KING ARTHUR AND THE KNIGHTS OF JUSTICE (1)
by Joe Corallo ; illustrated by Gaia Cardinalli
In this YA graphic novel based on a short-lived 1990s cartoon series, a football team takes up the mantle of King Arthur’s knights.
In the Middle Ages, Morgana and her warlord, Viper, manage to defeat Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, banishing them to Morgana’s Cave of Glass. To further cement her victory, Morgana binds Merlin to the battlefield, where he’ll be stuck for eternity, watching as she conquers Camelot. Fortunately, the magic-wielding Lady of the Table manages to free the wizard’s spirit, allowing him to travel throughout time to find 12 men to take on the mantle of the Knights of Justice. In the present day, a young man named Arthur King has just led Chalopin High’s football team, the Knights, to victory against the Warlords. While the teammates discuss the game in the locker room, they’re transported back to the Middle Ages, where Merlin and the Lady of the Table explain that they’ve been chosen as the world’s best chance to defeat Morgana, and that “for a time” they shall be the new King Arthur and the Knights of Justice. The Lady of the Table grants them knowledge of various combat strategies and gives Arthur the legendary sword Excalibur. But if the true King Arthur couldn’t defeat the most powerful sorceress in the world, how will this Arthur and his teammates succeed? In this graphic novel suitable for ages 12 and older, writer Corallo and illustrator Cardinalli present a thrilling story of teamwork, magic, and legends that updates the original material upon which it’s based. This reboot features a diverse cast, including characters of various ethnicities, and (unlike the original animated series) a same-sex relationship. Overall, this entertaining, well-illustrated graphic novel maintains the visual style of its source, although it’s somewhat bloodier, as well as darker in tone. Although this book contains a complete story, there are hints at the end that this may be the first of a new graphic-novel series, and readers will likely be eager for more.
A fun, magical, time-hopping update on a decades-old TV series.