When a Fairman is declared dead after a mishap with a dragon, his widow hires Jenner Faulds-the land's only Fairlady-to prove otherwise. Jenner's investigation will bring her head-to-head with the local constabulary, surly Fairmen, and deadly black marketeers.
The fusion of genres seems to improve both of them. The nauseating world-building and constant drone of backstory that so dominates the high fantasy genre fades-out in the rigorous structure of the detective murder/mystery. The monotony of the milieu of the down-on-his-luck gumshoe detective is freshened-up by the magical fantasy setting. The greatest weaknesses of both genres seem to fade-out in the fusion. There's brilliance in the single mystery per issue format as well. Readers can jump in at any chapter, which isn't something typically found in the fantasy genre. It's the type of fusion that could find an audience not ordinarily interested in dungeons, dragons or sorcery. Read Full Review
Fantasy elements combined with greatly written mystery cases accompanied by gorgeous visuals. These are the main components of both Fairlady issues released so far, meaning I'm gonna pick up the next one with huge enthusiasm and I recommend this immensely to anyone who likes detective stories. Read Full Review
It's an intriguing and satisfying read. Read Full Review
As for the art, Balboni has a style that is all her own. The line art is crisp, clean, and a joy to look at, while minor touches like facial expressions, background, and page layouts are all handled with a professional touch. There is little doubt from me that we will be seeing a lot more of this Italian's fine works in the future. Read Full Review
Fairlady is as close to Dashiell Hammet meets J.R.R Tolkien as there will ever be and is wholly satisfying merger of fantasy and detective story. This single issue holds a complete and delightful adventure that is well worth a look. Read Full Review
The thing I'm finding most appealing about Fairlady is the manner in which Schirmer and Balboni really economize their use of space. No bit of page is wasted. Read Full Review
Fairlady is a relaxing and refreshing series of stories that pack a great deal of charm, humor and the fantastical contrasted up against the mundane. Read Full Review
Fairlady #2 lived up to both my expectations and the promise of the series. In many ways I think that the second issue surpassed the first, which, of course, has resulted in my expectations being raised for the next issue. Read Full Review
As for the art, Balboni has a style that is all her own. The line art is crisp, clean, and a joy to look at, while minor touches like facial expressions, background, and page layouts are all handled with a professional touch. There is little doubt from me that we will be seeing a lot more of this Italian's fine works in the future. Read Full Review
"Fairlady" #2 follows a common narrative found in P.I. stories, but it is fun nonetheless, thanks to its fantasy setting. Read Full Review
Coupled with the fun mystery is Claudia Balboni and Marissa Louise on art. This issue, Balboni really played around with the paneling throughout the issue which made her art stand out. For one page, she uses ever-shrinking panels to showcase Faulds inner-thinking, for another she has four square panels with the lettering on the top and bottom of each. There’s plenty of use of negative space to concentrate the eye on the panels as well. It’s a lot of fun little techniques used to really showcase her art throughout. Add some great lettering choices from Bowman, and you have a really beautiful issue to look at. Read Full Review
Things take a sharp, sudden turn towards the resolution in a way that feels a little too convenient and easy, but other than that, Fairlady #2 is an absolute delight. Read Full Review
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