Apprentice Lord of Darkness - by Asna (Hardcover)

About the Book

Two hunderd years after the Master of Evil was driven out of the Alkyll lands, ten-year-old Apprentice Lord of Darkness and her silly crew try to cause a bit of chaos, but when the Master of Evil returns, the ragtag gang begin to realize they may not be as evil as they thought.

Book Synopsis

"Just the thing for readers who think they've seen it all."--Kirkus Reviews

In this fantasy world filled with heroes, monsters, and royalty, a minuscule antihero wants to become the most terrible and dreaded Dark Lord of all the time ... the only problem is, she's broke, has no henchmen, no evil lair, and no plan. But would that stop ten-year-old Apprentice Lord of Darkness in this hilarious (and adorable) graphic novel? No way!

It's been 200 years since the Master of Evil was driven out of the Alkyll lands, and everyone is living happy, peaceful lives...everyone except tiny, ten-year-old Apprentice Lord of Darkness. She is so bored without any mischief around and is looking to make a name for herself by causing a little bit of chaos and disruption. But first, she needs an evil lair, then a group of loyal henchmen, and finally a plot to kidnap the princess. But as events unfold, Apprentice Lord of Darkness and her silly crew bite off more than they can chew. The Master of Evil returns, they compete for the throne, search for the powerful Hand of Fate, battle a barbarian, and eventual realize that they may not be as evil as they thought!

This hilarious graphic novel combines humor and fantasy with irresistibly cute illustrations. The short scenes are perfect for new graphic novel readers, and the jokes will keep older audiences laughing and turning pages with delight. Our anti-heroine is as adorable as she is snarky and will make a fan out of boy and girl readers alike.

Review Quotes

It takes work to make a villain lovable.
Two hundred years ago, a hero drove Stearas, Master of Absolute Evil, from the Land of Alkyll. Things have been peaceful since, but the Lord of Darkness-a tiny, hooded, masked creature-has some nefarious plans. But just about every scheme to take over the kingdom or conquer the world ends up making people safer and happier. This graphic novel is filled with reversals. The princess loves the adventure of being kidnapped and helps out her captors again and again. A monster who works for the Lord of Darkness is cheerful and adores housework. It's possible the book has too many surprises, but almost every time the story starts to feel repetitive, something astonishing or hilarious happens...the biggest twists are enormously satisfying, and the final surprise is such a huge reversal that it feels close to inevitable.
Just the thing for readers who think they've seen it all.-- "Kirkus Reviews"

About the Author

CED, Cédric Asna, studied graphic arts in Toulouse, France, before going on to work as a graphic designer. He collaborates as a writer for various comics (Rikk & Frya, Lolicornes, Marvelouze...) at the same time continues to lead his own projects (Un An sans Internet, Wikpanda, Sherlock Holmes). Since 2015, he has been published monthly in the review Mordelure and regularly in the magazine Spirou. In February 2021, his first young adult novel "Noé et les animals très dérangés" was published. Currently, he lives in Toulouse and divides his time between his improve theatre troupe (trio-dimpro.fr) and his comic strips.

Jean-Philippe Morin is a Quebec designer and animator, publishing with Vents d'Ouest, Glénat and in the weekly magazine Spirou.