Dark Horse's'Helen of Wyndhorn'is about more than worlds colliding. It's about more than a young girl who is trying to run from trauma in the most entertaining ways she can muster.'Helen of Wyndhorn' is about how stories get told. Read Full Review

The entire creative team have put together something special in Helen of Wyndhorn from the cover to the last panel. There is richness in the characters and in the art and combined with the themes of mystery and fantasy, its a journey that will likely take readers for a compelling experience. Read Full Review

Evely delivers some beautifully detailed and lively art throughout the issue. I love the beauty throughout every page and panel. Read Full Review

As expected, 'Helen of Wyndorn' is beautifully illustrated and exceptionally written. An unexpected journey that's immersive and thrilling. Tom King takes readers back in time and on a sweeping journey following the exploits of a young woman who comes home to make a sobering discovery. What starts as an unassuming period piece that's enthralling on its own takes a magical twist that will clinch this book's addition to pull lists everywhere. Read Full Review

Scarred by her past, a former governess recalls caring for a pulp-era author's daughter, meeting her rich and powerful grandfather, and discovering the monster that terrorized the family estate in Helen Of Wyndhorn #1. Read Full Review

Helen of Wyndhorn #1 uses the trappings of classic fantasy and historical fiction to begin to tell a wayward daughter/estranged and idealized father story. The “hook” of the series doesn't hit until towards the end of the book, but Tom King, Bilquis Evely, Matheus Lopes, and Clayton Cowles use these early pages to create a magical setting and a mundane narrator as well as the beauty and danger of portal fiction. Spoiler alert for a 68 year old book, but 95% of the cast of Chronicles of Narnia did die in the final book in the series… Read Full Review

Wherever Helen of Wyndhorn #1 may lead, the debut promises a fine literary mystery with an absolutely stunning sense of style and presentation. Read Full Review

An intriguing start. Read Full Review

Written by the Eisner award-winning Tom King and brought to life by the captivating artwork of Bilquis Evely and Matheus Lopes, Helen of Wyndhorn #1 is a captivating debut entry into a world brimming with possibilities.

King, a master at nuanced character studies, weaves a story unlike any other. We follow Helen Cole, a woman rebelling after her father's suicide, and Lilith Appleton, her stoic but caring governess. After arriving at her family’s sprawling Wyndhorn House, Helen unleashes a torrent of emotions, only to discover the mansion holds a lifetime of secrets waiting to be unearthed. The first issue masterfully sets the stage for a grand fantasy adventure that blur the lines between reality and the fantastical tales penned by Helen’s late father.

King excels at crafting strong female characters (look no further than his current run on Wonder Woman), and this book is no exception. Helen is a compelling protagonist, flawed but entirely relatable and endearing as she tries to understand her place in the world. Perhaps even more fascinating is Lilith, who also plays the role of narrator as the majority of the story takes place via flashbacks. Her present-day attitude appears to have shifted from what we see of her as she first meets Helen and I’m very interested to see her further development. These two characters play off each other so well and King writes some amazing dialogue between the two.

Bilquis Evely's art is a perfect match for King's fantastical script. Her character designs are exquisite, capturing the essence of the early 20th century setting while hinting at the magic that lurks beneath the surface. Evely's figures are expressive and detailed, drawing the reader into the emotional journey of the characters. The true magic, however, lies in the collaboration with colorist Matheus Lopes. Lopes' palette adds depth and nuance to Evely's artwork.

Helen of Wyndhorn #1 is a masterclass in world-building and character introduction. As a huge fan of King and Evely's phenomenal Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, I’m incredibly excited for what comes next in this new series.

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Wonderful. The storytelling and craftmanship here are good enough that this would be an engaging book even without the fantastical elements. Of the two leads, the governess is by far the more likable and interesting. Very promising.

To start with the good, Evely's art is exquisite as ever, all elegant swirling, every panel bristling with motion.

But I've kind of reached my limit with King's Strong Female Characters, who are all the same character over and over. Helen is a vivacious, reckless, masculine young woman, a girl who is Not Like The Other Girls, who says naughty words and smokes cigarettes and defiantly drinks wine from the jagged necks of broken bottles because she's too rugged and self-destructive to use a corkscrew I guess. And naturally, she is perceived only from an awestruck distance and exhibits no identifiable inner life, a woman who's all aesthetic and no feeling.

What I'm saying is, she's just King & Evely's Supergirl but with red hair. If you've read one Tom King Strong Female Character, you've read them all. more

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• Psycamorean

brutallyhonest - Mar 31, 2024 (edited)

though I agree, I'd be inclined to say that love everlasting is a VERY strong exception to this.

KittyNone - Mar 31, 2024

Thanks for the recommendation! The premise of that one did intrigue me, I'll have to give it a shot

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