Bottom line: Ron Marz picks up the pace in the second issue of Dragon Prince. Although you are left with more questions than answers by the end of the book, Dragon Prince continues to keep the reader engaged and anticipating the next issue.
Dragon Prince #2
Created By: Ron Marz, Jeff Johnson
Writers: Ron Marz
Artists: Lee Moder
Cover: Jeff Johnson (pictured), Michael Avon Oeming
Full Color, 32 pages, $2.99, Limited Series
Premise: The four-part book focuses on the life of Aaron Chiang, an angst-filled teen who feels – like most youth his age – that he does not fit in, that he is different. Turns out he is right. In fact, Aaron is royalty among a lost race. He is a Dragon Prince, the last of his kind and sole heir to the bloodline of the dragon. After being hunted to the brink of extinction, the fate of dragon-kind now lies in his hands.
Story: The comic begins exactly where we left off in Dragon Prince #1. Aaron’s mom is in full panic mode. Now that her son has begun to show signs of maturing into his dragon form – she knows it won’t be long before the Magi locate him and attempt to exterminate his kind once and for all.
Her survivalist instincts take over. Grabbing a backpack she blindly shovels travel food for the road inside. All the while she is shouting for Aaron not to panic; ironic because he sits calmly – still not understanding the full extent of his situation. He does not realize that the battle he is now a part of has been waged for centuries. He neglects the fact that those pursuing him have been raised since birth with his demise in mind.
Aaron attempts to help pack – asking if Pop Tarts are good traveling food – when the first wave of dragon hunters arrive. They burst through the kitchen window, and unlike the hunters of the past, they don’t wield rudimentary weapons or wear traditional clothing. They sport night-vision goggles, full body armor and brandish high-caliber weapons.
Out of fear – or something deeper – Aaron begins to change. The transformation scares him, but his Mom knows it is their only hope for survival. She tells him to embrace his change – to ignore the pain and fight through it. And he does. Once he is fully changed he realizes that being a dragon might not be half-bad. His exact words are “Oh my god! This is so cool!”
Aaron’s new form gives him a momentary advantage over the hunters, and he is able to escape into the garage with his mother. Upon entering the garage they are stopped dead in their tracks by the primal side of those hunting him – the Magi.
That is all you get for now, because I need to leave some incentive for you to go and pick this book up. Trust me, the remaining pages are full of surprises and even a few laughs.
Impressions: This issue somehow manages to leave you with more questions than answers. Considering that this is only a four-part limited series, the remaining two issues are going to have quite a bit of ‘splaining to do in order to satisfy my need for closure.
While I enjoyed the book in its entirety, one of my favorite parts was the illustration of Aarons dragon form. We get glimpses of more mature dragons in the first issue, but Aaron looks as you would expect – a youthful, goofy teen dragon unsure of how to move in his changing body. It is funny – to an extent – to watch him trip over his tail and complain of not knowing how to walk on his new feet. Also like a young teen, he seems entirely thrilled with the bizarre things his body can do. Breathing fire is particularly captivating to Aaron. His concerns about changing to and from dragon form are equally juvenile. He seems relieved to learn that after transforming his clothing remains intact. Marz manages to capture many little details like this in the book, which makes it hard not to attach to Aaron on a deeper level.
In the end, I can’t wait for the next issue, and I think that many of you will feel the same way. Go and pick up Dragon Prince #2. When you do, share your thoughts below!
October 24th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
Hmm, sounds pretty interesting. I am going to have to pick this series up so I can read it for myself.
October 26th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
Good comic, fun story, but yeah—they will have to cram in a lot for me to be satisfied by the end.