Writer & Penciller: Alexander Utkin / Nobrow
The Pitch: Enter a world of magic and adventure in this stunning series based on traditional Russian folklore. Collected into a beautiful new paperback edition for the first time! Alexander Utkin's Gamayun Tales are fresh and modern adaptations of familiar Russian folktales, teamed with bold and beautiful illustrations. Jam-packed with stories of magical quests and talking animals, golden chests that turn into palaces and encounters with terrifying Water Spirits, there's no end to the adventure in these books!
One of the best things about reading indie books for the crush is that every now and then, something comes and along and knocks you out of your socks, making you wonder why you aren't reading more of this stuff and less of people in extreme fetish suits knocking the stuffing out of each other. I'm happy – no I'm thrilled - to say this was the case with this volume. Gayamun Tales was previously published in three separate volumes, and has now been collected here at an affordable price in a beautifully dressed softcover OGN. For those of us that aren't familiar with Alexander Utkin’s work, it's a collection of inter-connected Russian folk-tales that rely on a gorgeous sense of whimsy and magical thinking to craft stories not so much of morals, but of cunning and trickery to achieve a group of fables with a backbone of parental love.
THE STORIES ARE INTOXICATING IN THEIR LEXICON AND COLOUR
Following a merchant who becomes embroiled in a series of strange adventures with the King of The Birds and then loses his son to a Water Spirit, the stories contained here are intoxicating in their lexicon and colour. Utkin's panels are reminiscent of the technicolor stop-motion beauty present in Ray Harryhausen's films. They also have a staggering amount of charm and an all-ages tone that make these tales perfect for bedtime reading, with the chapters divided into bite size pieces and a narrator who knows how leave you with a cliffhanger. The book is romantic – romantic for a time when things were simpler and your heart led the way instead of your head. Utkin's colours swim about you, like a pastel spell. The pages are textured well, giving the book a great feel. The stories all preach mercy, love, restraint and a sense of awe for nature and animals. Things we all need to keep in mind in today's complex and angry world.
Shop at Gosh Comics and buy Gamayun Tales I and Gamayun Tales II.