WRITER: DAVID BOOHER | ARTIST: DREW ZUCKER | PUBLISHER: IDW | FORMAT: TRADE PAPERBACK | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
There’s something about clockwork soldiers and high-fantasy settings that seems to evoke a particular sort of heroic tragedy. If a magical world has mechanical servants in it, chances are that’s not a very nice place to be, and it’s very likely that all the adorable tik-tok people are slaves. The titular Canto is a little tin man who is in love with a little tin girl. They’re adorable little humanoids with heads that look like a knight’s helmet and huge eyes. Canto’s name comes from his beloved; his kind are forbidden names as they are all owned by cruel masters. Though his people are scared of everything, he loves fiercely. Even though his race had long since had their hearts replaced with clocks. When the love of life’s clockwork heart is damaged beyond repair, Canto goes on an epic quest to find where the hearts are kept so he can save her life. Even though he is very small. Despite the fact that he is very, very afraid. Even though everybody knows that the world is hostile to his kind. He has no rights, no allies; the world sees him as property and not a person. He is very brave.
It’s a heady mix of Planescape: Torment, Return To Oz, GON and The Waste Land, this book is quite frankly a gorgeous tale, written is beautiful way. David Booher’s writing is precise and will tug at anyone’s heart. (Even those of you who have hearts made of springs and steel!) The pacing is perfect and though the journey or the story is something that’s been told many times before it still feels fresh and original. The familiarity and the hopelessness of Canto’s quest is the appeal here, and Booher gets the tone right every single time.
Of course, this is a comic book and it’s the pictures that carry the words forward. Luckily Drew Zucker seems to embrace the theme of this tale whole-heartedly. Canto is beautifully brought to life through the art, and the dark tone of his world is a constant companion. Lush, moody and just busy enough to be atmospheric, Zucker hits the balance between ‘cartoon’ and ‘epic fantasy’ throughout the tale. Too dark and we’d lose hope, too bright and it’d detract from the story. Instead we have a perfect pairing and a proper ‘fairy tale’ theme. Canto – If I Only Had a Heart is a comic book that will appeal to comics fans and non-fans alike. If you love fantasy and want something dark, sweet and a little bitter in your reading pile, then this is for you.
