Scullion: A Dishwasher's Guide to Mistaken Identity

by Jarad Greene, Steve Thueson (Colorist), Whiteley Foster (Colorist)

Two humble dishwashers' lives are turned upside down when one of them is mistaken for their idol—The Great Warrior Riqa! It's flattering until two trolls try to capture them for ransom. To get out of this predicament, they'll have to act just like Riqa and get their hands a little dirty.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Comics, Adventure, Graphic Novels Comics

169 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 7, 2020

About the author

Hi there! My name is Jarad Greene and I’m a cartoonist and illustrator originally from Lutz, FL. I graduated from the University of South Carolina, with a BA in Criminology & Criminal Justice, and minors in Theatre, and Public Relations. My comics and cartoons have appeared in publications throughout the Southeast and Vermont. I spent eight years in Columbia, SC before moving to White River Junction, VT where I received my MFA at The Center for Cartoon Studies; I currently work for CCS as their Administrative and Development Coordinator.

Reviews

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

2☆

Darlis, a scullery worker, is mistaken for the well known warrior Riqa, thus being kidnapped by a troll. Mae, Darlis's friend, follows them and tries to save her friend. At the same time, Riqa, leaves the castle in search of her soon-to-be husband, Chapp.

What I liked:

- diverse characters
- fun details, such as the harp music player
- fast to read

Why I gave it a 2:

- at times it became confusing
- the ending was wrapped in a little bow
- I didn't find it particularly funny, probably because it's more of a kids type of humor

However, since this is a middle grade, (I am not in that age range) I think that age will enjoy this book.

This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Cass Moskowitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story Immensely. What a fun adventure with a familiar feeling. Like a story you’ve read over and over! The characters were different and silly, yet charming too. For fans of D&D, this a great one.

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was having a lovely little afternoon of reading cozy graphic novels after a morning of yard winterizing chores. Finished the two I had, so I ran back to the library a second time and sat on the ground in the YA section looking for a few more. Stumbled upon this one and it was super cute. The take on a ye old Walkman was super charming.

[Jessica Haider · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scullion: A Dishwasher's Guide to Mistaken identity is a new graphic novel with a comedic fantasy bent. The book is set in Timberwood Village, where the local celebrity Riqa aka The Great Warrior, publishes books and has parades held in her honor. Darlis works in the castle kitchen as a dishwasher but dreams of being a cook/baker. Meanwhile, some trolls from across the river, are up to no good and plot to kidnap Riqa. BUT, the trolls mistake Darlis for Riqa and kidnap him instead.

The art in this book was fun and whimsical. The story itself was quirky with a lot of crazy antics going on and a lot of action. The story didn't engage us (10 year old kiddo and I) quite as much as I'd hoped but it was a fun read.

I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

[Geoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet little story about social roles and how caring for others (and trolls?) can transcended those roles to find your real place in the world. Not the crispest art (the character designs and scenery were cute, but something about the way faces and expressions were drawn was off putting to me) or deepest world building, but probably good for young adults who are trying to figure out who they are (so pretty much all of them).

**Thanks to the artist, publisher, and Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Wilma (Enby Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

[4.5]

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not exactly what I expected, but it was cute and fun. Great for kids in upper elementary or middle school, I imagine.

[Melissa Carroll]

After reading a very intense book last night this was the perfect lighthearted read. Also of note: there is no romance plotline which is rare for YA...good to remember for RA.

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light, entertaining story, especially if you like a slightly cheesy faux-medieval setting for your adventures. I sometimes found the number of side characters confusing, which made the story a bit complicated for as light as it was.

No real content concerns here--there's a bit of bullying and cartoon violence (fist fights--no blood) and some lying (not much) in the course of the adventure. I think a lot of middle grade readers would be able to enjoy this book, in addition to the stated YA audience.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a digital review copy in exchange for my honest review!

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colorful and funny! The lumpiness of the art bothered me a little. Kids with dreams and a can-do attitude can go far! Of course, it helps to catch the eye of someone famous...

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scullion: A Dishwasher’s Guide to Mistaken Identity by Jarad Greene, 162 pages, GRAPHIC NOVEL, Oni Press, 2020, $20. 9781620107539

Content G

BUYING ADVISORY: MS – ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

In medieval Timberwood, the royal prince and princess are about to be married. The scrolls (tabuloids) are filled with the wedding of the century. But then the bride, Riqa, is missing. Riqa is a great warrior and two local scullions (dishwashers in the royal castle) named Darlis and Mae, are both avid readers of her books, “The Fair Maiden’s Guide” volumes one and two, where they learn handy warrior tips. Darlis gets mistaken for Riqa and is kidnapped by troll siblings to be held for ransom. Mae tries to help Darlis, and together they have to combat capitalistic trolls to free themselves.

A modern medieval read filled with humor and wit, this book is a lot of fun. Darlis and Mae are great characters and the art is bright and colorful. A fast, fun read.

Michelle in the Middle
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2020...

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Graphic Novel
2.5 stars
I received an electronic ARC from Oni Press through NetGalley.
Some humor; some adventure; a bit of magic. Greene creates a kingdom where kitchen scullions and princes and warriors interact through a series of misadventures in the forest beyond the kingdom.
The artwork pulls readers in to enjoy the antics and fun.
At times, the story bogs down and the resolution feels contrived but younger readers will appreciate this book.

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Darlis is a lowly kitchen scullion in Timberwood’s castle, but he has greater ambitions of becoming a baker. The kitchen is extremely busy due to the upcoming wedding of the warrior Riqa to Prince Char. Riqa is famous for having written “The Fair Maiden’s Guide,” which Darlis loves, as it shows lots of battle tricks. His knowledge of strategy comes in handy when he is kidnapped by trolls who think he is Riqa. Darlis’s pal Mae, a new scullion, sneaks out of the castle to look for Darlis. It turns out that Riqa has sneaked out of the castle, looking for Char, who also sneaked out of the castle. Then Riqa is captured by the trolls, and then Char is too! Competing bands of trolls try to exact ransom and use all of these captives in order to market their illegal toll bridge. It’s a silly comedy of errors, featuring evil trolls who aren’t that evil, and disguises which only work for so long. The setting is amusing: a medieval village, but with modern details such as billboards advertising a cooking school, a mini lyre with headphones, and more. The main characters and town populace are racially diverse and gender roles are fluid. A cute, gentle graphic story.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very cute medieval adventure with mistaken identity. Darlis is a scullion at the castle, where he meets Mae, a new hire. The two bond over their love for the Fair Maiden’s handbook, a book of tips inspired by their favorite warrior, Riqa. But, there are so many dishes the weekend before Riqa’s wedding to Prince Chapp. Meanwhile, out in the forest, trolls plan to capitalize on all the travel to the royal wedding by luring unsuspecting people to a tourist-trap store and charging them to cross a bridge. Some hijinks with the laundry and a chase scene later, Darlis ends up in the forest and abducted by the trolls, believing they have found Riqa!

This story is overall really adorable and features a diverse cast of characters. The story has humorous elements, like the tiny harp with headphones mimicking an MP3 player, that will appeal to middle grade readers. However, some of the narrative jumps are confusing, and the ending is a little too neat. Some characters that become important to the end were not really that present throughout the story. The illustrations are whimsical and colored beautifully.

Sara's Rating: 7/10
Suitability Level: Grades 6-9

This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Net Galley. This graphic novel will be on sale July 7, 2020.

Read more graphic novel reviews at www.graphiclibrary.org.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #: 80
Title: Scullion
Author: Jarad Greene
Series: none
Format: 160 pages, Paperback
Pub Date: First published July 7, 2020
Started: 12/5/23 Ended: 12/5/23
Awards: none
Categories: Fantasy, Graphic Novel, A Book You Can Read in a Day
Rating: **** four out of five stars

Royal dishwashers Darlis and Mae are infatuated with their Warrior Princess Riqa and they've read all of her (mostly fictional) adventure stories. Darlis bears a strong resemblance to the princess and when he's seen leaving the royal castle a pair of trolls mistake him for her and kidnap him to hold him for ransom thinking he's the real Riqa who is getting married in a few weeks. Mae follows them hoping to get Darlis free. Using their wits and a few tricks from Riqa's adventure novels the pair capture the trolls and get to meet the real Riqa.

One of the advantages of working in a library, when there's no patrons and you're caught up on your work, you can read an entire graphic novel in a day.

[Abbey Heimlich · Rating 3 out of 5]

This full color graphic novel is the hilarious story of a very mistaken identity. Scullery worker Darlis is mistaken for the great warriror Riqa, who is about to marry prince Chapp, and troll kidnap him, hoping they can ransom Riqa for a lot of money. Darlis's friend Mae, sees this happen and heads off to save him. Meanwhile, the real Riqa has learned that Prince Chapp left and didn't come back, so she goes to investigate on her own. What happens next is a twisting, turning tale of who's who, and righting wrongs. The cast is diverse, and crowd scenes are full of things to look at. The anachronisms of battery powered candles and a harp shaped media player device is as charming as it is silly. The art style is very cartoony, which will appeal mostly to young middle grades ages. The pacing is fast, and sometimes feels a little too fast, but it doesn't take away from the over all enjoyment of the book.

Thanks to Net Galley for an eARC in exchange for a fair review.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

'Scullion: A Dishwasher's Guide to Mistaken Identity' with story and art by Jarad Green is a medieval story of a castle worker mistaken for royalty.

Darlis works as a scullion in the castle, but really wants to be a baker like his father. He gets a new apprentice named Mae, just in time for the royal wedding of Riqa, the captain of the royal guard to Prince Chapp. When Darlis is weirdly mistaken for Riqa, he is kidnapped by trolls and a kind of comedy of errors ensues with Riqa, Mae, failing bridge and a confused prince.

I'm not sure if this story was supposed to be funny, but it wasn't. The story is ok and it's something younger readers could read. I just didn't find the story or art all that interesting.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Oni Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

[Ro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a digital ARC of this graphic novel.

Actual rate: 4.25 stars

This graphic novel had some classic fantasy stories vibes: poor castle servants turned heroes, a prince missing and a lady knight going to his rescue, trolls controlling a bridge, medieval/reinassance.like society with modern elements and a quirky sense of humor. It basically had all the typical elements that fantasy stories for teens/children from the last fifteen year seem to have forgotten. It was an easy, pleasing and very quick read (i finished it in less than one hour and half, which is a record for me) and it was never boring or slow.
Overall this was a classic and at the same time very refreshing read.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Middle grade graphic novel, fantasy/adventure. Darlis is a humble dishwasher at the castle, caught up in the fanfare surrounding the great warrior Riqa, her new book "The Fair Maiden's Guide to Eating Your Captor for Breakfast", and her upcoming wedding. Mae is the new dishwasher sent to help with the wedding preparations. But on the day of the wedding, Riqa disappears. A string of events leads to Darlis being mistaken for Riqa and kidnapped by trolls. Mae follows Darlis at a distance and is determined to help him escape. Can they escape the trolls? Can everyone make it back in time for the wedding ceremony?

This is a fun story of mistaken identities, using wit as a superpower, and learning to fend for yourself from a book. Fairly quick read and a fun world to dive into.

[Annamarie Carlson (she, her)]

Dishwasher Darlis is mistaken for great warrior Riqa by a pair of trolls desperate for some quick money. Darlis is kidnapped with a huge ransom placed on his (Riqa's) head. Darlis' dishwashing partner, Mae, pursues the kidnappers, and the two use their smarts to outwit their captors. But as they try to escape through the forest, they run into the actual Riqa, as well as the prince she is supposed to marry, trying to solve a mystery of their own.

Lots of humor in this quick fantasy tale. The plot sometimes moves a bit too fast, and the mistaken identity always felt like a bit of a stretch, but kids looking for more graphic novels will enjoy this book. A great choice for fans of Dungeons and Dragons.

[Sesana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really slight. The setting probably owes a debt to Shrek, which is fine, but it also felt either half formed or the author wasn't doing a great job of connecting the dots to make it feel like a real place. The story is rushed and runs in circles for half the book: one character is captured, then escapes, then another character is captured, then escapes, then the first character is captured again. Unfortunately, none of the characters approach three dimensions, which might have helped. The writing feels middle grade, but I'm not sure middle grade readers would get into this. There are a lot better fantasy comics for this age group.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the story feels like it's already been done before, there were some more progressive elements here. The gender identities were nicely updated, and race relations were handled well. Overall though, it felt sort of meh. Everything felt quick-paced and then the ending just sort of dropped and everything was immediately resolved.

Because this is middle grade, I think that age will enjoy this book. As I mentioned above, it's a nice change of pace for gender in a fantasy tale. And the crazy antics will probably make the younger crowd laugh more.

[Murray · Rating 2 out of 5]

Darlis is a scullion (dishwasher) and is training Mae before the wedding of Prince Chapp and Riqa. Two trolls Grubble and Petey are trying to make some quick cash and mistaken Darlis for Riqa and kidnap him. The adventure ensues at that point, but this blahly, amateurishly illustrated graphic novel with a prince and the pauper storyline that might be more engaging to younger readers as anyone over the age of 12 might be bored with this story like I was. I am scratching my head as to why publishers have marketed this one for Young Adult readers.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only reason I finished this book was because it was a graphic novel and, therefore, for me, a very quick read. The artwork was decent; I am not a particular fan of it, but it conveyed what it needed to. The story? A confusing mess. I had trouble keeping the trolls straight and following what, exactly, their point in the story was. I felt like there was more character development needed and the story definitely could have used some tightening. The whimsy was nice; we need a bit of light-heartedness in our reading. But the whimsy was lost in the chaos of the story.

[Amanda Shepard (Between-the-Shelves) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun, quick graphic novel! It's not really a super complex story, which makes it easy to fly through. The art style is fun and fits the general feel of the story. We always love a good case of mistaken identity, and Greene does a good job making the plot interesting, but not too complicated.

I do wish some of the characters could have been a bit more fleshed out, as I think it would have bumped the rating up a bit for me. It's so short that some of the world building gets lost as well. But all in all, this was entertaining and I mostly enjoyed it for what it was.

[Nadina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was short, sweet, and fun. I liked the characters and how they did seem to grow over the course of this very short graphic novel. The pace is appropriate and I feel the story had a very satisfying ending.
There is part of me that wonders what a longer series could have been like, but I think it would have dragged the story on and I don't think it would have been as sweet and fun.
Cute story and I liked the artwork.

[Chadreadsbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scullion was a fun and light hearted graphic novel, this story was good and the story was really enjoyable, what I love most about this graphic novel is the illustrations!!! They were so bright and vibrant which I love very much.

If your looking for something fast to fly through definitely recommend.

[Amanda]

This graphic novel was quite cute! I thought for sure the main characters would have a romance but I was pleasantly surprised. It gave me a little bit of a Dungeons and Dragons feel but that could just be because it's about adventuring and maybe because that's what I have been reading a lot lately. This was pretty cute and if this was the first in the series I would check out what happened next.

[K. Woodman-Maynard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! I laughed out loud multiple times and there were so many clever jokes hidden in the art and text. I was impressed with the number of characters Greene was able to weave together and the endearing world he created—part fantasy, medieval, and modern (loved the sunglasses). I highly recommend!

[Katie Lawrence · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a quick, light little read about a village that seems to be almost steampunk medieval with the level of technology everyone has. Nothing too complex really, just a little mistaken identity romp with some magic too. I'd probably recommend this to middle grade readers dying for more fantasy options. I loved the diversity shown in the illustrations and the magical baking concept.