Real Hero Shit

Writer & Artist: Kendra Wells

Colour Flatting: Amanda Lafrenais

Publisher: C. Spike Trotman

Editor: Kel McDonald

Art Director: Matt Sheridan

Book Design/Print Technician: Beth Scorzato

Proofreader: Abby Lerhke

Published by: Iron Circus Comics

Page Count: 120

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure

Age Range: Adult

Plot:

Prince Eugene grows bored of his life in the castle and decides to seek adventure, further fame, and the chance to become a real hero, by joining a trio of young questing adventurers who are currently in need of a fourth questing-party member.

Together, Michel, Ani, Hocus, and Prince Eugene will investigate a small mountain town outside of the kingdom, where villagers of all ages have been disappearing without a trace. This quest was given to Michel, the party leader, by the secret organization he works for, a network of thieves known as The Underguild. However, with the arrogant and rather horny (in more ways than one) Prince Eugene now in the party, their mission may become a lot less covert, but without a doubt, a lot more entertaining.

Story:

This story, first of all, is not suitable for younger audiences. It’s a story that involves adult content such as nudity, scenes of a sexual nature, and strong language. For us more mature readers, that’s simply what makes it so good. It’s a story that’s not afraid to be nerdy, horny, and downright hilarious and Kendra Wells writes it perfectly with great comedic timing, a perfect tone, and an almost anime-like style to its layout.

It features your classic high fantasy/D&D type tropes, such as different races, classes, different types of magic, and a religious conflict, but it also brings forth the modern and real-life aspects of gender fluidity, and gender identity, with Hocus’ race, the Zsegda being portrayed as having a varying list of possible gender identifications as well as which pronouns to use for certain ones. It’s a great addition to an already incredible story that just gives it so much more depth than previous stories within the same genre.

Art:

The digital art drawn by Wells shows great detail when needed, whilst building the world with a clear and precise vision, to portray the world that they have created. Each character design is unique, giving you a clear portrayal of who’s who and what’s what, with plenty of representation from all spectrums of life, and that might sound like a lot to take away from the art, but I promise you, when you read this book, you’ll see what I mean. Its vibrant colors and action-packed panels show clear inspiration taken from a mixture of both Manga/Anime art styles as well as American cartooning, with Wells adding in their own splash of adult content, making this a book unlike any other currently on the shelves.

The Kingdom of Marble is a vast land with varying landscapes, a whole host of races, various religious beliefs, and of course plenty of questing to be done for those brave enough to do it. These elements are portrayed through Wells’ art, which brings them to life and gives the reader a clear idea of Wells’ vision for the world they are building for us, the readers, to enjoy.

Conclusion:

Real Hero Shit is a fantastic, highly enjoyable, and brilliantly entertaining story with excellent artwork to take the reader on a journey of adventure, laughter, and lust, along with the uniquely designed characters that will leave you wanting more. I myself already hope there are multiple sequels to this book because it is without a doubt one of the most unique graphic novels I have read in a long while. It’s unapologetically awesome, holds nothing back, and the adult content takes nothing away from the pacing, or story. If anything, it simply adds to the overall enjoyable experience. It reminds me of the Dragon Age video game series, so if you’re a fan of those, and games like them, then this is a book for you!