A pretty decent fantasy comic for young readers, this introduces a series and yet ploughs on with the action as opposed to the world-building – or rather, builds the world through action. When a blue goblin-type critter decides he can steal the kingdom's riches from the queen's private treasury, his colleagues, a circus strongman, and a trapeze artist/tightrope walker, join in too – the latter, quite reluctantly. But if she actually knew who was in the castle, and their connection to a devastating event from earlier in her childhood, she would have been much more eager to invade the castle… Derring-do, intrigue, and probably too much bickering follow, before the book nicely sets us up for further reads to come.

And yes, I had encountered one of those – Book Six – a long time ago, in isolation. All of which makes this re-release a welcome one, for we know that a lot more material is ready to come from this world, and quickly too. Except… there is no sign of Book Two just yet, partly as the creator is completely rejigging some things. I've read of a new font, some recolouring, some tweaks here and there – so patience will be required. I hope both the extra work and the patience are worth it – but there's every evidence here that they certainly should be. A strong four stars.

This was cute. There were a few obvious jokes, but there is a genuine mystery here. There was some character development in Dessa, who seems to be the main character. She has a conscience, but doesn't let that stop her from doing what is needed. As long as it's the rich she is taking from. She's looking for the man who stole her brother and why he did it. She desperately hopes to find him alive. Lots of fun in this book. I enjoyed it. Look forward to Vol 2.

Three circus people dream of getting a lot of money and going somewhere else, so two of them decide to rob the queen and the third ends up joining them. But when they are caught out, the main character recognizes the man in charge, and now she wants answers.

Loved this! Definitely interested in continuing the series!
I'm very intrigued by what the future of this tale holds.
Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

A classic of children’s graphic novels (OK, it’s less than twenty years old, but it was a classic of my childhood), this first book in the series excellently sets up the compelling protagonist Dessa with her two interesting foils: fast-talking schemer Topper and straightforward muscle Fisk. Dessa’s quest to find out what happened to her twin brother is pitted against sympathetic antagonist Captain Drake and focused on mysterious antagonist Master Greyfalcon, as an attempted heist leads into a more complex and higher-stakes search.

Already in this first volume, Scott Chantler shows his flare for snappy dialog and his gifted touch with multi-panel gags, all accompanied by clear colors, skillfully linework, and lucid character designs. Most of all, Chantler displays masterful story pacing, alternating scenes cinematically between our protagonists and their enemies to constantly raise the stakes.

This book, as well as the rest of the series, were originally published by Kids Can Press and this new printing adds a short introduction pointing out that the eponymous three thieves are a found family, adding the first part of an interview with Chantler, in which he gives some interesting insights on the context and inspiration that made The Three Thieves what it is. In the interest of completeness, I must say that when I read the series before, I thought it kept consistently good art but spread too thin a mystery over too many a volume, though it wraps up fairly strong (Book Four was a standout in quality).

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun graphic novel. Kids will love the adventure in this book.