Graphic Novel Review: Knights Temporal Volume 1

We are all familiar with the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Many medieval story settings play off of this legend, so much so that when you mention a “knight” most think of the typical armor-wearing, sword-bearing, righteous manly man who longs to destroy evil, rescue the maiden, and slay the dragon. KNIGHTS TEMPORAL VOL. 1 takes this starting point and adds in several twists involving time travel and the multiverse.

Auguste de Riviere is a knight on a mission to defeat the evil wizard Gaspard. Following the magician into an ominous set of dark woods, Auguste instead finds Jane Poole, a wacky, jester-like sidekick who informs him that she can help him catch the wizard… but obviously only if she follows him. The sky erupts into crystalline structures and, dropping his sword in the grass, Auguste follows Jane through the vortex.

What the rest of the graphic novel tries to explain is the entire situation of Auguste vs. Gaspard. Taking place throughout various typical time periods (old west, viking, 1920’s, French Revolution, modern day, etc) we find that Auguste not only has been in all these times, but actually exists in all of them at once, a fragmented hero who connects in several different ways, but all of them needing to use the same crystalline sword. To fully explain these concepts would take away from the genius of the book.

Cullen Bunn (X-MEN: BLUE, DEADPOOL, HARROW COUNTY) teams with Fran Galan, a renowned Spanish graphic artist, and Dave Sharpe, very prolific letterer and legend for Marvel Comics, to bring this twisted tale of retribution, betrayal, time travel, and pursuit to light. Just when you think you understand what is going on, another twist falls. For ages 13 and up.