Path: A Classic Fantasy Graphic Novel

Well, I expect super heroes in comics, or cute girls with dangerous curves, or high pay creative teams on some dark comic for adults. Seriously though, fantasy is becoming the rage for many publishers, especially outside of the "Big Two" in DC and Marvel . Fantasies like "The Legend of Drizzt" and "Dragonlance" are being bought in volume, while other novels from different fantasies are being turned into comics too (hello Stephen King and "Dark Tower").

"Path" is a title truly befitting some dark fantasy, or lone hero tale, or one with cute girls. You might think Disney when you open it up, but keep looking and you'll see far more than that. Or maybe it will be a "Shrek," getting warmer. It's a fantasy tale which takes itself seriously to a point, but the comedy in the situations created is entirely fun.

Read a few pages and you will finish this quick, fun, adventurous tale about comical characters in a comical world, but serious when they have to be and a world as mean as reality.

I didn't expect some massive, world crashing epic the likes of Middle Earth, and certainly I didn't get that. Good-there are so many quasi-future-later Middle Earth tales the whole thing is becoming repetitious.

We've got a rabbit who can't catch a break even with his lively two feet, and an elephant trapped in a hole.

The rabbit is being chased, and the elephant can't get out of the hole. See the setup?

It's a simple black and white story with a lot of grey areas. The characters are fun and likable, the writing humorous and simple, and a good departure in artwork from what you'd see in a Saturday morning cartoon.

With no super hero or crime story in this genre bending work, it's high praise to say it was a fun ride. While Batman and Watchmen films are making the comic world seem darker, a rabbit and an elephant have added some light to the small press market.

Gregory S. Baldwin shows immense talent in this work, elegantly defining a simpler and more creative style of writing and artwork. He makes it good for anyone in the family really, and maybe that's the point.

Overall, "Path" is a book which fits well in the comic world, using the powers of character, defined paneling, and clever dialogue to tell a story suited for the medium. Check it out at your local comic shop.