Ionheart

Prinz Gigahertz #1-2+

by Lukas Kummer

This head-spinning, time-bending graphic novel is a nuclear fusion of fantasy and science fiction whose every page glows with an eerie light. Will you survive the blast? Pursued by a terrifying demon, a young knight flees across the radioactive ruins of a fairy-tale land. His only weapon is the same cursed power that once destroyed this world—what some would call magic, and others would call technology. As his relentless enemy draws closer, the knight’s terrible secrets begin to unfold. How many lives has he lived? Is this the past, the present, or the future? Is he destined to bring love, or unimaginable destruction? And if he fails…will humanity get another chance? The English-language debut of Austrian-German graphic novelist Lukas Kummer arrives like a thunderbolt, arcing brilliantly between timelines, genres, and dimensions. This ambitious, atom-smashing book combines trace elements of everything from Tintin to Blade Runner to Adventure Time to The Dark Tower into a deadly intricate, explosive, and entirely new.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Sequential Art

312 pages, Paperback

First published August 19, 2025

Reviews

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I just finished Ionheart by Lukas Kummer, and man, it's... something else. This graphic novel mashes up sci-fi and fantasy, creating a world that's just wild to look at.

First off, the art style? It's definitely weird, but in a totally fun way. The colors just pop, and it really makes this whole "techno-fantasy" vibe come alive. And get this, the story doesn't hold back – it gets super brutal and bloody sometimes, which was honestly a cool, unexpected shock. Seriously, there were moments with the relentless chase scenes that totally gave me "Terminator" vibes. Plus, the way they blend medieval stuff with futuristic tech, like a flying car being an "iron mare," is just genius and super creative.

Now, for the flip side. This book can get "way too weird at points" to actually follow. The storytelling is so non-linear and fragmented that you're often left scratching your head, trying to figure out what's even going on. It makes it pretty tough to get into the plot, and honestly, the main character, Sir William? Yeah, I just didn't like him at all. And it's not just him; most of the other characters are pretty forgettable, which makes it hard to care much about what happens.

So, here's the deal: if you're into something truly out-there, and you don't mind a story that makes you work a bit to understand it, "Ionheart" could be right up your alley. The art is awesome, and it's got some surprisingly intense moments. But if you're looking for a clear, character-driven narrative, this one might leave you feeling a little lost in the sauce.

[Hosein · Rating 5 out of 5]

من این گرافیک ناول رو خیلی اتفاقی برداشتم بخونم چون برق رفته بود و بین کمیک‌هایی که دانلود کرده بود فقط اسم این یکی توی ذهنم مونده بود (به خاطر جلدش). فکر کنم بهترین توضیحی که می‌تونم بدم اینه که من توی اون دو ساعت خیلی راحت می‌تونستم کل ۳۰۰ صفحه‌ش رو بخونم، اما دلم نیومد سریع تمومش کنم چون می‌دونستم داستان با این وایب و ژانر به این راحتی‌ها گیرم نمیاد. ترکیب درست سای-فای و فانتزی بسیار کمیابه و توی سال‌های اخیر هم تقریبا هر نمونه‌ای ازش دیدم ناامیدکننده بودن (به مارک لارنس نگاه کنین، هر چی نوشته توی همین کتگوریه ولی بلد نیست استفاده کنه).

من دوست ندارم چیز چندانی از داستانش بگم، چون یه بخش بزرگی از زیباییش به چرخش‌های غیرقابل حدسش بود. اما در کل "توی یک دنیای قرون وسطایی می‌گذره که وسایل مدرن و امروزی از آسمون پایین ریختن و کسایی که بلدن ازش استفاده کنن جادوگر به حساب میان، شخصیت اصلی که یک زمانی شوالیه بوده بعد از ۳۰ سال از خواب بیدار می‌شه و سعی می‌کنه اشتباهات گذشته رو جبران کنه".
هیچ‌بخشی از داستان زوری نبود، نویسنده سعی نکرده بود چیز اضافه‌ای بگه و همین باعث شده بود تمام شخصیت‌هاش ملموس باشن (باز هم یک چیز کمیاب توی کمیک‌های این چندسال). شاید تنها توضیح مهمی که قبل از خوندنش می‌تونم بهتون بکنم اینه که داستانش بیشتر از اینکه درگیر جنگ و درگیری یا ماجراجویی باشه، تمرکزش روی یک درام و رمنسِ خیلی ملایمه که به مرور توی هر فصل واضح‌تر می‌شه.

آرت استایل هم ساده‌ست، مطمئنم یکی از دلایلیه که نویسنده‌ش به جای تعداد صفحات معمولِ گرافیک ناول‌ها، ترجیح داده دو برابرش کار کنه. اتفاقا همین آرت استایل ساده به شدت تاثیر داره روی حس داستان و حداقل من ازش خیلی لذت بردم.

در کل پیشنهادش می‌کنم. یکی از گرافیک ناول‌های خوب ۲۰۲۵ ـه.

[Keila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emotionally gripping and amazing storytelling! I never thought I'd ever read something like this, a (graphic) novel where literal science fiction mixes with fantasy (think flashlights = wand of light kinda thing) and at the same time tackle heavy themes like toxic relationships and questions about humanity.

At first I doubted that I'd enjoy this because of the art style that I'm not used to, but I was later amazed by how complex the story itself was as I read onward. Even though I was initially taken aback by the heavy stuff tackled in the story (TW for cussing, gore and violence, and mentions of sex) it is a legit solid story. Thank goodness I gave this one a chance despite all that mentioned because it was really worth bingeing.

Thank you NetGalley and IDW Publishing for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Harir Heidary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant.

[Libbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pursued by a demon, a young knight flees across the radioactive ruins of a fantasy land. As his journey progresses his secrets begin to unfold and questions are asked.

A lovely blend of science fiction and fantasy, Ionheart immediately grabbed my attention with it's luscious colour palette and interesting synopsis. It is a fast paced graphic novel with an interesting concept. However I found myself a little disappointed with the execution.

The plot was just a little all over the place for me with the being thrown back and forth in time with little explanation or context. I had to reread a number of pages and sometimes felt like I might have accidentally skipped pages (I hadn't).

Whilst the colour palette of this graphic novel is gorgeous, the actual art style did not work for me. It didn't fit the tone of the book and as a result I struggled to fully immerse myself in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and IDW publishing for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Kat in Stacks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you IDW and Netgalley for the ARC

While a quick read, I enjoyed the characters the author created and the concept/lore .
The prologue after the main story was confusing at times since it jumped around in spots.
But overall the art, and concept was a unique and enjoyable read.

[Noah H-I · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This graphic novel is fast-paced and very well illustrated. Such a wonderful blend of sci-fi and fantasy with character development I didn’t expect from a graphic novel. Although I got confused by the chronological plot (which seems to happen when time travel is involved), the story is interesting and very entertaining. Would recommend!

[Amara · Rating 2 out of 5]

"He was no hero. And neither was I, for that matter."

Ionheart was not the comic for me. While I enjoyed the simplistic art style in juxtaposition to the dark story, overall the narrative felt too nihilistic to me. Adding to that a weirdly non-chronological order of events on top of odd pacing, this story left me unsatisfied. I did appreciate some of the ideas in this like the concept of the parallel worlds, but I failed to get a grasp on the overarching narrative and message of this work. That however might be on me as the reader.

I would recommend Ionheart to people who think they could enjoy the art style of Adventure Time combined with a story that portrays a fairly bleak, nihilistic worldview.

Thank you Lukas Kummer and IDW Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Maykala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ionheart is a sci-fi/fantasy graphic novel following a young knight. He is being chased by a demon and through this chase, we see who the knight has been across his life.

The color and illustrations of this graphic novel are very pleasing to the eye and help ground the reader in what time we are reading from. While I found this graphic novel interesting, it was also very confusing. The story switches timelines with almost no warning and you are following quite a few different timelines/lives of this knight. I read this through twice in an effort to make sure I grasped everything and I think I still felt short. I think the way this story was organized really limits it. It seems so needlessly confusing in my opinion. I think I get what the author was going for, but there was just too much happening and the way the story was organized just made following the story harder. I was constantly having to reorient myself to the story at hand and once I felt like I got what was going on, everything switched up again.

While I applaud this author’s ambitiousness and his ability to have so many interesting ideas within one story, I feel like this story was convoluted and hard to follow. While this story didn’t necessarily work for me, I feel like readers who don’t mind a time-bending story could really like this. This graphic novel is purposely meant to be a little confusing as it traverses different timelines, genres, and dimensions. I think this ambitious world could really work for some readers, so I would still recommend this to those up to the challenge.

*e-ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

[Rapunzel Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to enjoy Ionheart, as I’m a big fan of science fiction, graphic novels, and reimagined fairytales. However, it didn’t quite work for me. While I enjoyed the bright colors of the art, it didn’t feel as though it totally jived with its often very dark subject matter, leading to a sense of dissonance that felt accidental rather than deep. Similarly, I often found myself confused and disoriented throughout. The journey and progression of the multiple timelines was interesting but difficult to follow, and the protagonist often became unlikable enough that I had trouble wanting to root for him. That said, this is definitely an interesting read, so if you’re interested in something with a more experimental feel, it could be the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed here are my own.

[Krissi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-graphic novel arc in exchange for an honest review.

This graphic novel was not for me. The plot was kind of all the place and made me contemplate DNFing as it is just a tough read. The artist also uses a more minimalistic approach to his artwork, which blended together after a while, contributing to the lull. I can see how some may like it as it does have a certain humor to it that some may like at times, but I just could not get behind it.

[Amaris · Rating 3 out of 5]

// 3 Stars - ARC REVIEW //

What a beautiful blend of medieval and futuristic elements wrapped in striking illustrations. I would venture to say this graphic novel dabbles in the dark fantasy genre. It is also true to its "Blade Runner" comparisons. While I did find the story to be disjointed at points, it didn't impede my overall experience reading. If any of those genres fascinate you, I would recommend you check this out.

[Boooks with Tokyo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3’5/5⭐️ First of all, thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an arc of “Ionheart”. I enjoyed this graphic novel, the story was quite interesting and the art style was simple but capable of expressing the emotions of the characters. In some parts I found it was confusing to know if the story was happening in the past or in the present. If you like fantasy/science fiction regarding time traveling and multi universes you will probably like it.

[Nichole Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ionheart was an excellent graphic novel. It's a weird, but awesome blend of both science fiction and fantasy about a knight wizard being chased by a demon through a twist of many timelines. There were some parts that I found confusing. Though, it could be the German to English translation.

I also loved the bright art style that also the feeling of darkness.

I enjoyed this very much and I recommend it to others!

Thank you to NetGalley, Author, Lukas Kummer, and IDW for this ARC.

[Steff Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want it to be done honestly and truthfully. No more myths, no more fairy tales. William was a flawed man. Let’s not forget that we’re in this mess because of him. But he had a good heart. In the end, he did the right thing. That shall be the moral of this tale.”

If there was one suggestion I would make that would resolve the vast majority of my issues with Lukas Kummer’s Ionheart, it would be to add some sort of label to indicate what time of the story we are in. Though a fun and intriguing tale, the lack of coherency in the “when” of the moment was often jarring and, at times, took several moments to reorient to which piece of the timeline I was now reading about. And even then, I’m not certain I can say that the story should have jumped around as much as it did.

In the end, there simply was far too much piecing together for the reader to do for this book to exist as a true service to the story Kummer was trying to tell. And here’s the thing: the story and plot he put together? Pure brilliance. The world building? Excellent. There’s so much to love about the manner in which Kummer blends futuristic technology with interdimensional travel posited against a world whose advancement has not moved past what appears to be comparable to the middle ages.

Enter a world where technology is considered magic and the destruction of nuclear fallout was the only way to stop a power hungry tech bro from conquering other worlds. The survival of this realm something achieved through the well-meaning mistakes of a person with both great knowledge and great secrets. As a story, the plot and the twists were phenomenal. It’s more so in the execution where I think Kummer loses his readers—the difficulty of following the changing timelines, the manner in which he reveals the twists (unfortunately not as dramatic as it should have been due to the convolution of the story), and the condensing of everything into a single graphic novel (there’s an irony here, since I often have found it frustrating when a full story is not told, but there is a happy medium to find and I really think Kummer should have gone for it).

The tale also feels as though it ends rather abruptly, something that I think hits even harder given that so much of the graphic novel seems to be the main character summarizing all the events that brought him to his current state. I think this could have worked, too, had it not jumped around so much as he told the tale and been more of a reveal later on—perhaps even at the end of the first episode?

I suppose, at the end of the day, I think there were a lot of great thoughts and ideas thrown behind this tale. The artwork is fun and dark, though not exactly my personal style it still has a certain charm to it that really supports the reader in engaging in the story. Unfortunately, those thoughts and ideas could not make up for the haphazard presentation and so many of the exceptional story beats that should have elicited intense emotions feel rather flat instead. It’s a shame given the high level of potential I think the story has, overall.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and IDW Publishing for an advance copy of a graphic novel that mixes together many different genres, to a tell a story that is unique, sad, funny and beautifully illustrated, with a lot of heart, and a lot of skill

I have been reading comics since I was old enough to understand that pictures tell stories. Over the years I have seen a lot, read a lot, been disappointed a lot. And been taken by surprise. Usually by an author I didn't know anything about. Sometimes by my own assumtions of how a story should go. I must say not only was I surprised by this story, but I honestly had no idea where it was going, nor did I know how much I was going to care to find out. And how much I want more about these characters, and more by this author. Ionheart is the English language debut of a German-Austrian creator, Lukas Kummer, and is a love story, fantasy story, science fiction story, dystopian police procedural filled with magic, action, repentance, and hope.

A man awakens to a world that has been ravaged by an unstoppable creature. The man was once a night, a companion to a princess, and a warrior to the oppressed, with his sword and armor. Now the princess he loved is gone, his companions wounded and weakened. And a demon, cruel and unstoppable is after him. The knight gathers his equipment, a flashlight, a shock stick, and his trusty steed a flying car, and sets off to make things right. Meanwhile right behind is a creature full of fire, and anger, answering only to a cosmic force called Bob.

I don't want to get to much into the plot, as it might ruin things. I really enjoyed this story. The art and setting is almost like a YA graphic novel. Honestly my first thought was Smile from the brightness of the art, and the panel sizes. I was so wrong. This is a dark story, a violent story about choosing life, choosing who to be, fighting for what is right, and losing. Sometimes love, sometimes everything. The story barrels along well, even the jumps make sense. The dialogue elevates the story. I'm not sure how the book was translated, or even if it was, but text gels really well with what is going on. In addition to action there ae passages about relationships, and friendships and trying to do right, that lifts the story from a simple quest to something much more.

A graphic novel that blew all my expectations out of the water. What I thought looked like a Teen dystopian was a meditation on what we are, can we change, can we fix the past, and make better future. I really am looking forward to more stories by Lukas Kummer.

[natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5 stars rounded up*

I was thoroughly surprised reading Ionheart because of how gripping the storytelling was! I found it extremely interesting how magic and technology were integrated throughout the novel, and I thought it was a truly original approach to showcasing the differences between the time periods. It was a perfect blend of sci-fi and fantasy, combining the two to create a unique story that unfolds as readers learn more about Billy, the protagonist.

I thought the tougher topics were touched on very well, and I liked how the author was able to blend those topics in the medieval and futuristic periods. It also allowed readers to see some character development from Billy as they see how his actions change, but then how he reflects on his behavior later on. That being said, there are some TWs that readers should check out first before picking up this book, like toxic relationships, gore, and mentions of sex.

While I was enjoying the plot a lot when I first started, I was starting to get lost toward the middle in Chapter 2. The use of color to signify what point in time Billy is in is incredibly well done, but it did at times get confusing since the story was never truly told chronologically. Jumping back and forth constantly while trying to understand the complexities of these worlds meant I had to reread a couple of pages every once in a while to make sure I wasn't missing a key detail. However, that didn’t necessarily ruin my experience reading, since I did feel satisfied at the end when everything started to come together.

Thank you NetGalley and IDW Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

[S.E. Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the very first page, Ionheart hooked me with its incredible art style. The colors reminded me of Paper Girls, while characters were more Nimona or Adventure Time, blending into this unique cyber-medieval aesthetic that’s as striking as it is immersive. It's beautiful in its simplicity.

The story unfolds non-linearly, with timelines and realities weaving in and out until the bigger picture comes into focus. I loved it so much that I immediately reread it as soon as I finished. Everything clicks even more the second time through. The mix of time- and universe-bending sci-fi with medieval fantasy was everything I wanted in a graphic novel.

While the murder mystery subplot in the third arc didn’t grip me as much as the central relationship, I was surprised by how emotionally rich this graphic novel is. Beneath the robots, knights, and apocalypse, it’s really about love: not just falling into it, but maintaining it as people (and circumstances) change. It’s shockingly deep for a book about knights with "cursed" weapons in medieval radioactive wastelands.

The worldbuilding we do get is fantastic, spanning pre-, mid-, and post-apocalyptic eras, but I found myself wishing we could spend more time exploring each setting. I feel like this would make a solid animated tv show I would be totally addicted to.

In short: Ionheart is bold, beautiful, and unlike anything else I’ve read. If you’re into ambitious, time-warping graphic novels that mash up genres and still manage to hit you right in the feelings, this is one to pick up.

[Frankie · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I always found it cruel to give feelings to a machine."

Ionheart had one of the most interesting summaries I'd read in a long time, and the cover was gorgeous. Perhaps my expectations were slightly too high, however. For some positive notes, the artist chose a beautiful color palette and pages are pleasing to the eye because the palette will be consistent across the entire page. The art style wasn't my favorite personally, but that type of thing is subjective, so I don't dock points for that. For reference, it reminded me at times of an adult swim cartoon. Chapter two had some genuinely sad moments, because they were so true to real life (the kind of stuff we probably read fiction to escape). I felt those were well done. I also enjoy scenes where a character reflects on their life and what got them to where they are now, and how they're coming to peace with it, which that chapter had.
For the downsides, I was confused at times because I couldn't tell if the author was being satirical or not (I still can't tell you, truth be told. I feel kind of stupid for that). Sometimes the writing was trying to be funny and sometimes it was serious. The two tones felt confusing to me. Mostly though, I just felt the story was kind of boring. I never connected to a single character. I didn't see why I should care, and I was never given a reason to. So for me that really was the main problem.


Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an arc to review 💜

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bloody love this. Graphics are amazing on my iPad and the colours are saturated, going from very dark to very light which makes the book visually appealing. I chose the book because I especially enjoy reading books that are written in another language and then translated or where the authors first or primary language is not English. Some how it gives the tone of the writing more depth for me and even in this graphic novel I felt this.
I think I don’t want to describe the Story because I think there would be spoilers. I think I can say I agreed with the comparison with a combination of Tintin and Bladerunner.
It is explicit at times so not for children, a significant swear word at one point, sexual topics and extreme violence. At times it’s sad, scary, poignant and even laugh out loud funny.
It was confusing at times but less so than some Dr Who episodes. It was a quick read and I can imagine reading it again to discover more detail and maybe get a better understanding. It,as be I missed something or, I hope, there will be a sequel. I would definitely look out for more by this author and illustrator.

This review was previously posted under another account that I am having to move and once I am posting the reviews on this account I am deleting the old review so there is no duplication.

Thank you to Netgalley and @idwpublishing who provided me with access to this book this is all my own rambling, honest and personal opinions.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Ionheart, we follow Billy—a type of robot called a Lovebot—through time and space as he journeys through struggling to find his purpose in his programming, first (in his experience, not ours) as the service-oriented bot he was originally programmed to be, next as he was reprogrammed to become a hitman for a crime boss, and finally as a knight in a kingdom without modern technology. Kummer’s storytelling excels at portraying the gruesome sides of Billy’s experience with humanity. In Part One, we are treated to plenty of gore and violence. Part Two emphasizes the way love loses its shine and rots through, how it can turn ugly even when it is still held up by a strong foundation. Part Three focuses on themes of betrayal and forgiveness, though I wish this part were longer and that these were more thoroughly explored within the story.

Ionheart feels like refreshing return to the sorts of comics I ate up as a teen. It’s a fascinating world (or two) that I would have loved to have spent more time with. The art style and color palates chosen are perfect for the story. While ideally I’d like a little more depth in my storytelling these days, I highly recommend this to anyone looking for sci-fi-leaning graphic novel.

Big thanks to Netgalley and Top Shelf Productions for the eARC of this comic.

[Tori North · Rating 2 out of 5]

First and foremost, thank you to Netgalley and IDW Publishing | Top Shelf Productions for providing this ARC copy in exchange for my honest review

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⚝ Rating ⚝: 2✩ / 5✩’s

⚝ Review ⚝: This just...was not for me. Didn't know what to expect, but it certainly wasn't that. The melding of modern AND future technology in a fantasy/medieval background was interesting, but that's about all it had going for it. I just could not take it seriously, especially the dialogue.

⚝ Illustrations⚝: The illustrations for Ionheart are extremely simplistic, reminiscent of popular shows like Adventure Time, Rick and Morty, or Futurama. Don't let this simplistic style fool you though, this is VERY much an adult story. The cover art matches pretty well to what to expect inside the story, and while the colors are vibrant, the linework is clean and clear, and it's easily distinguished and stylistic, it just isn't for me.

⚝ Representation ⚝: N/A

⚝ TWs ⚝: Blood, Gore, Death, Violence, Nudity

[Evelyn L · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very pretty book with a cool Adventure Time combo of medieval, post apocalypse, and technology. I am very interested in the aspect of the relationship that is presented where people stay together despite hating each other. They love each other, but they can't stand each other. I kept thinking that the book was building up to a refutation of this; however, the book ends up just accepting this aspect of relationships which I strongly disagree with and deeply believe is toxic. A very minor aspect to be hung up on, I know, but it really felt like we were building up to our knight learning to understand healthy human relationships. Interesting. It's not actually why this is rated 4 instead of 5 stars though. The book jumps around a lot making it difficult to follow along with the three different storylines happening at once. Rather than sticking with one side for many pages, or making significant differences in art for each, I am left trying to decipher where and when we are. Occasionally this jumping around does serve the story in a great way, but sometimes there isn't anything gleamed from a specific jump.

[Tierney Darden · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

Did I sometimes have no idea what was happening? Yes. Did I still enjoy myself? Also yes. But, at the same time, no...

The constant shifts in the timeline throughout each chapter really threw me off.

This book is a blend of sci-fi and fantasy, combining futuristic technology with medieval elements. At times, it can be quite gory and action-packed, and the neon-colored artwork is fun and stunning to look at.

It’s an interesting story, but I found it difficult to engage with, and I didn’t connect with any of the characters. Honestly, I felt like I didn’t really like any of them (sorry).

It might be one of those books that resonates with some readers while others simply don’t connect with it. I definitely fall into the latter category—I didn’t get it. However, I’m sure there are many who do understand and will appreciate this graphic novel.

Thank you Netgalley, IDW Publishing | Top Shelf Productions, and Lukas Kummer for an eARC of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

[Pà · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
The story it had some really strong points, but also a few things that didn’t totally work for me. First of all, the concept was super creative. The way fantasy and sci-fi elements were mixed together felt very cool, and I liked how the story didn’t shy away from darker or emotional topics. Billy as a character had depth, and I could see his growth through the story. I appreciated how the themes were handled. The illustrations were also really cool, at first I wasn’t sure about the style, but it actually fit well with the tone of the story. The part that was harder for me was the structure. The timeline wasn’t always easy to follow, and I had to go back a few times because I got a bit lost. It didn’t ruin the story, but it made the reading experience less smooth. I also felt like some scenes could’ve used more explanation. Still, I was glad I read it. Not perfect, but definitely worth checking out. Thank you so much to the author, IDW Publishing and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read the book in advance, I received this for free and I'm leaving a honest review

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thorough enjoyable mix of science fiction and fantasy. Sir William awake in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world as he's stalked by a demon. As we follow him through this landscape to find his iron mare and fight back against the demon, we discover the iron mare is a futuristic car and the demon is a robot. The lurid and rich colors draw you in despite the violent action and on-page sex at the brothel. Sir William finally kills the demon as he is also killed, but in a twist at the end of the first part, Sir William is also a robot. Then the next chapter is about how he's a sexbot from the future and how he ended up in this other world. Each part deepens the lore of both world before the apocalypse and in the last and fourth part is the princess in the current apocalyptic world solving a serial killer who is probably from another world.

The line work is simple and rounded to create a certain mood of who is trustworthy. The panel layout is simple in contrast to the twisty plot that just between time and two worlds. The pacing was so well done, and I want to read more.

[Y.N. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC

I don't read graphic novels often. Very rarely in fact, since the format tends to work budiously on me. I can see all the effort put into the making of a draphic novel, but having more images than words isn't something that works well for me. This read as confirmed it.

'Ionheart' mixes science fiction with fantasy (literaly, with robots, nuclear power and very medieval world too). It does it pretty well, with a story playing with time, told in a non linear timeline. It's interesting, with a nice differenciation in the colour palette for each world, helping the reader's comprehension. Lots of people will probably be lost by all the different identities and story line, but I thought it was pretty well done.
I can't say I was super invested in the story, but it is more a matter of format that doesn't suit me than a problem with the story, I think.

[Izzie Peasy · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨️I want to thank the author, IDW Publishing and Netgalley for providing the eARC in exchange for an honest review✨️

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up

Disclaimer; I didn't read a lot of Graphic Novels in my life, so keep in mind I don't have lots of experience with those.

First and foremost, I enjoyed the story. It was an easy read and had Sci-Fi and Fantasy in it. It was also a fast read, I think it took me like around an hour to read it. I liked following Billy's story. The art is well made, I like how Lukas Kummer did it with the colors and everything.

The only thing that I struggled with was the back and forth between real time and flashbacks. I sometimes had whiplash because of how it did it without expecting it. Then again, maybe it's just because I am unexperienced with Graphic Novels!? 🤷🏻‍♀️

The story was kinda simplistic but also covered some serious subjects that people would probably find relatable.

All in all, I enjoyed it and recommend it.

[Tory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ionheart is a sci-fi graphic novel that uses time/dimension travel to create a gritty, sometimes gory, saga about revenge, regrets, and love. A knight who uses technology as magic in a medieval world comes back from the brink of destruction to try and fix a series of past mistakes.

The art is dark and saturated, making the post-apocalyptic world come to life. This story focuses on toxic relationships in a variety of forms and how their impact can reverberate out to everyone in the community. Dark stories aren’t my usual style, especially when none of the main characters are particularly likable, but the story and characters are compelling. Plus, some of the reveals did take me by surprise. If you’re into post-apocalyptic sci-fi, give this a try.

Trigger warning for depictions of violence/gore.

[Hannah The Awkward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ionheart by Lucas Kummer was not exactly the novel for me, but if you love Sci-Fi, steampunk, a dark story, and a hero on the run then you will enjoy this. I struggled with the switching timelines and the dryness of characters. However, I loved the simplistic art with the complexities of the story to balance it. And I found the medieval and futuristic elements mixed together enjoyable albeit sometimes humorous with how they described items that we find to be commonplace now. The colors chosen work beautifully together in the graphic novel as well! The story kept me going enough to finish it even though it may not be my cup of tea, but the pacing and the timeline jumps were a bit confusing.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this novel. All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.