By Zack Quaintance — Publisher First Second has, to my mind, published the most interesting fantasy comics this year. First came The Golden Age by writer Roxanne Moreil and artist Cyril Pedrosa, an allegory that translated modern issues of class and income inequality (as well as gender dynamics) to a fantasy setting. Next was Kairos by Ulysse Malassagne, which subverted traditional damsel in the distress fairy tales in favor of a meditation on the spiderwebbing nature of violence. And now comes a third book that fits into the publisher’s fantasy subversion trend for the year — The Daughters of Ys by writer M.T. Anderson and artist Jo Rioux.

At the start of this book, I had both The Golden Age and Kairos spinning through my head, and it messed with my expectations for this work a bit. I thought that perhaps we were in for another sweeping attempt to raise questions about our modern lives, about the problems roiling society (and, indeed, there are many), and about the way long-held fantasy storytelling tropes have fit into or fueled all of that. The Daughters of Ys begins with the a witch falling in love with a king, the couple having children, and the witch ultimately passing away. It all felt like rich ground for seeding a story driven by its interest in larger theme.

And, indeed, there are larger themes in The Daughters of Ys, chief among them duty, ruthlessness, and using power in the service of self-interested deception. These themes, however, are a bit in the background as something else comes to the fore — character. Yes, first and foremost The Daughters of Ys is a character-driven narrative. It’s chiefly a story of a relationship between two sisters, shaped by their relationships with each other as well as the roles they’ve taken up under their surviving father. And there was something about the way it’s done that just felt so singular and refreshing, so different from the other interests of fantastical allegories we’ve seen published this year.

I became aware of this freshness early in the book, when after the passing of his wife, the king is found by his daughters in mid-tryst with two women the princesses had never seen before. And it’s all steeped in shades of gray. There’s no lecturing the father about being lecherous, about dishonoring the mother, about not conducting himself like a king. Instead, the daughters react with a mix of shame, surprise, and influence. They are both clearly and deeply influenced by this discovery throughout the rest of the book, and it’s all played quietly, the way such incidents in real life tend to be, free of the big set piece drama that tends to mark traumatic moments in television, film, and, yes, even graphic novels.

That all speaks to what made me fall in love with this book as I read it. There is an emotional starkness and honesty to this story that you don’t often find in comics, a fearless interest in the quiet and subdued, in the confident and smart depiction of emotions and motivations. And, to be clear, the artwork is gorgeous throughout. None of it works without it. Rioux’s visuals here are versatile and imaginative, delivering us traditional fantasy scenes like a prince and princess coupling, as well as haunting and gruesome depictions of bodies in water, action scenes, magic and more.

In the end, The Daughters of Ys is a surprising book in the best way. Its interest in character is what leads the way, making it emotionally rich and nuanced in a way that often eludes the fantasy genre. And perhaps within that it does make as strong a statement about our modern times as any of the books that attempt to do so directly. Perhaps the story of 2020 is the story of collective character-driven failings, of not doing enough, of doing what you believe to be right and discovering later it’s misguided. Whatever your read of this excellent graphic novel, I’m sure you’ll come away with much to think about.

The Daughters of Ys

The Daughters of Ys
Writer: M.T. Anderson
Artist: Jo Rioux
Publisher: First Second
Price: $24.99
Ys, an Atlantis-like city from Celtic legend, is the setting of this mythical graphic novel fantasy from National Book Award winner M. T. Anderson. Ys, city of wealth and wonder, has a history of dark secrets. Queen Malgven used magic to raise the great walls that keep Ys safe from the tumultuous sea. But after the queen's inexplicable death, her daughters drift apart. Rozenn, the heir to the throne, spends her time on the moors communing with wild animals, while Dahut, the youngest, enjoys the splendors of royal life and is eager to take part in palace intrigue. When Rozenn and Dahut's bond is irrevocably changed, the fate of Ys is sealed, exposing the monsters that lurk in plain view.
Release Date: August 2020

Read more great graphic novel reviews!

Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.