The Steel Prince #2

Shades of Magic comics (Single Issues) #2

by V.E. Schwab

Harried by assassins and secrets, banished for his pursuit of a forbidden alternate London, the Red Prince Maxim finds himself in the court of the Pirate Queen of the Blood Coast!

Genres: Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Comics, Graphic Novels Comics, Adult, Magic, Comic Book

32 pages, Paperback

First published November 14, 2018

About the author

This author also writes under the name of Victoria Schwab.

VICTORIA “V. E.” SCHWAB is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including the acclaimed Shades universe, the Villains series, the City of Ghosts series, Gallant, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and The Fragile Threads of Power. When not haunting Paris streets or trudging up English hillsides, she can usually be found in Edinburgh, Scotland, tucked in the corner of a coffee shop, dreaming up monsters.

Reviews

[Silvia]

LET'S GO LESBIANS

[Prabhjot Kaur]

The Marsh may rule in the capital, but when the iron grip docks in Verose, Arisa Rasora is Queen.

Maxim learns of the pirate queen and her ship and affect on people here in Verose. He also learns how the pirate queen doesn't leave any survivors until she leaves one. Maxim finds the survivor who happens to be Isra, pirate queen's niece and things start to become interesting.

I liked the story better in this mainly because I am starting to understand where it is going now and this world is making more sense. Art could still be better though.

3.75 stars

[A Wanderer]

So...I love the Shades of Magic novels and I LOVE the artwork in these graphic novels so far. The reason I am only giving these 2 stars is because I am kind of really struggling to follow the story and understand what is going on. I have more reading comprehension questions than curiosity questions, and found myself taking a break after every page to put pieces of the story together. The experience is too frustrating to be immersive.

That being said-- I am not used to reading comics so it could be that I am just learning or getting the hang of it...

[Maria]

HELL YEAH! That’s more like it. The writing is so unmistakably Schwab, I’ve felt somewhat. homesick? reading this. I love Arisa and Isra’s characters. Soooo pumped for more.

[Kamila]

One of the main characters is a lesbian, I am pleased

[Anali]

La historia continua siendo interesante e Isra es un personaje muy intrigante. Quiero saber más sobre ella.

[Patricija]

So, I read Nimona right after this, and I cannot not compare it? If that makes any sense. This was okay, but after reading the Gathering of Shadows, I'm not the biggest fan of Maxim. The plot was okay, but these are way too short, and thus feel not developed enough, the story still raw. I did like the art style a lot tho. Will continue, hope the rest improves

[Ashley Daviau]

Yet another flawless gem from Queen Schwab! I swear, she can do NO wrong in my eyes. Even in graphic novel form her writing just grabs you and sucks you right in. I think I may even have enjoyed this instalment more than the first and that’s saying something because I devoured the first! This one had more action and battle though and I was all for it. I also didn’t think it was possible but I swear, the artwork is even more gorgeous in this one than in the first!

[Manon the Malicious]

*4.5 Stars*

Victoria Schwab wrote this, so of course I loved it.
Read it at midnight, and loved it.
Love the art, love the story.
Can't wait for #3.

[prag ♻]

stan team isra assemble

[Paul]

Enjoying the artwork, some good action but not sure where the story is heading yet

[m i l o u ✨ (grumpy witch)]

We get introduced to an interesting new character and hell yes Isra.

↠ 3,75 stars

[Filipa]

Art is dark and harsh, which fits well into the narrative.
I'm enjoying where we are going with this, yet its shortness makes it way too hard to review.

[Patty Zuiderwijk]

story 5/5
characters 5/5
writing 5/5
audio/paper Paper.
reread? I absolutely will.
Recommend it? Yes.


Verhaal: 5/5
Karakters: 5/5
Schrijfstijl: 5/5
Papier/audio? Papier.
Herlezen: Ga ik zeker eens doen.
Aanrader? Ja.

[meg ✷]

So much better than the first. Still wish it could be longer per issue, though. :(

[Kathryn]

Plot

Issue #2 was even better than the first. Though comics are short this issue had a lot of depth to it. The plot is definitely thickening and I am excited to see what happens next. The Pirate Queen is ruthless and Maxim and Isra have a lot to deal with. Maxim is not used to the ruthlessness of Verose and wants to take down this woman but the people of Verose know to steer clear of her. But an unexpected twist is revealed about who Isra and the Pirate Queen are too each other. The Pirate Queen has a special power that not many people possess which makes her one of the most powerful people. I love this comic a lot and I am excited to continue it.

Character

I discussed Maxim and Isra in the last review so I will just discuss the Pirate Queen since she is the newest addition to the cast. The Pirate Queen is evil and ruthless. She kills without question and wears a mask that is uber creepy lol. I really like her and she is a wonderful villain. Schwab has always been excellent at writing villains. 

Writing

The writing is so eloquent and pulls your right into the world. I love these characters and gorgeous art just makes it that much better. I really hope she continues with this comic for a few issues. It's so engaging and the cliffhangers on the end keep me hooked. I want to know more and I love it so much that I honestly would love this in book form. 

Favorite Quotes
"I will fight. Not for the chance to serve. But for the chance to bring you to your knees."

[Lauren]

3.5
This bone magic stuff is SCARY. Reminds me of blood bending from ATLA. Anyway, didn’t feel as clunky as the first volume, but I still wish there was some narration besides the opening scene in every copy.

[Jess ✩]

Wow, what an ending!

[anna ✩]

4 stars!

Not much to say apart from that it’s really good! there’s royals, disguises, magic and lgbt rep. Can’t wait to see where the rest of the graphic novels go!

[Claire (Jst1MoreChapter)]

I'm never sure how to rate these... I enjoyed it, but they're very short and they always end on a cliffhanger

[S.E. Anderson]

I can’t wait to see where this goes!

The story intensified as Maxim learns about the pirate queen and her dangerous bone magic. Cannot wait for the next installment!

[Mandy]

Another amazing comic! This one picks up right where the first one left off, I love the action in this and I absolutely cannot wait for the next issue! I'm hooked on these.

[jessy]

Shades of Magic #1: The Steel Prince
Shades of Magic #3: The Steel Prince
Shades of Magic #4: The Steel Prince

She's a legend on the Blood Coast. Ruthless. Cruel. With a crew violent and hungry enough to match.

Yeah man, this was so much better than the first issue.

I think V. E. Schwab just needed the first issue to get into this thing, but now she has it down. I already love Maxim and Isra and I need more of the Pirate Queen! The women in this comic are great.

The artwork is just as beautiful. I can't get enough of it.

[Evelin]

Вторият комикс от поредицата е в пъти по-интересен от първия. Кралицата на Пиратите, която виждаме на корицата се появи и сюжетът започна да се заплита и на мен вече ми е страшно интересно какво ще се случи по-натам. В същото време илюстрациите изобщо не ми харесват. Оказа се че един от тримата стражи, които бяха представени в първия комикс, е жена и е племенницата на Кралицата на пиратите. Е, сега на мен ако изрично не ми бяха казали, че това е женско нямаше да позная на външен вид, защото на пръв поглед приличаше на дребно мъжко същество. Ако оценявах този комикс само по съдържание, оценката ми щеше да е много по-висока, но акото не се яде.

[Brittany]

I am adoring this comic series so much! V.E. Schwab has truly mastered all elements in both books and comics as this is fantastic. This follows the backstory of Maxim, the king in the Shades of Magic series. This one is his backstory as a prince and how he came to be known as the Steel Prince.
I find this immensely fascinating as I find that Maxim’s backstory is interesting. There is backstory that builds on this world along with Maxim’s story. It’s nice to get to know more about him and see a bit of Rhy in him. I cannot wait to continue reading this comic series!

[Brandi]

So, things are heating up and I cannot wait to see what Maxim Maresh does in the next issue.

I wasn't sure how I would feel about this prequel being given to us in this medium. I was excited, yes, but also wary because it's not how I like to consume my books.

However, I am loving this. The artwork is impeccable. The story is amazing--as is typical of Schwab--and the suspense is building.

I wish these were all available to devour now because I am not a patient person.

[The Awkward Bibliophile]

AAAAAHHHH I STILL CAN'T HANDLE BEING BACK IN THIS WORLD!!!!😄😄😄😄😍😍😍😍 I love how we get to see even more of the SHADES OF MAGIC world that we've not seen in the SHADES OF MAGIC series, but only passing mentions (from what I recall) but I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT THE NEXT TWO ISSUES HAVE IN STORE!!!!😄😄😄😄

[Ilse]

Oh fuuuuckkkk yeeesss
This is exactly what I signed up for!! I love this, after issue one being more of an introduction, which is very understandable, we are now jumping in the action and I am living!! I am so glad I went to London recently and managed to pick up the first two issues of the steel prince because this is honestly just so great! Can't wait for more!!

[Marianne]

4 Stars

Brought my Goodreads Challenge up to 70 with this 32 page comic! Whoop whoop

Reading these is basically like reading a chapter of a book at a time. They are so short, therefore hard to rate, but I'm enjoying them so far!

[Shaimaa]

In which Prince Maxim shows a bit of his skill with steel and he learns about the Pirate Queen.