of King Arthur and his knights.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me a copy to review.

[Freya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest review!

One word to describe this comic: EPIC!

We immediately get immersed in 5th century Brittain. Gorgeous, impressive illustrations and a compelling story. The Roman Empire is coming to an end and a new era, the Middle Ages, is beginning.

Under King Arthur’s reign, the practice of ancient rites and magic were banished. Some preferred to live in exile and fled to the free lands.

He should not have banished his own half sister Morgan tho…

Morgan is one of the 3 remaining witches. There was a fourth (Lilith) but she pretty much died saving the world but not before giving birth to a boy named Sivar. He becomes our main character and hero!

What follows is a very funny and foolish Merlin haha, an epic adventure involving magic, knights, jousting, a dragon, pure evil being released, betrayal, allies, giants, vanishing castles,……… I left out a lot there because I don’t wanna spoil too much but I did wanna give you a little impression of how epic and extensive this comic is. More than worth your money and I can only recommend picking this one up if you wanna be totally immersed for hours in a grand fantastical historical adventure! There are a few gruesome bits too and a loooot of evil but you can expect a more than satisfying ending ;).

[Maëva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Titre ~ Le chevalier au Dragon
Autrice ~ Emiliano Tanzillo (Dessinateur) ; Emanuele Arioli (Scénariste)
Genre ~ BD - Légende Arthurienne
Note ~ ⭐️⭐️⭐️ /5

Avis ~ Un visuel magnifique qui correspond très bien à l'histoire. Et qui reflète l'ambiance de la fin de l'antiquité et début moyen-âge avec une coloration assez varier. J'ai adoré le dessin des yeux des personnages qui ressorte à merveille sur les gros plans et qui transmet les émotions.
J'apprécie vraiment que ce soit un one-shot et qu'il soit épais. Je ne suis pas une fan de Bande Dessinée qui contient beaucoup de tomes. Et elle est plus épaisse qu'une simple BD, on a donc le plaisir d'être dedans sur un peu plus longtemps.
Étant une amoureuse des mythes Arthurien et de ses revisites, j'ai été très contente de découvrir un nouveau chevalier. Ce qui nous change grandement des autres mythes arthuriens qui peuvent devenir répétitif et qui montre qu'on ignore encore beaucoup de choses sur les histoires de la table ronde.
L'histoire est principalement axée sur de l'aventure, mais ça ne l'empêche pas d'avoir une pointe d'humour et une légère romance.

http://www.lecholitteraire.com/blog/m...

[Frey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Emanuele Arioli a fait parler de lui récemment pour avoir redécouvert un chevalier de la table ronde – Segurant, le chevalier au dragon. De son aveu, c’en est devenu une obsession qu’il a gardé pendant longtemps uniquement pour lui – et a décidé par la suite d’en faire une BD. Très belle ma foi, mais qui souffre d’un problème de rythme incroyable, avec de nombreux points plus que probablement inventés (ou repris dans d’autres œuvres, n’est-ce pas), et justifiés par un personnage qui pond de manière aléatoire des vérités sur l’univers sans que l’on sache d’où il a bien pu les apprendre mais qui permettent de faire avancer l’histoire.

Quant aux personnages, on ne sait rien de leurs motivations, de leur vie, l’humour est pénible, les relations bâclées, les situations sautent constamment d’une à l’autre sans justification et je me suis laissé trainer sur 80 pages (sur les 100) en ayant lâché le volant et d’essayer de saisir l’univers ou les personnages – à quoi bon, puis visiblement ça n’avait pas grand intérêt de savoir pourquoi des monstres apparaissaient, pourquoi une chouette géante avait une épée humaine ou pourquoi on a laissé Merlin enfermé dans son caveau dans l’indifférence générale.

[MikaReadsFantasy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The graphic novel “The Dragon Knight” by Emanuele Arioli and Emiliano Tanzillo tells the story of the obscure knight Sivar and the circumstances that connect him to the well known Arthurian legend.

I loved the fact that this novel is based on historic documents that have recently been discovered mentioning a new character involved in the tale of King Arthur. I find it fascinating and it definitely enhanced my curiosity for the topic.

The artist Emiliano Tanzillo has a really recognizable and expressive style and I was immediately drawn in by the gorgeous cover. The story starts out relatively slow which is reflected in the less opulent artworks but significantly picks up in speed and splendor in the second half of the novel. I especially loved the dragon sequences but sadly could never really connect to any of the characters or plot. I also felt like there was an over explanation in the text which overshadowed the beautiful artwork.

A big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Europe Comics for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Psychée Délik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cette bande dessinée est le résultat de dix ans de recherche d'Emanuele Arioli. Il s'agit d'un épisode de la légende arthurienne que je ne connaissais pas.
J'ai apprécié découvrir cette aventure inédite d'un jeune pêcheur devenu chevalier. Bémol : Le récit est très linéaire et les péripéties n'ont rien d'original.
La psychologie des personnages aurait pu être développée un peu plus.
Je trouve dommage que les figures féminines se cantonnent toujours aux mêmes rôles.

Le graphisme accompagne très bien le récit. L'ambiance est bien retranscrite et on sent une évolution dans les planches au fil de l'histoire et de l'évolution des personnages.

En bref, je suis ravie d'avoir pu découvrir ce pan des légendes arthuriennes qui m'était jusque là inconnu. Cela fut divertissant mais certains aspects me laissent sur ma faim.
Je remercie les éditions Dargaud de m'avoir permis de faire cette lecture via NetGalley.

Ma chronique : https://psycheedelik-unehistoiredemot...

[Megan Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arthurian legends were some of my favourite stories growing up, so finding retellings is always a joy. And The Dragon Knight didn't disappoint. The illustrations are gorgeous and as unique as the plot as an Arthurian retelling. The plot does have a few pacing issues when it comes to some of the scene transitions, but that by no means lessens the tale. The plot mirrors many aspects of the classic Arthurian romances but with a well-woven contemporary feel, blending the old and new perfectly. I also loved the inclusion of the source and Postface, showing Arioli's love for the original tale and the research put into bringing it to life.

Overall, it is a beautiful, magical adventure that hooked me from page one and kept me wanting more even after the end. I would read more Arthurian retellings if Arioli decides to do more.

Thank you Netgalley and Europe Comics so much for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Véronique Lessard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Séduite par la couverture, je me suis laissée tenter par cette énième adaptation de la légende arthurienne.

On y retrouve les personnages classiques tels que Merlin, le roi Arthur, la fée Morgane, Nimue et bien d'autres. De prime abord, l'auteur explique avoir réuni le roman de la légende arthurienne, mais y a ajouté des éléments notamment des îles Féroé.

Nous suivons le parcours de Sivan, qui ignore qui est son père, mais dont la mère Lilith a disparu à sa naissance. Je ne veux pas trop en dire, puisque nous en apprenons plus à propos du protagoniste à mesure que le récit avance.

Bravoure, magie, courage, tragédie, tout y est pour bien réussir ce récit aux saveurs chevaleresques, qui plaira non seulement aux amateurs de fantasy, mais aussi aux adeptes de la légende arthurienne.

De style plutôt européen, les illustrations nous transportent dans cet univers pourtant connu, mais dont nous découvrons de nouvelles facettes au long du récit.

Je recommande!

[Katharine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

3.5
This was an interesting graphic novel, focusing for the most part on Sivar, one of the lesser-known knights of the Round Table. The story is fantastical, but the plot feels a little jerky. There were a lot of moments where the story would go "And then [name] succeded!" and just rushed off to the next story beat. Apparently, this story was cobbled together from parts of ancient manuscripts about Arthurian legends of Sivar, which I suppose explains why it feels so stop-and-start at points. The ending was lackluster, but again, they used the manuscripts as references. I did enjoy the art, though some expressions were a bit weird. I didn't care for the design of Merlin, but you barely see him, so it's excusable.