The Art of The Dragon Prince
Wonderstorm, with Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond (creators)
Dark Horse Books
Nonfiction, Art/Media Reference
Themes: Avians, Canids, Diversity, Dragons, Epics, Fantasy Races, Girl Power, Magic Workers, Soldier Stories
*****
Description
In Netflix's animated series The Dragon Prince, a world of magic - long ago sundered when humans turned to dark powers and horrified the magical beings of the land - stands once more on the brink of war. The king of dragons was slain and his egg destroyed by humans... and, even now, a team of Moonshadow elven assassins makes their way to the human realms to exact revenge. But young Prince Ezran and his half-brother Callum make an incredible discovery: the egg wasn't destroyed, but stolen by their court mage Viren. If they, along with young elven assassin Rayla, can return the egg to the dragon queen, perhaps they can avert a conflict that could burn the whole world and everyone on it. Explore the designs and creative processes behind the series in this full-color book.
Review
This book is everything a supplemental series art book should be, offering numerous concept sketches, trivia on story and character development, and some fun and interesting asides along the way. Every page is a visual treat, much like the animated series itself, bursting with color and imagination. It's fascinating how the story developed from its initial form to what appeared on screen, and how cultures and characters and creatures took shape. Naturally, there are some spoilers if one hasn't watched all three currently-available seasons. I'm looking forward to future installments of The Dragon Prince (which were reportedly greenlit, but of course anything can happen between then and actual release)... not to mention some decent merchandising. (Seriously, Netflix or Wonderstorm or whoever is in charge of these things, let's make with the dragons! And I don't mean that Funko Pop Azymondias; I mean actual collectible dragon figures. DreamWorks showed you how it was done with their How to Train Your Dragon franchise, and my Toothless collection could use friends. Or at least give me a Blu-Ray release.)