The Stone King

The Stone King #1-4

by Kel McDonald, Kel McDonald

When you become an adult, you have to prove yourself, at least that's how it works for the Stoneport thieves. Ave has decided to illegally harvest healing moss from the Stone King, a mighty giant who roams the lands. Her theft goes even better than she could have dreamed. The biggest gem she's ever seen is her prize. But what she thought would buy her a ticket to adventure and a better life, brings disaster instead. Now her home is in danger and fixing her mistakes is the city's only hope. Part of the comiXology Originals line of exclusive digital content only available on comiXology and Kindle. This title is available as part of comiXology Unlimited, Kindle Unlimited and Prime Reading.

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

129 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 10, 2019

Reviews

[Diz · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art is fine, but the story is a bit boring. There are some cases where the main character does something and then later explains what she did to another character. That makes for dull reading.

[TAP · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent watercolor style artwork. Acceptable storyline.

[Artemy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and simple book that obviously took a lot of inspiration from Shadow of the Colossus. I mostly came here for Tyler Crook’s amazing art, and wasn’t disappointed in that regard. But Kel McDonald’s story also wasn’t terrible and I had a reasonably good time reading it. I’d say the art is still the main draw here, though.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am very partial to this book because there are times that Hey You (the dog that Ave rides) looks like my dearly departed dog Tuna.

But this is a great book. The fantasy world is rich, the characters fun. The plot is Ave, who is in an Oliver Twist like gang of young would be thieves, has to adjust when the city she lives in is attacked by the Stone King, pretty much what the name says.

It is a nice little adventure tale. Great fun.

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 3 out of 5]

The definition of "okay" - not very interesting characters in a not that interesting world, having the mildest of adventures.

Good art, though.

2.5 stars

[Jim Gorman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an OK graphic novel that I was able to read free with Prime Reading on my tablet. The art was OK, and the story OK as well. Nothing really outstanding about it. There was no part that really made me go wow, but not super bad either. There were some parts that were not explained too well that I would have liked better elaboration on. I guess I got what I paid for.

[Valéria. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Napráskané v štyroch zošitoch vo mne budilo dojem, že je to celé uponáhľané ku koncu a zabilo to vo mne tú radosť z príbehu, ktorá sa vo mne na začiatku držala. Postavy sú sympatické, príbeh zaujímavý ale naozaj, bolo toho málo. Viem si to predstaviť kľudne o 50 strán dlhšie. Kresba môj záujem z veľkej časti stále ťahala ďalej a ďalej, lebo od Harrow County sa neviem Crooka nabažiť, ale nezachránila to úplne. Každopádne, ako taká rýchla, milá a uzavretá jednohubka keď nemáte čo vziať do ruky to funguje skvele.

[Antonio Ortiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

On whim, I decided to start reading Attack on Titan yesterday. And so color me shocked that this book has eerie similarities with that story. The giant wall, the giants, a protagonist who wants to leave the confines of the city, a woman crushed under rubble. All I could do was laugh at the insane mirroring.

Overall, this was… alright. As mentioned, the story just felt too redundant, even beyond the Attack on Titan parallels. The characters weren’t particularly compelling, nor was the setting particularly original. The art was a blast to look at though.

Also, I was shocked at how terribly edited the Writer’s Notes at the end were. Numerous typos, run on sentences, phrases that just straight up didn’t make sense. I’ve never seen such oversight in a “Amazon approved” story.

I wouldn’t mind returning to this world for another installment, but I’m also it necessarily clamoring for one.

[Wesley Winters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concepts but short-lived

This is a comic that shows a lot of promise but the world is too quickly concluded. You have a lot of great PIECES here but the pie isn't whole. There needs to be a continued comic for this book to really deserve its recommendation, because on its own, it feels too much like a tease. The stakes aren't there to get invested knowing it will quickly end, leaving a lot to be desired from the previewed world.

[Roman Zarichnyi · Rating 3 out of 5]

​​«Кам’яний король». Навіть камінь має серце

Як тільки з’явилися перші сторінки до коміксу «Кам’яний король» #1–4, я відразу зрозумів, що хочу його прочитати. Тайлер Крук — один із моїх улюблених художників ще з першого знайомства із його творчістю у коміксі «Округ Герроу» (вийшов, до речі, українськорю від видавництва Molfar Comics). І я був знову в захваті від того, як його прекрасний акварельний стиль виглядає в цій фантастичній історії. Щодо американської сценаристки Кел МакДональд, то її творчість була узагалі невідома для мене. Цей комікс вперше з’явився завдяки онлайн видавництву comiXology Originals, а вже згодом був надрукований на папері в співпраці із Dark Horse Books.

Коли ви стаєте дорослим, ви повинні «показати» себе, принаймні так це працює в стоунпортських злодіїв. Тому, щоб довести свою майстерність бути злодійкою в містечку Стоунпорт, Ейв вирішила незаконно зібрати лікувальний мох із мандрівного Кам’яного короля. Кам’яний король — це доброзичливий могутній велетень, який блукає землями, що оточують Стоунпорт. Своїм процвітанням місто завдячує лише присутності цієї мітичної істоти. Пограбування Ейв пройшло краще, ніж очікувалося. Окрім здобуття жаданого моху, вона підібрала ще великий дорогоцінний рубін, який точно приголомшить місцевих авторитетів, підтвердить її майстерність злодійки, і найголовніше, забезпечить благополуччя на все життя. Однак мрії Ейв швидко розбиваються на друзки, коли її дії призводять до катастрофи для неї самої та жителів Стоунпорту. Тепер Ейв повинна об’єднати зусилля з Фулом, таким же недосвідченим міським охоронцем, щоби повернути викрадений рубін і врятувати місто Стоунпорт.

Якщо проаналізувати головну героїню, то Ейв не героїчна, але й не поганкою. Із самого початку вона вам не може не сподобатися. Вона смілива й авантюрна. А її літаючий пес, який є не тільки її другом, а й справжнім помічником у всіх подіях під час пригод. Вона реальна людина, яка потрапила в дуже складні обставини. Як і багато людей, Ейв приймає рішення на основі того, що вважає найкращим у даний момент. Її не турбує загальне благо, тому що вона занадто загрузла у власних проблемах. Але коли вибухає пекло в місті, то вона стикається з дуже болісним фактом, що настав час зробити правильний вибір. Хоча Кел МакДоналд намагалася створити складну особистість у несправедливому світі, ця спроба знівельовується через загальне враження від простоти і прямолінійності історії.

Цікавим фактом є те, що Кел МакДональд запропонувала Тайлеру Круку намалювати комікс за її сценарієм ще до початку роботи над серією коміксів «Округ Герроу». Художник навіть почав малювати його. Але після виходу з друку перших випусків «Округу Герроу» ця серія стала вельми популярною, тому робота над «Кам’яним королем» зупинилася до завершення горору Каллена Банна. Що ж сказати про сам малюнок у коміксі? Це Тайлер Крук і його акварель, яка мені подобається. Звісно, не кожному буде до вподоби цей стиль, але особисто для мене споглядати на нього — це насолода.

Що ж, розбитий на чотири випуски, «Кам’яний король» створив у мене враження, що все було поспішно до самого кінця. І це вбило радість від історії загалом, яка в мене була на початку. Персонажі симпатичні, сюжет цікавий, але насправді її занадто мало. Я легко можу уявити цю історію якоюсь максі лімітованою серією, а то й довше. Де сценаристка змогла б більше розкрити світ та героїв. Тому, хоча я ніяк не можу натішитися Круком, але це не врятувало комікс повністю. У будь-якому випадку, як на швидке, і найголовінше красиве читання, це досить хороший кандидат.

[Petr Nakasharal Fabián · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trošku povrchní a plochý fantasy, ze kterýho mohla bejt zajímavá delší série. Narvat to do nějakýho sta stránek nefunguje moc dobře, všechno co začalo zajímavě nemělo vůbec šanci se rozjet. Hlavní hrdinka je ale celkem sympatická, má takový to správně naivní fantasy charisma.
S artem od Tylera Crooka je to jako jinde. Fajn stylizace, který nechybí dynamika ale ty akvarely v coloringu patlá příšerně. To mě fyzicky bolí (a to nepřeháním, za akvarel jsem dostal od učitelky na malbu takovejch pohlavků, že mám flashbacky jakmile něco takhle strašnýho vidím).
Ten komiks není blbej ale prostě neexistuje důvod, proč by si ho měl člověk přečíst.

[Baul De · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lee toda la reseña aquí: http://www.bauldelibros.es/resenas/th...

Pese a que son pocas páginas y se lee en un suspiro, The Stone King podría haber dado mucho más de sí. Se la compara con Ataque a los Titanes, pero más allá del paralelismo con el gigante y la ciudad enmurallada, no hay nada más en común. Un cómic de aventuras muy ligero, apenas sólo introductorio, muy disfrutable de leer pero que no aspira a más. Un mero bocadito agradablemente fugaz para una tarde aburrida.

[Luke Mains · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful art. It was a really excellent comic. At the end the author went over some of the design choices which was super interesting and made me want to reread it right away! The artist also did an excellent job conveying emotion without any dialog. It’s super short, definitely read it if you can.

[Lainy122 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cool world building, and I liked the art and the dynamic between the main characters. Very cool, would like to see a longer series set in this world.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tyler Crook's artwork saves the show in this confusing fantasy that feels derivative of video game Shadows of the Colossus. Ave, a young thief, steals healing moss from a giant stone monster and also nabs a strange glowing stone. The monster attacks her city, apparently after the stone. Ave teams up with a city guard to return the stone.

The Stone King moves fast and looks good, but it lacks characterization or a complete plot. You're just kind of dropped into this world and then the book is over. Kel McDonald includes detailed world-building notes in the backmatter, none of which is particularly apparent in the story itself.

[Chad Jordahl · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars for me... BUT to be fair this book wasn't made FOR ME. In her notes the author Kel McDonald specifically says they aimed for a middle grade age range. I bet kids who are into fantasy action adventure books might really like this.

[Fiore · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting world with uninteresting characters.

[Marcelo Soares · Rating 4 out of 5]

Se existe um tipo de história que define os últimos anos é o "coming of age" - não sei bem como traduzir, mas é a transição entre o jovem adolescente e o jovem adulto, o Stone King é uma dessas histórias.
Ave é uma ladra que para ganhar a carteirinha da Guilda dos Ladrões precisa roubar o limo mágico dos ombros do Rei de Pedra. O Rei de Pedra é um gigante que caminha pela terra sem dar a menor pelota para os humanos, ninguém sabe de onde ele veio, pra onde ele tá indo, ele tá dando a banda dele, silenciosa e enigmaticamente. Além disso, todo mundo tem medo das maldições de sangue, qualquer lugar em que caia sangue precisa ser purificado para não ficar amaldiçoado, mas o que acontece quando sangue cai no Rei de Pedra?
Pois é, Ave, a ladra; Phul, o recruta; e Decko, o cachorro gigante - melhor personagem - precisam resolver isso antes que o gigante destrua a cidade.
Esse é o pano de fundo da transição entre a aprendiz de ladrão Ave e a Ave que quer fazer outra coisa da vida. É bem comum que pessoas - família, amigos, sei lá - queiram viver muita coisa que não viveram através de outra pessoa - filho, afilhado, sei lá -; e é bem complicado, especialmente numa idade mais jovem, ter a força para dizer não, a vida é minha e eu vou fazer o que eu quero. Essa transição tem a ver com liberdade, com responsabilidade, mas, puro achismo, tem muito mais a ver com aceitação, aceitar a si mesmo, abraçar a si mesmo, decidir por si mesmo e se responsabilizar por si mesmo.
A Ave dá um jeito, e todo mundo tem um gigante de pedra pra escalar.
Ah, sim, as primeiras imagens lembram o Shadow of The Colossus aquele baita jogo do século passado que eu nunca consegui entender.

[Nicholas Driscoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just grabbed this one because it had a giant stone giant. I think I would probably rate it more of a three and a half, but it was definitely enjoyable. I liked the art a lot, it was a quick read, it had some imaginative worldbuilding and some fun character moments.

The general story is that we are in a fantasy world following Ave, a young girl thief who illegally harvests healing moss from the shoulders of a giant stone man called the Stone King. She also finds a huge ruby growing from a wound on the Stone King and steals it. The Stone King runs amok and attacks the city, and so Ave and her newfound friend, a noob guard named Phul, work together to try to figure out what is going on.

There are some kind of big issues with the plot I think. It doesn't QUITE gel like it should, and I didn't really like the secret of why the Stone King went nuts. It is hinted at, but it feels clumsy. I really liked the giant monkey-dog that Ave rides, and I like the storybook art, but Ave is drawn in such a way that she REALLY looks like a boy to me. I was really confused when the comic identifies her as a girl. There are a bunch of notes in the back about the development of the story, and the writer has a surprising number of mistakes there, and in the intro, too. I guess the author isn't very good--there was even an editor named whose job was explicitly to find mistakes, and a lot still got through.

I still enjoyed this... but it should have been better.

[Doc · Rating 4 out of 5]

A coming of age tale of a young thief

For what this story lacks in complexity of story it makes up in heart and artistic style as young Ave decides she is going to prove herself worthy of adulthood by scaling the gigantic entity known as the Stone King (with her canine like companion whose species is called a Decko) and retrieve the moss from its shoulder that has shown to have incredible healing properties. However the old Stone King is more affected by this chance encounter than Ave would have expected and to save others she tries to make amends by choosing what is best for those she cares for as opposed to her training as a thief. Along with young guard recruit Phul there is an assortment of expressive pages as the two of them become allies among the chaos even though they come from different worlds. After you see the conclusion to the story you an stick around for some descriptions of the beasts in the world of the Stone King as well as details about the creative process in certain pages and how the series was created. It shows how Kel McDonald and Tyler Crook were inspired in creating this Eisner nominated digital comic original. :)

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice quick read about a terrible thief who messes with a stone giant and now the giant is destroying her town. She teams up with a local guard to find a way to stop the giant before more people are killed! It's not a complex plot, but it gives plenty of room for quiet moments for the art to build a beautiful setting and weave in some local myths and legends of the world. The stone king himself is this great towering titan of a creature, imposing and larger than life while still feeling like a thing of nature. The low fantasy setting of nearly magical properties is nice, throwing a hint of possible truth into every long tale and questionable event spoken by our characters. The art is the real draw here, from the wild nature of the stone king to the busy torn down streets in the town. It's a good read if you want something short and sweet.

[Stephane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up without even looking at the story because I enjoy Tyler Crook's art so much. I discovered his work through the wonderful Harrow County, Vol. 1: Countless Haints which by the way would be a fantastic Halloween read, but I digress...

The Stone King has an fascinating premise, but the target audience is probably middle level reader and it shows in the story, at time a bit overexplained, slow or heavily handed... I did like the world though, those stone giant roaming the Earth with the healing moss growing on them, and the idea of what happen when you mix "commoner" blood with the blood of the God... there are some interesting commentary to make here.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a perfectly enjoyable graphic novel. The art, of course, is what caught my eye, familiar from Harrow County, but it is also a well-written story in an interesting setting. I do feel like the world-building could have used a bit more work; I didn't really feel like I understood the setting until I read the notes and commentary at the end (which I enjoyed). Though even then, there are some questions that remain unanswered. Like, why does the city have such a massive wall? It is insufficient protection against the Stone King, so what else is it meant to defend against? Where are the farms that would support the population of the city? What other settlements are out there, and how far away are they? Where could Ave go at the end of the book? And how do you pronounce her name? Also, what did she and Phul do with the kids they rescued?

[Blue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ave illegally harvest healing moss from the giant stone creature roaming the lands. When she finds a huge red gem by her grappling hook, she's sure she will finally graduate in the thief guild. Little does she know that she's set off a sequence of events that will threaten her home and her life. She has no choice but to partner with a city guard to try to stop the Stone King from destroying the city. The art is beautiful and the story is appropriate for the target audience, with some good twists and valuable lessons.

[Colin Murtagh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a decent little graphic novel, with some really lush art.
The story revolves around a stone giant and a young thief. The giant has a moss growing on it, which has healing properties, but while illegally gathering the moss, Ave comes across some red jewels growing on the giant, she takes that as well. This turns out to be a mistake.

The story isn't too bad, I could have done with a little more world building, but it doesn't detract too much. The art though is beautiful, the browns, and washes works really well with the story. Its worth trying out

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only complaint is that it ended.

I would have love to see more exploration into this world and see where else it can go, to see what becomes of Ave, or even the rest of the kids and Phul--does he help them, does he stay a guard or reevaluate his path? I went and got emotionally invested, and then it ended. Definitely a type of disappointment that can only be viewed as a good thing. I hope to see more in the future. Also, am I a nerd or was the name Hey You a reference to the dog from Highway to Heaven?

[Miguel Poveda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Como si de una novela de fantasía se tratara, este cómic nos traslada a un mundo en el que los humanos viven atemorizados por la presencia de un Rey de Piedra (un gigante de roca que destruye lo que haya a su paso) y en el que comienzan las aventuras de una joven ladrona, Ave, a lomos de otro animal fantástico (una especie de perro con tamaño de caballo). La historia es original y muy entretenida, te deja con ganas de leer más de las aventuras de este personaje y del mundo que la rodea.

[L.A. Frederick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice idea, not too complex and well executed.
I’m a big fan of the artwork, especially the colours, in this unique style.
Moved along at a decent pace and the two main characters moved through their respective arcs in a quick, albeit predictable, pace.
Definitely worth a look and I would recommend this one for any graphic novel/comic fans for something a little different to the usual superhero stuff.
Congratulations to the team that worked on this story.

[Václav · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stone King
(4 of 5 for this grim adventure fantasy story)
I love Crook's art, his watercolours and his inks, it has its unique look and I really enjoy it. On the other hand, Kel McDonald is fairly unknown to me. But Tyler's name sold this to me and I¨m not disappointed. A nice strong young female character, good lore and just enough worldbuilding at right time. It's a thrilling, enjoyable read, with action and speed in a tough rough world.

[Eli Poteet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would totally read this again, or more volumes of this story. BUT i want more from it in various ways. more dynamic lettering, more contrasts of colors, more details. i want this to be a queer story and i see things pointing to this but idk if the creators intended that. imma gunns tag ir queer anyway. i feel as though this story wouldve been perfect for gender neutral pronouns to really showcase the outider vibe of the main character.