The Accursed Inheritance of Henrietta Achilles: Book 1

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Even amid the coronavirus crisis, there are still new comics being released. Here are some of our recommendations.

At the beginning of every month, we here at EW like to provide you with a short list of cool comics coming out, both individual issues and trade collections alike, that we think deserve a look. Unfortunately, the coronavirus crisis has scrambled the comic industry, as it has everything else. With Diamond Comic Distributors, the main distributor of comics to specialty comic stores in what is known as the direct market system, currently halting its operations in the midst of widespread quarantine, there are hardly any new comic issues on stands -- and even if there were, almost no comic stores are still open for walk-ins to buy them (though several are offering mail delivery or curbside pick-up; you can check the Comic Shop Locator to find contact information for stores near you).

That said, not all comics go through the direct market. These days, some comics are exclusively available digitally, while others are distributed to booksellers as well as comic shops (usually when they're graphic novels or collections of previously published issues). As a result, this month we only have three recommendations for you instead of the usual five. Worry not, though, they are all worth checking out. Check out the list below.

A House Divided Book One: The Cursed Inheritance of Henrietta Achilles (Lerner Publishing Group)

Haiko Hörnig (writer), Marius Pawlitza (artist)

This German comic has now been translated into English, and it's an absolute delight. The comedic interplay between Marius Pawlitza's hilarious character expressions and Haiko Hörnig's well-timed writing has certainly survived the translation. Drawing on classic fantasy role-playing games, A House Divided focuses on orphan heroine Henrietta Achilles, who gets drawn out of obscurity when a mysterious dead uncle leaves her his unique house as a gift. The only problem is, there are lots of other people (like bandits and pirates) who would like the house and its treasures for themselves. Thankfully, this is only the first of four planned graphic novels in the series.

A House Divided Book One: The Cursed Inheritance of Henrietta Achilles will be available from booksellers on April 7.

Orphan Henrietta Achilles inherits a magical house in this action-packed graphic novel. A war 9 years ago left Henrietta an orphan, so she's surprised when Renault, a gentleman in a top hat, takes her on a carriage ride to the mysterious town of Malrenard. She learns she's the last living relative of an uncle she never met--and he's died and left her an estate with treasure allegedly hidden all over the house. Upon arriving, Henrietta quickly gets pulled into a battle with two groups racing to search for a secret vault hidden inside the house. Cannons boom and swords flash, and dashing blond bandit Nate Flemming and his crew come to Henrietta's rescue. Humor abounds with witty banter, quiche thievery, alienlike creatures riding giant rats, and unexpectedly helpful stone statues that give either directions or riddles. Henrietta's hesitant to share that she's the owner of the estate--and when she's captured by the rival crew, they laugh at her and lock her in a cupboard. The plot is heavy with setup and brief introductions to numerous characters, laying the foundation for the mysteries of the estate to be revealed in future installments. Pawlitza's breathtaking illustrations of the skyscraper-sized house will delight while darker, claustrophobic scenes provide a nice emotional balance. Renault is black, and the majority of the cast appears to be white. An entertaining adventure.--Kirkus Reviews

Beautifully drawn, great facial expressions, great humor and mystery and fun, all the things you want an adventure fantasy comic to be!--Kate Beaton