Leila del Duca

Listen. Since I was a little girl, I have always enjoyed Princess/royalty stories. I love the cliche knight protects his princess, and they fall in love stories (like that Link and Zelda feel!). They're so good I want to spread them thick over wheat bread and make a sandwich. Sleepless is no different.

Yessssss! I really enjoyed this book. The artwork is beautiful, likable, diverse characters (I was surprised that Poppy's mixed), and the entire lore about sleepless knights leaves me wanting show more more. The political plot is also nicely-executed. I like that Poppy is both vulnerable and feisty, you know a multi-faceted character. And she wears a headwrap to bed. ;)

Also, give me more Poppy and Cyrenic! That cliffhanger was no joke!



I will say I wish Princess Rellen wasn't so prominent. The entire situation reminds of the Princess and the Frog/Charlotte fiasco. Poppy could be just as interesting without her. I don't want her to divert the spotlight.

Anyway, read it. I'm going to add this first volume to my bookshelf. show less

I like Yara Flor as a character, and the art is pretty darn good throughout, but the storytelling in this collection, while aspiring to be zany and energetic, just comes off as a sloppy, slapped-together train wreck. I still like the Future State: Wonder Woman chapters I had read in a previous collection, but the rest was a chore to read as characters jumped all over or disappeared or did things just 'cuz.

FOR REFERENCE

Contents:
• [Three-page selection], Infinite Frontier #0 / Joëlle show more Jones, writer and artist
• Homecoming Part One, Wonder Girl #1 / Joëlle Jones, writer and artist
• Homecoming Part Two, Wonder Girl #2 / Joëlle Jones, writer; Joëlle Jones and Adriana Melo, artists
• Homecoming Part Three, Wonder Girl #3 / Joëlle Jones, writer; Joëlle Jones and Adriana Melo, artists
• Homecoming Part Four, Wonder Girl #4 / Joëlle Jones, writer; Joëlle Jones and Adriana Melo, artists
• Homecoming Part Five, Wonder Girl #5 / Joëlle Jones, writer; Adriana Melo, artist
• Homecoming Part Six, Wonder Girl #6 / Joëlle Jones, writer; Leila del Duca, artist
• Homecoming Part Seven, Wonder Girl #7 / Joëlle Jones, writer; Leila del Duca, artist
• Yara Flor and the Esquecida in Legends and Aggressions, Wonder Girl 2022 Annual #1 / Joëlle Jones and Douglas Marques, writers; Emi Lenox, Adriana Melo, Sweeney Boo, Ben Dewey, artists
• Hell to Pay Part One, Future State: Wonder Woman #1 / Joëlle Jones, writer and artist
• Hell to Pay Part Two, Future State: Wonder Woman #2 / Joëlle Jones, writer and artist
• Covers, Variant Covers / Joëlle Jones, Bilquis Evely, J. Scott Campbell, Will Murai, Matteo Scalera, Jamal Campbell, Dan Mora, Jenny Frison, Stanley "Artgerm" Lau, Julian Totina Tedesco, Jen Bartel, Kendrick Lim, Carla Cohen, Rafael Grampa, Kevin Wada, Scott Forbes, Christian Wildgoose, illustrators
• Esquecida Designs / Joëlle Jones, writer and illustrator
• Yara Flor Designs / Joëlle Jones, illustrator show less

Oh man, that was so bonkers. There was so much (too much?) going on--dragons, dinosaurs, skeleton butlers, what looked like Tik Tok from Return to Oz. It even had anthropomorphic animals. And I didn't even care. I just liked it more and more with each page. A sad lion buying an Aimee Mann record? I think that was the clincher.

I really enjoyed the concept of this graphic novel! It's medieval with elements of the supernatural and different cultural tidbits from around the world. Lady Poppy is a princess in the kingdom of Harbeny, her father just died and her spot in court is uncertain. She's not close to sitting on the throne, her father had many wives and children, but someone seems determined to murder her and she isn't in the least sure why. Thankfully, she has her sleepless knight and adorable little fox to show more keep her safe. Cyrenic, her knight, took a vow of sleeplessness in order to watch over Poppy day and knight, and with all the turmoil, he's never been more watchful. unfortunately, his vow is catching up with him, he hasn't slept in years, and his mind is starting to drift. The only thing he is certain of is his love and undying service to Poppy. Wonderfully illustrated and written. I cannot wait for the next installment!!!! show less