March 11, 2024
Bly’s riotously imaginative dark fairy tale debut plunges readers into a “wide green world” of adventure beneath the feet of oblivious humans. Gowlitrot the Gardener, a humanoid mushroom who rides a frog named Hopalong, sets out on a quest to retrieve an artifact called the Candle Fly. To Gowlitrot and his fellow faeries, their forest is an expansive realm of massive trees, treacherous grass jungles, and complex magical societies. Seen from human scale, it’s a wooded lot in Philadelphia. The two worlds intersect when Gowlitrot has a run-in with Lemuelle, a young Black girl looking for her lost dog. It sounds like the premise of a whimsical children’s book, but Bly executes the concept as wickedly smart high fantasy for mature readers, evoking classic folklore that portrays the faerie world as ruthless, dangerous, and alien. In lush clear-line art, he renders a magical realm filled with mysterious villages, colorful characters, local dialects, and endless tantalizing worldbuilding details, all tucked away amid naturalistic forests, fields, and streams. “The entire world is a joke writ by clowns for the amusement of devils,” a character warns Gowlitrot. Fantasy lovers will relish this gorgeously wrought escapade.
A heroic mushroom works tirelessly to maintain balance in his magical hidden world in Bly's graphic novel. Outside the veil of human perception is a magical world, Gl�d, created by the G�dels, a mysterious, ancient group. When the Candle Fly, an important crystal with life-altering magic, is stolen from the small village of Pertwee, Gowlitrot the Gardener is sent to find it and bring it back. His friend, Ranger Erdagaude, is the presumed culprit, so, in addition to the Candle Fly, Gowlitrot seeks answers about his friend's apparent betrayal. But when he does find her, he is only left with more questions. The worldbuilding is gradual; Bly weaves details about the setting into the narrative using flashbacks and alternating point-of-view characters. The inhabitants of Pertwee are a diverse menagerie of fairy-like creatures, ranging from rodentlike Grekin to the goblin-inspired Chief. Gowlitrot self-identifies as a Tridipidean, "a species of sentient bipedal basidiomyc-...er, well, mushroom." Gowlitrot is a Ranger; he explains there are two other types of his species: Magi, who are unseen in this volume, and Knights, to whom readers are introduced in the imposing figure of Primrod. Rendered in vivid, colorful detail in Bly's illustrations, the creatures of Gl�d are a combination of creepy and cute, in the manner of Tim Burton characters. Their diction matches their adorable/weird designs; absurd phrases, like "I can see your Filbert," "you've made me squirt out a cuss," and "mind yer clompers, ya goose!" dominate the dialogue, endearing the populace to the reader. Much of the story is told from Gowlitrot's perspective, but others' perceptions of him complicate the character in compelling ways (the aforementioned Grekin seems to idolize Gowlitrot while side character Mr. Perchant considers him a fascist). Though it lacks a satisfying resolution, this series-starter hooks the reader sufficiently to return for further installments of the whimsical fantasy story. A fantastical series-starter with sumptuous art, delightful dialogue, and lovable characters.
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