Student Comic Review: Edwin Reyes' The Golden Gosling

Each Wednesday (and this week, Tuesday too!), Eric and Hayley dig into a box of minicomics by SVA students and pull one out to share with the world. If you would like to submit your minis for review, please drop them off in the Reviews box at Cartoon Allies meetings and in the senior studio. This week, we'll be looking at...

Edwin Reyes, The Golden Gosling

The Golden Gosling is based off of a Grimm Brother's fairy tale, and follows a young man called Dummy who goes out to get wood for his family. This leads to him meeting the titular character, which causes him to get into adventures that amuse a beautiful princess. The king has said that whoever could make his daughter laugh can have her hand in marriage, and though Dummy must go through a series of ridiculous tests firsts, he and the princess do end up together and in love. So how well does Edwin translate the story to comics?



This comic is a very joyful, absorbing read. Every character was hilarious and charming in their own way, and Edwin has great sense of visual comedy. This particularly comes through in the page where Dummy first finds the egg, with his exaggerated swing at the tree, followed by his reaction to the egg he finds. I became endeared to the characters quickly through their well-defined personalities, such as Dummy's ditzy action hero persona and the princess' sweet, feisty one.

The art has a shonen manga-esque feel, with its clean, bold lines and exaggerated facial expressions. Character's bodies feel somewhat rubbery, so even when the anatomy isn't perfect it feels right because the poses are comfortable and natural. A good amount of detail is paid to every aspect without being overwhelming, such as the character's costumes and the trees that inhabit the forest where the story takes place. The often over-the-top facial expressions help to make the character's more endearing and unique, each showing emotions in their own way.

The Golden Gosling shows a great grasp of characterization and a fun, exciting style that make this comic an uplifting read!

Edwin's website is ericse517.deviantart.com and he can be contacted at ereyes517 (at) gmail (dot) com.

Hayley Weber is a junior cartooning major who hails from the most boring part of New Jersey. To distract herself from this sad fate, she reads and draws girly comic books, watches weird British TV shows, and stalks her favorite bands.