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The Stuff of Legend: The Jungle #3
Publisher: Th3rd World Studios
Writers: Mike Raicht & Brian Smith
Artist: Charles Paul Wilson III
Release Date: December 22, 2010

This series is fantastic and easily one of the top indie books on the shelves right now. The plot has substance, the characters have a sense of individuality, and the artwork by Charles Paul Wilson III is extraordinary. It’s exciting, loaded with adventure and fierce battle scenes, while simultaneously being able to pull off touching moments of high emotion. The only thing that’s disappointing is knowing that after this issue, there’s only one left before volume II of The Stuff of Legend comes to an end.

*Spoilers*

This issue begins immediately where #2 finished, with our cadre of hero toys coming face to face with the rogue animal toys of The Jungle, who are anything but happy to see them. Their fate lies in the, er, “hands,” of a giant human-hating serpent. This serpent was once a toy of the abducted Boy’s until he, like all of the inhabitants of The Dark, were discarded by him into the closet. This serpent also doesn’t believe in human/animal co-existence, nor does his Tribe, which is why the Boogeyman’s men stay out of The Jungle.

According to the Serpent King, the animal toys in the group are to be individually judged based on their own actions, from which their fates shall be decided.  For the human toys a sick fate has been decreed: survival of the fittest. They will be set loose in the preserve where the tiger and hyena toys will eventually hunt them down. What makes bad news even worse is that the Indian Princess’s battle wound has become infected, and is making her the worse for wear. All this is to go down, despite our group of heroes sharing a common enemy with The Tribe in the Boogeyman.

In the image above, my boy, the Jester, gets some awesome action scenes, as he stands toe to paw against his attackers, protecting the Indian Princess and Harmony from pursuit.

The story then gets really interesting, as we finally learn about the origins of The Dark. Monty, the cymbal monkey toy, drops some key info about his existence and his relationship to Max the bear. It’s really quite moving.

Monty shows how The Dark was before the Boogeyman came along, via a series of cave paintings he created; Using the guise of compassion, the Boogeyman coerced the inhabitants of The Dark, promising them unity. He then turned on the animal toys, and spread his corruption and lies throughout the populace, forcing the two groups to turn on each other.

The greatest moment of this issue is the last page, when a seriously dramatic reveal is made by the most unexpected of characters. Fans of this series will be shocked!

With Christmas right around the corner, The Stuff of Legend vol. 1 TPB would make an excellent gift for any kid, or parent with kids. It’s a large dosage of originality and is immensely enjoyable for readers of all ages. For further reading on The Stuff of Legend, check out the links below:

Reviews of The Stuff of Legend: The Jungle #1 & #2
Review of The Stuff of Legend: The Dark #2
Interview with the creators of The Stuff of Legend

Andy Liegl
andy@comicattack.net

An advanced review PDF of this issue was provided by the writer.