Canto continues his search for the Slavers, racing to find information about them before the Shrouded Man does. Who will get to them first? Find out In Canto III: Lionhearted #2 from IDW Publishing!

CANTO III: LIONHEARTED #2

Writer: David M. Booher
Artist: Drew Zucker
Colorist: Vittorio Astone
Letterer: Andworld Design
Editor: David Mariotte
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 11, 2021

Previously in Canto III: Lionhearted: The Hermit, Bodil, is chased by a Fury who threatens to kill her if she does not give it the information it wants. Bodil refuses. Aulaura tries to save her but is too late. Canto goes back to Old Arcana and finds it abandoned. We learn that he has been trying to find the Slavers and his hope is to get them to turn against the Shrouded Man. Falko and Rikta disapprove strongly and recommend sneaking into Dis instead. Canto reminds them that with his connection to the Shrouded Man, he might learn of any secretive plan.

SEARCHING FOR THE MISSING PIECES

As Canto III: Lionhearted #2 opens, Canto and Aulaura stand on the shore of the lake where Bodil lived. He tells her of being swallowed by the mechanical Kraken, which was the way into her lair. But the surface of the lake has been turned to glass. They walk out on it. Magical glass or not, it is not strong enough to hold against the Kraken who erupts through the glass and attacks them. The fight is interrupted when Canto chops off one of its tentacles, and the Kraken asks for it back, and accuses the others of trespassing. It won’t simply let them in, so Canto and Aulaura decide to jump into its mouth.

And they land inside the Hermit’s lair, although it looks rather neglected and cluttered. They draw the attention of a small, hooded person who thinks Canto is an interesting contraption – a natural mistake, considering that Canto looks mechanical. This is Iggle, a collector of wondrous treasures, who found his way into Bodil’s lair and has been digging through it.

But Canto and Aulaura are here for Bodil’s books and records. Iggle shows them the Hermit’s library, and they start looking through it. She was writing a history of her people, the Viken, and she believed that after they left Old Arcana, they went to the Frysta Wastes in the far north.

Meanwhile, in Dis the Shrouded Man sees visions of the Princess that Canto received his heart from. He knows her and wonders why she appears now after he has been trying to forget her. He begs the vision to be gone. This was interesting; the Shrouded Man has been vaguely malevolent, but apparently he has a history and some vulnerability.

A Fury interrupts his thoughts; she has come back with a Viken. The Shrouded Man asks to know where its people are. It won’t tell him, but the Shrouded Man can get a glimpse of its thoughts and immediately tells the Fury to gather her sisters and an army and head north.

A WORLD THAT EVOLVES

As always, the art of Canto III: Lionhearted #2 is richly imaginative. I enjoy seeing that the world changes over time and in response to the characters, such as the lake being turned to glass so getting into Bodil’s lair becomes a small puzzle. There is a wonderful full-page panel of the Kraken beneath the surface of the lake, slightly foggy through the glass. Seeing the enormous creature and its writhing tentacles just under the surface is delightfully creepy. It’s subsequent explosion through the thick glass is dramatic, but I love how the tension comes back down just as quickly when it starts to talk to them.

The Shrouded Man’s Emerald Tower in Dis is enveloped in purple light when we see it. The Shrouded Man himself has dark robes that look deep purple, but what we notice this time is his vision of the Princess, who also appears in that color. Instead of being dark, she is surrounded by glowing light. By awakening her, Canto has allowed her to reach the Shrouded Man, and the use of color makes it seem that she is having more on an effect on him than he may realize.

BOTTOM LINE: SLOWLY BUILDING WITH LOYALTY

In Canto III: Lionhearted #2, we finally see that the fearsome Shrouded Man may have a weakness. The impossible fight may be less impossible, but it is still a race against time.

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