As good as this series has been, this was maybe my favorite issue yet. As always, the art by Charles Paul Wilson III was breathtaking, he is a master of a sepia tone styling that features detailed ink lines and palpable textures. Two panels stood out for me, one was a shot of a train moving through a landscape. What could have been just another panel gets extra tension by the artist adding a Normandy-style barbed wire fence on a nearby beach, subtly continuing to show how dark and violent this world is. The other was the shot of a Doll House Kingdom as the hero Jester enters it..it is a totally creative art fantasy of just what that would look like..of course, many rooms are missing walls! Ha ha. It’s one of those pieces of art you can linger over and discover all bits of fun detail, and marvel at the artists inventiveness.

I love that the book has centered on Jester, because although he was not the star of the book initially, his compelling James Bond meets Shakespeare meets Wolverine characterization made him my favorite right away, bravo for the writing team of Mike Raicht and Brian Smith realizing that their supporting characters (I’m including Percy the conniving pig here too) are by far the most interesting characters…although I suppose not by much as even throwaway characters like the duck-sentry Quackers have very emotive scenes in this issue.

This book, similar to its square-bound brother, Mouse Guard, is a pure artistic vision that I think is the comics gold afficiandos are always searching for…I really recommend checking this book out even if this sort of story material isn’t your usual cup of tea…I didn’t think it was mine, but Wilson’s standout art intrigued me to buy the first issue and I’ve been buying it avidly ever since.