BERA THE ONE-HEADED TROLL

One-headed troll Bera finds a human baby and resolves to get it to safety.

Happy, humble little troll Bera is the pumpkin farmer for the troll king. After finishing up the year’s pumpkin harvest, she hears a cry and discovers monstrous mermaids have found a light-skinned human infant to torment. Compassionate Bera rescues the baby and tries to find out how a human ended up on her island in the troll lands. The answer comes right to Bera’s door when Cloote, former head witch of the troll king, comes for the misplaced baby to use in creating a monster. Unwilling to turn the baby over for such a fate, Bera and her owl companion, Winslowe, seek out the famous heroes from Bera’s books, hoping to find one who can go on the quest to bring the baby home. This quest of her own brings her to hedgehog wizards, goblins, shadow wolves, and more. The various allies and enemies all clear a path for a final showdown with Cloote and a final decision on how best to protect the baby that earns bighearted Bera a family. The world has a Norse vibe evoked by its population of creatures and by the gorgeous landscapes Bera travels through in artfully sequenced graphic panels. The character art’s equally impressive, and the orange-and–burnt-umber color scheme’s a smart choice for the nocturnal beings.

An old-fashioned quest with a lovable protagonist.