Created By: Joyce Chng and Kim MirandaPublisher: Rosarium
Release Date: March 2017
Purchase Price: $1.99
Sun Dragon's Song follows Ho Yi as he aims to become a legendary dragon rider. It's a four part series distributed through Rosarium Publishing. If you haven't checked out part one you can read about it here.
Issue two picks up just after issue one where Ho Yi was accepted into the academy. Word spreads around fast and the other children praise him for this. He avoids the new found popularity because these same children had been bullies to him just a few days prior and he was sure they would forget him afterwards as well.
Ho Yi is attacked in the diamond mines by Yu Tian due to jealousy and the new attention that Ho Yi received. When Ho Yi wakes up he learns that he was right in assuming that he was indeed only popular for the moment. The other children had forgotten who he was and as he says goodbye to everyone before leaving for the academy they don't recognize him. I couldn't help but laugh when he says goodbye to one child and has to explain they had been roommates for the last three years.
At the academy Ho Yi is just excited for the small things. There's good food, he's got his own room. The thing he's most excited about is that the kids aren't just little bullies but he actually makes a group of friends. It's just cool to see them all hang back when he has to run laps for gym class because they didn't want to leave him behind since he uses a crutch. They also don't hesitate to shun other children who try put him down.
After seeing Ho Yi just be bullied relentlessly in the first issue it's nice to see him make friends. It's especially touching when they ask about his disability and he thinks they're curious because he is weird. Only for them to introduce him to other students with various disabilities.
The story is great but I still love the artwork and the emphasis placed on facial expression. There's a lot of speech bubbles, but not a lot of words. The art does a great job in forwarding the story as well. There's a scene where Ho Yi is laying in bed and says he misses his family. That's not a lot to go on. But, when you see him curled up in the fetal position gripping the sheets and staring vacantly into space you just can't help but feel for him. The academy is also drawn beautifully and made to be distinctly different than the appearance of other settings.
What this issue does really well is give us a chance to see Ho Yi be happy for once. Then it rips out our hearts at the end. In ripping out our hearts it leaves us wondering what will happen next. It's only a 4 issue series so Joyce Chng and Kim Miranda do a great job of getting you invested and keeping you invested early on.
You can hear Darrell on the CP Time and Powerbomb Jutsu podcasts. He also plays classic arcade games on The Cabinet. You can also check out his playthrough of Sleeping Dogs or Skyrim
