Princess King

Created by Martin Powell & Fernando Cano

Part of the Far Our Fairy Tales collection, a series of graphic novels for kids that spoof classic children’s stories, Private Eye Princess and the Emerald Pea (2019) riffs mightily on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Princess and the Pea.”

PRINCESS KING of the Royal Detective Agency is charged with finding “The Pea,” a priceless emerald that’s been stolen (or has it?) from Mrs. Daisy Snell’s jewelry collection in stately Snell Manor, after several more “mature” detectives have failed to find the missing bauble.

As Princess works the case (with the aid of her trusty beagle Pants), she discovers that Snell Manor holds plenty of secrets of its own, from hidden passages and eccentric inhabitants (including Mrs. Snell herself) to (of course) a towering stack of mattresses.

Each Far Out Fairy Tales comic bookis available in paperback and a sturdier library edition, but both include info on the original tale, a guide to the story’s various twists and turns, and visual discussion questions to critically engage readers. So it’s actually sort of educational.

Which means… for gawd’s sake don’t tell the kids!

Freelance writer Martin Powell has written and sold hundreds of stories, many of which have been published by Disney, Marvel, Tekno comix, Moonstone Books, and others. He’s probably best known for writing the Eisner Award-nominated graphic novel Scarlet in Gaslight (1987), wherein Sherlock Holmes tackles Dracula.

Fernando Cano is an emerging illustratorwho currently resides in Monterrey, Mexico, where he works as a full-time illustrator and colorist at Graphikslava studio. He has done illustration work for Marvel, DC Comics, and role-playing games like Pathfinder from Paizo Publishing.

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