In Magic From The Margins, Latonya “Penn” Pennington explores sci-fi fantasy webtoons and Tapas comics by marginalized creators. For the second entry, they’re checking out Here There Be Dragons.
Here There Be Dragons
Created By: Disteal, Julia Norza, and Rafa A.D.
Writer: Rafa A.D.
Art Team: Disteal and Rafa A.D.
Letters: Julia Norza
Editor: Erik Kozura
Platform: WEBTOON
Debut Date: February 2, 2022
Rating: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
In The Golden Kingdom lives a young scholar and Dragonspeaker named Bree. Considered mad for her belief in the dragons that are said to hold up the world, Bree is surprised when she receives a message from a dying dragon. It tells Bree to gather certain individuals and meet the dragon at the edge of the world, starting Bree’s epic journey across the globe.
One aspect of the webcomic that made me add it to my webcomic reading list is its gorgeous artwork. Colors are mostly earthy tones like brown, gold, and green with pops of other colors that make the characters and the worldbuilding stand out. I especially appreciated when Bree would use her Dragonspeak magic and golden fire lava appears, which is sometimes enhanced by the lettering.
Speaking of Bree, she is the other major reason that I wanted to read this comic. It’s still far too rare to see a dark-skinned Black girl in a fantastical setting and Bree is a beautiful and flawed protagonist that is compelling to follow. She is earnest, knowledgeable and eager to prove herself, but not used to fighting.
Since she is still learning to control her Dragonspeak powers, she doesn’t yet know her full potential, and this makes for an intriguing character arc. She also has vulnerable and funny moments with the other characters that display her budding leadership skills and personal insecurities.
As for the other characters, the ones I’ve seen so far are just as interesting as Bree. Rounding out Bree’s merry band of adventurers is the snobby prince Adrian from the Silver Kingdom, the Quartz Kingdom warriors Axe and Kya, and Iron Kingdom warrior Demetrius. Each character has a unique personality and fighting style, such as Adrian’s use of speed and daggers and Demetrius’ upfront use of a giant hammer.
Initially, this causes everyone to bicker and be out of sync while fighting, but it is Bree who rallies them together. Seeing the bond between Bree and her party members develop is heartwarming and fun. Moreover, the cast of characters has the potential to grow bigger as the story develops, giving the reader more incentive to keep up with the comic.
A final aspect of the comic that I appreciated while reading Act 1 of it is the worldbuilding. As mentioned earlier, this is demonstrated through the artwork, setting and characters. One notable example six chapters into Act 1 is the Quartz Warriors holy face body paint ritual, which allows them for complex gender expression. The use of color at this part is lovely, because it shows how the paint rituals connects the Quartz warriors to themselves and the natural world.
All in all, Here There Be Dragons is a lush fantasy comic with poignant worldbuilding. A wonderfully flawed Black female protagonist, an amusing and diverse main cast and intricate worldbuilding will keep readers coming back.
Check out Here There Be Dragons for yourself on WEBTOON.
Keep up with every entry in K-Comics Beat’s Magic From The Margins column by clicking here.
