Creative Staff
Story/Art: Tou Ubukata / Kiriko Yumeji
Translation/Adaptation: Ikoi Hiroe
What They Say
KINGDOM COME Lia is still searching for her murderer, but will success save her soul or doom her to the fires of hell? Her fate is tied to the destiny of the kingdom of France- and the bloodthirsty cult that plots to destroy it. So when the cultists kidnap the king’s mistress, the Chevalier Sphinx finds herself in a deadly race against time! From the Trade Paperback edition
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
I’m still cringing every time Marilyn Manson, I mean Jean Le Rond d’Alembert’s makes an appearance. While not a major character, his physical appearance just grates on my nerves. Alright, I’m sorry, off the tangent and back to what the readers are interested in. While this series continues to dance the fine line of becoming a monster-of-the-week story, the political tug of war between the French royalty and the dissidents keeps me concentrating on the story.
Each volume thus far has almost systematically revealed chunks of information about all those involved. This volume reveals more of the King’s dirty laundry, as Madame de Pampadour enters the story like a tornado. She is perhaps the King’s most loyal subject and she holds the wellbeing of France above all else. In fact, Madame de Pampadour is actually the true power behind the monarchy. She has been tasked with keeping the royal court running smoothly and giving the King free time to deal with the machinations of foreign courts. That and it gives him plenty of time to explore pudding. Don’t ask.
All that aside, Madame de Pampadour is also the biological mother of Sophie, the King’s daughter who is afflicted by the poems appearing on her skin like tatoos. As it becomes more apparent that Sophie will potentially be the key to destroying the King, he begins to wrestle with the dilemma of Sophie’s disposition. The King must choose between protecting his daughter’s life, possibly even from the ‘do-anything-for-France’ Madame de Pampadour, and protecting the whole of France. Whereas D’Eon continues to grow uneasy as he narrows in on his sister’s killer. If the killer is both the leader of the dissidents and Lia’s killer, D’Eon could kill two birds with one stone by executing the man. However, if confronting this mystery man means sending Lia’s soul to hell, D’Eon must choose between protecting his sister and protecting France. For both D’Eon and the King, their most difficult decisions seem to be quickly approaching.
In Summary:
Thus far, Ubukata has done a good job of balancing the dissemination of Poet secrets and powers (and battles) with that of how the characters of France’s royal court connect to each other. Too much with the poets and the story becomes a continuous battle between Lia and monsters. Too much political intrigue and the reader becomes bored and confused. With any luck, Ubukata’s steady paced storytelling continues to work in concert with Yumeji’s powerfully intricate art.
Content Grade: A-
Art Grade: A
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: A-
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Del Rey Manga
Release Date: September 1st, 2017
MSRP: $10.95
