The Art of K.J. Talanay

K.J. Talanay is a remarkable Los Angeles artist whose work as a video game designer can be seen on titles ranging from the Might and Magic series to the Desperate Housewives game. Now Talanay brings us Palandar, an epic graphic novel set in a Tolkien-ish world of dark prophesies, heroic lion-men, and blond warrior women with pointy ears. Not being a big fan of this type of fantasy story normally, I was none the less deeply impressed with all of the fussy little details of the world Talanay has created and the expert use of depth and shading that makes some pages look like ornate shadowboxes, with each panel a little diorama scene. This is a world that the artist has been imagining for a long time, and it shows.

Volume one is now available as a lush, full-color book. An extended preview is online, with promises of regular updates on Fridays.