The Dam Keeper: Return from the Shadows

Dam Keeper #3

by Robert Kondo, Dice Tsutsumi

Based on an Oscar-nominated animated short by former Pixar directors, The Dam Keeper: Return to the Shadowsis the third and final volume in a breath-taking graphic novel series about a pig's epic journey.

Sunrise Valley is without a dam keeper, and time is running out. In less than twenty-four hours, the poisonous tidal wave of black fog will descend on Pig’s home. While Fox, Hippo, and Van hurry east to warn the townspeople, Pig ventures on his own path.

Pig is following a trail of clues that are inexplicably linked to his father, and now that trail is leading upward. What he finds on a floating island above the clouds will shake him to his core, but it just might be the answer he needs to save his home.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Comics, Middle Grade, Adventure, Animals, Childrens

208 pages, Hardcover

First published July 2, 2019

Reviews

[Dream.M · Rating 4 out of 5]

خب من فکر میکنم این یک کمیک عالی برای بچه هاست
نقاشی های آبرنگی زیاد و جذاب و متن کم :)
از خوندن این سه گانه خیلی کیف کردم ♡

[Hamed Manoochehri · Rating 4 out of 5]

[دانلود|ریویو]


این مجموعه در ادامه انیمیشن فوق‌العاده موفقی به همین عنوان ساخته شده. اولش تصورم این بود که این رمان گرافیکی با نیت‌های مالی و برای موج سواری  روی موفقیت انیمیشنش به بازار اومده ولی با رسیدن به صفحه ۵ جلد اول و برطرف شدن شوک اولیه، نظرم کاملا عوض شد.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

As boring as the first two, with a side helping of depressing. I still haven't seen the movie on which this is based, but at least now I know how the story ends.

It bugs me that on the credits page "producer/agent Kane Lee" comes before the actual artists. Maybe jam HR and the accountants in there too? Hrm.

[David Quijano · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a mediocre end to this series. There were a lot of pictures and very few words. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but it was distinctly different compared to the first couple books. This felt rushed and I think the ending could have been better with a little more thought put into it.

[funeralblues · Rating 5 out of 5]

j'ai dû faire une pause tellement j'étais au bout de ma vie

[Johanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful ending. "I used to work alone. But not anymore. Together, we keep the darkness away. We are the dam keepers." This is definitely a three-part story that I'm going to need to own at some point.

[Shannon Overbey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The artwork is beautiful as ever! And though the ending felt a little rushed, it certainly had an encouraging message. Great for kiddos :)

[Gillian Brownlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good conclusion. I got used to the art style finally, and it's actually really effective. I want to watch the short film now!

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread the first two and then this one.
I’m going to say 3.75 rounded up. Really like the art and the themes: environmentalism, chosen family, quest for a good cause, and ‘they’re not actually crazy’.

Didn’t love the cliche of the protagonist and supporting character having an obligatory fight/poor communication and in the entire series it doesn’t really pass the Bechdel test. I guess Fox and Frida kind of talk, but Frida is mostly talking about the Molegod and Pig and not really speaking to Fox. There’s also the scene wherein Fox and Hippo are introduced to Margot and she introduces the family, but Fox only says one thing, and it’s more like she’s echoing something Margot said for/to the reader or to herself.

I’m curious about the animated feature of the same name, bet it has some great music to add to it’s lovely visuals.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Xavier gave it 4 stars, I’d give it 2 stars- so we are meeting in the middle. This series is a graphic novel, lots of pictures and art. The story itself is very dark, with a father disappearing and abandoning his son. There are some very weird characters along the way.

[Manon Julien · Rating 4 out of 5]

J’aurais peut-être pu mettre 5 étoiles pour l’ensemble des tomes parce que quand même c’est très chou et j’avais un peu les larmes aux yeux à la fin… Mais booooon…
En tout cas, le court-métrage était top et c’était cool de le lire adapté en BD :)

[Charlotte DeLuzio · Rating 4 out of 5]

let's see:
abandonment
suicide
coming back to life...???
vaping/ pollution
schizo
love triangles
child abandonment
minors driving
blind driving
insane people driving
animals driving (???)
talking animals (animal farm??)
throwing knives
schizo
murder
drugs (scented air. suuuure)
big back hippos
gaslighting
schizophrenia
emotional damage
insane burns ("at least...I have a family" 💀)

this book has it all. would recommend for tiny children

[Fariha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is good; though I didn’t feel the emotional punch I was hoping for. But the art... oh my god... the art. It’s a feast for the eyes. Every volume it got better and better. Absolutely was worth the price of admission!

[Snowdrop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cette série se termine avec énormément d’émotions.

Nous avons enfin le fin mot sur les brumes.

J’ai adoré suivre le parcours de Pierre. Il finit enfin par trouver sa place et une famille qu’il aime tant. C’était vraiment touchant !

Une bonne trilogie !

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is very dark, but I appreciate that about it. I enjoyed this finale and now want to find the animated short this is based on!

[Tess · Rating 5 out of 5]

crying in public part 1259

[Bonn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh I loved that

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would have preferred to have the whole story in one volume, because the previous parts don't really stand super great on their own, but as a whole, it's really lovely.

[Alli Kingsman · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was perfect. i was trying not to cry at the circ desk. this was a well rounded story and the ending left me so emotional.

[Ethelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

Fin touchante et belle. J’ai adoré cette bd tout est beau et doux, tout ce que j’aime 🥲💕

[Mika Nissinen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Täydellinen päätös trilogialle. Teos, joka saa itkemään ja näyttää taivaalliselta.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The conclusion of the visually stunning Dam Keeper series is the darkest and yet also the most uplifting installment, leaving readers with many emotions to process and a new understanding of the world Kondo and Tsutsumi created.

Color tones shift dramatically between scenes, portraying the literal and figurative darkness that has driven our characters to their adventure and, for some, to their breaking point. Light plays an important role as a sharp contrast to the uncontrollable danger of the fog; each bright panel is a choice a character makes to try and do good in the world, creating symbolism that speaks volumes.

Messages of sacrifice and determination permeate the entire narrative as familiar and new characters reveal their true selves with an ever-present threat growing even closer.

With so much for the creators to reveal and so much for readers to digest, this book felt rushed. The previous two installments covered much less story in approximately the same number of pages, creating a disconnect between what we've come to expect in terms of our hero's journey and our own learning curves. The ultimate goal of this titles seems to be in aesthetic and, while this brings readers a satisfying conclusion, the quick introductions of plot points leaves less room for emotional processing.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art's still great, and that's really the main draw here, right? As the great fog descends on Sunrise Valley, things get a bit too blurry, but the conclusion of The Dam Keeper series is suitably bittersweet. I think it was all an environmental fable? Having little recollection of the previous two volumes, I'm not sure. I'm sure the series would be a greater success read back-to-back-to-back.

[Racheal Paquette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well it didnt disappoint! Craziness and fuckery abound. Me still wondering if this is really a kids graphic novel amid the backdrop of beautiful yet haunting artwork. Once your read the first one you will be hooked, only because you will have to find out what happens next, what craziness will come to light. Will another high speed chase with gun fire happen again? Who knows!!? The possibilities are endless here! I am not going to spoil anything, but read these books people!

[Siina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dam Keeper series is just wow. Everything about it is deep, meaningful, full of emotion and there's looming darkness too. This final part makes everything perfect and I must get this series to my library. Return from the Shadows finally explains everything and we find Pig's dad, who's been trying to fight the fog from the beginning basically sacrificing everything, even Pig. I really liked the saving of the nature and somehow the comic ends up shoving the current environmental tragedy at our faces. It's awesome. I loved how Pig sees them all as damn keepers and everybody ends up helping him, even though there are sacrifices. What happens to Pig's dad is heartbreaking and I cried my eyes out. The feelings are so real, especially everything Pig feels is devastating. The hope is different kind and it only glimmers at the end, otherwise the comic is sad and hollow - and perfect like that.

The art is once again beautiful and hollow too just like the story. The combination of cute and dark works so well, not to forget the atmosphere altogether. I liked the darkness in the comic, since it's scary and suffocating. What I wanted more though, was a better explanation to the situation, since it felt slightly rushed and it took time to understand it all. Perhaps more pages would've helped or another part, since this could've worked cut in half. I hope Condo continues, since I want to read more of his comics and this would be an awesome film too! Not just a short film, but a full length one.

[Karissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Series Info/Source: This is the third and final book in the Dam Keeper series. I borrowed this book from the library.

Story (4/5): This is a fun and simple conclusion to this series. We find out the secret of what happened to Pig’s father and then our team of characters returns home to fight the impending black fog. This ties up the series nicely and was a good story, if a bit predictable and shallow.

Characters (4/5): I continue to enjoy the characters well enough. Pig is determined to make things right and I enjoyed his reunion with his father. Pig’s friends are actually a bit more entertaining than pig himself.

Setting (4/5): I love the world that this is set in. It’s a typical fantasy “world run by animals” type of place. However, the introduction of the floating island that Pig ends up in added a bit more to the story.

Writing/Drawing Style (4/5): This was well written and easy to follow. It’s definitely meant for a younger age group; the story is fairly simple and predictable. I loved the drawing style here, it’s very creative and well done and is pretty much what makes these books.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this and it’s great for all ages. This is definitely aimed at a younger age group but I think adults that enjoy the artwork style will like this as well. There are themes of friendship, family, and being determined to do the right thing throughout the story. The highlight of this for me was the artwork but I also enjoyed how the overall story was tied up.

[Litwithlove · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finally managed to get my hands on the third volume of the dam keeper after having read the first two a year or two ago. I dont know why, but I was obsessed with reading the third volume and checked every time I went in to the library. They finally got it in yesterday and I started and finished it same day. Im not sure what made me so hell bent on reading this series but I am so glad that I did. The art is very pretty and portrays a lot of emotion. The characters are majority very sweet and loving adorable little creatures, my favorite being a floppy sock puppet of a lizard named van. This book is full of adventure and themes of familial love and its just so wonderful! Both of the authors worked for Pixar at points and I can see a lot of that shining through here. They followed a winning story formula and then told a very original and cohesive story. I love this series.

[Alina Surnaite · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last book in 'The Dam Keeper' graphic novel trilogy is really stunning! Both the visuals and the story work really well together and the characters reveal so much depth and interesting details (you'll definitely want to read all three books to piece this mysterious story together).

Family, home and courage are the main themes of this beautiful volume, uniting all the different characters of the story. I really liked that Pig, Fox and Hippo together with all the Sunrise Valley inhabitants found a way to coexist with darkness instead of resisting it. It was a very brave thing to do and it lead to a very satisfying happy ending of this fantastic trilogy. Big thank you to Tonko House and First Second Books for this truly unique and memorable experience!

[Darth Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the comic that made everything click for me. This story isn't just about lost parents and finding family when you didn't think you belonged, it's also about climate collapse and how everyone takes the place they live for granted. It's about trying to work with nature, not against it. And it's about how, when we work alone, we can only do so much. But if everyone works together, if everyone acknowledges that, yes, climate collapse is real and we must act at once, we can maybe, just maybe, curtail some of its effects. Not all though, as there will be--as this comic shows--deaths along the way.

Really enjoyed this one and I do think that this series is worth the read if you can just get over how goddamn dark the art is.

[Psychée Délik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Avec cet ouvrage, nous connaissons enfin le fin mot de l'aventure de Pierre, Roxane et Roland. Tous les mystères ne sont pas dissipés mais cela ne gâche en rien le récit.

Dans cet opus, Pierre poursuit une quête bien plus personnelle que dans les volumes précédents. Même si la force de l'amitié reste bien présente, l'histoire se concentre plus sur la notion de famille.

Les graphismes sont toujours aussi éblouissants et accompagnent parfaitement le récit. Le jeu des ombres et des lumières est impressionnant.

La fin de cette histoire est touchante et pleine de justesse. Je conseille vivement la lecture de cette merveilleuse trilogie.

Ma chronique : https://psycheedelik-unehistoiredemot...