Kingdom Riders

Kayla and Grok superiority! A super fun and interesting read with great graphics, storyline, and characters you root for at every turn of the page. Grok and Kayla are such a dynamic, hilarious duo it's hard to not love the antics they get up to. The characters are also loveable and hateable in certain instances as Kayla navigates living as a peasant and the dangerous world of racing she's forced into. It gave me a mix of Hunger Games / Sonic X vibes but I think it's appropriate for all ages.

Thanks to IDW and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This story is epic! It's like I'm watching a show I can't look away from and love energy second of it! Finding a comic with plot, art, characters, and content that I love is pretty difficult. Especially when trying to find one that's a 5 on the pristine rating scale. But this one did it, and I'm living for it!
We have two girls living as indentured servants on a farm. We meet Kayla as she journeys into the dangerous forest that most people avoid. She has a giant toad friend there who she rides to journey through the forest to get hard to find items for her owner.  When they realize paying off their debts will be impossible, Kayla makes a bet if she wins the race qualifier for her lord due and her friend go free. Debts paid.
The race is deadly. Reminds me of the speeder races in Star Wars, but with cool fantasy creatures instead.

When Kayla wins her and her friend are free, but now what? As war orphans they have no home, no food, no money. So when a rich old farmer asks Kayla to join his team of riders and continue with the races she agrees. Her and Mal are off on a new adventure. At the farm they make new friends, learn about all kinds of magic, see the world, and of course continue to race.
I love the found family that seems to be forming in this story.
I love the found family that seems to be forming in this story.
We are left on a cliff hanger with much bigger stakes at play than Kayla currently realizes. You see the race is supposed to be for finding the next emperorl like rulers of the land. Riders former teams of three, the winning trio becomes the next rulers  together. A checks and balance system to replace the current emperor who came into power by war. But for decades, no one has won. Perhaps because the current emperor/ khan doesn't want them to? And there may be an magical reason for why Kayla is so good with animals. I'm hoping that means we'll see more magic in the next volume.

A fantasy comic that has Hunger Games meets racing Pokemon type vibe. Great for readers young and old. I can happily recommend this new series.

What an epic ride!

I absolutely loved everything about this graphic novel. I'm not someone who reads them frequently, but I immediately found myself immersed in both the art style and the world building. To speak briefly about the art style: The art style felt slightly reminiscent of Elfquest if it were heavily modernized (which is so fun)! The colors are vibrant and tell the story of a world with factions, dangerous creatures, and magic. The drawings are clean, crisp, and detailed enough to really understand what is happening. Everything was incredibly eye-catching. Overall, I'd give the art a 5/5, it really drew me in.

The story itself was also quite enjoyable. The premise of a world torn by a war between factions is interesting, though nothing incredibly new. Despite this not being innovative in and of itself, it works so well for the story. The idea that all of these factions can come together and race through this exceptionally dangerous track is magical. We get to experience moments that have us on the edges of our seats, moments that have us absolutely gutted for some of our MCs, and moments which have us unsure of how things will work out.

I think that everyone should give this novel a whirl, and I think that you'll really love it!