[Featured artwork by Alexander Utkin]
Welcome to our Summer Comics Binge of Alexander Utkin’s Eisner-nominated series, “Gamayun Tales,” where over the next five weeks I’ll be reading through all five stories that make up the collection of modernized Russian folk tales so far.
In recent years I’ve become increasingly interested in reading various mythological and folklore tales, with each tale always providing their own unique quirks amidst a sense of familiarity in their structure and ideas. With many of the stories acting in a cautionary manner, they’re hugely accessible to a wide audience, and, with those aforementioned quirks, perhaps best suited to the comic book medium better than any other.
“Gamayun Tales I” was initially released in individual hardback editions, with one story per book, before being collected in a paperback volume. “Gamayun Tales II” skipped this format and released its pair of stories in a single paperback edition. For these reviews I’m reading the collected editions. Without further ado, let’s begin.
Written and Illustrated by Alexander UtkinCover by Alexander Utkin
Translated by Lada MorozovaThe King of Birds has victoriously defeated the King of Animals, but he is left gravely injured. He promises a merchant a great reward if he can nurse him back to health. Upon his recovery, they travel far across the land to the domains of the King’s three sisters to claim the merchant’s prize… but can his sisters overcome their greed and give up that which is most precious to them?
Moments before the start of ‘The King of Birds’ proper, Alexander Utkin introduces readers to the narrator of the tales, Gamayun, a “magical human-faced bird,” and establishes a sense of voice for the stories before they start. There’s a simplicity and accessibility to the language that seems suitable for a middle grade (and beyond) audience but also something teasing and tempting, with Gamayun describing some of the stories as “a little scary but I’d rather say exciting.”
When Utkin does start ‘The King of Birds’ proper, he does so through the introduction of a tree bearing magical apples that is guarded by “impenetrable walls,” and under the ownership of a princess. Instantly in this momentary opening, we’ve got a few recognisable folk/mythological features, most prominently in the form of the magical apples, which in this tale will grant youth and strength. As to be expected by the description of the walls being “impenetrable,” a warrior by the name of Ivan Tsarevich vaults the walls atop a horse on the following page. I love when stories completely undercut themselves like this and folklore and mythological stories seem to be able to do this so frequently. There’s a sort of rubbery nature to their rules that events like this doesn’t undermine the story at all.
What Utkin did next really surprised me: having introduced Ivan and his quest to steal a magical apple to save his ailing father, Gamayun completely moves away from that story, shifting the focus to a mouse and a sparrow that live at the princess’s castle. The fluidity of focus really conveys a sense of Gamayun’s knowledge of the world and the interconnected nature of it, but, rather cunningly, opens a story that isn’t complete. Utkin wants the reader locked in for the long haul (At a quick glance, it seems like this story might be revisited in the fifth of Gamayun’s tales, the second story in the series’ second volume). From there, the story’s primary theme of greed begins to take shape, with the mouse and sparrow finding a magical apple of their own and the mouse secretly eating it whilst the sparrow is out. Without relaying the whole story as, like with any good bit of folklore, it sounds even wilder paraphrased than it is read on the page, this act leads to a war between the animals and the birds, the latter of which is unsurprisingly led by the titular King of Birds. The birds are the victors, though the King is very weak following the battle and gets stuck in a tall oak tree and it is here that the ‘King of Birds’ story truly begins. I really liked the prologue-esque layers that Utkin brings to this story because of the world and its eccentricities that it very quickly establishes.
Continued below‘The King of Birds’ chronicles a merchant coming across the King of Birds and rescuing him, nursing him back to full strength, and then the King of Birds taking the merchant to visit his three sisters, with the King intending for them to reward him with treasures. The story acts a cautionary one against being greedy and miserly. It’s a fun story, with an expected sense of folk/fairy tale rhythm in its three-time structure for the King’s recovery and then visiting of his sisters, and there’s plenty of fun moments that will entertain older readers. The most notable moments for me were with the hyperbolic shifts in emotion that the merchant goes through: he saves a snake from a burning tree stump, then berates it for biting him instantly, and is shocked that this was actually just the snake gifting him the ability to understand every language. Moments later though, the merchant is already tired of his new ability and complaining about the King of Birds talking too much and the merchant’s understanding of languages meaning he can’t hunt in peace. All of it happens so quickly and is treated so casually; it is exactly what I hoped that “Gamayun Tales” would deliver.
Now, as much as Utkin does a great job of making ‘The King of Birds’ an incredibly fun read in terms of his writing, his artwork is glorious throughout. Every single panel is hand drawn and there’s a real texture to his pencil markings that provides a very warm feeling to the book. It feels like this book was purposefully made to be shared with others, for families to read together for many years to come. At times it’s as though the artwork flickers before your eyes like a hand drawn animation, which gives the book a slightly old fashioned feel, in the best of ways. That being said, the book also feels very contemporary in its visuals, particularly with the merchant, who reminds me of several recent animated movie characters in his design.
There’s often panels that just hold off on their own, showing a close up of something in the scene that expands the world of the story, much in the same way that Mike Mignola does so well; the highlight of this in ‘The King of Birds’ comes with a bird happily chewing on some octopus in the King’s sister’s absence.
Utkin’s use of color throughout is very good, with the story largely comprised of blue, red, and yellow, which often provide some truly spectacular results when mixed with his pencil textures. Each page feels vibrant and engaging, but with the colors presented in just enough of a muted, pastel fashion to add another layer of warmth to the story as a whole.
Come the end of ‘The King of Birds,’ Utkin has presented a very enjoyable opening story, in what is unexpectedly connected to a larger tapestry, that can be enjoyed by a variety of audiences.
