After Nearly 30 Years, Jewel Riders Is Getting a Graphic Novel!

It's no secret that Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders was my absolute favorite cartoon as a kid. There are few others who share this passion with me as the show is still obscure even in an era of countless nostalgic reboots, so when I first heard that Mad Cave Studios was partnering with 41 Entertainment to make a series of Jewel Riders graphic novels, I was skeptical. A few days ago, my cynicism was laid to rest when a press release revealed the cover art and release date for the novel. It's really happening! On May 28, 2024, the first issue of the brand new YA Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders graphic novel will be available wherever graphic novels are sold. It's even available to pre-order on Amazon right now! Take a gander at the gorgeous new official cover art below that stays true to show's color palette and art style while adding a modern manga-inspired flare.


I am absolutely in love with this new Magic Girl anime-style cover art that features Fallon, Princess Gwenevere, and Tamara in slightly updated versions of their original jewel armor proudly holding up their enchanted jewels in cutesy poses. The book is described as "an updated YA take on the classic 90s animated hit, encouraging the magic of female friendship and perfect for fans of fantasy adventures." I love how few references there are to the second season, opting for the more popular designs and storylines from season one. Gwen's fiance is implied to be Drake, her original love interest before the show shoehorned a whirlwind romance with a werewolf named Ian in the second season. Even though it takes into account the better portion of the show, the official summary of the graphic novel follows the three girls when they are a bit older and take on new responsibilities, which is exactly what fans are eager to see. Gwenevere must face her responsibilities as the future queen of Avalon, Fallon becomes the new leader of the Pack, and Tamara questions her place in the world. That last one is a bit questionable, though, since I had always assumed that Tamara would eventually take over her parents' duty of raising magical animals at Heartland Farm after she retires from being a Jewel Rider.

This isn't the first time that the plot of Jewel Riders has migrated from the screen to the page, but it is the first time it has done so using the characters and setting from the original animated series. In 2008, Rachel Roberts released a respectably long-running series called Avalon: Web of Magic, which borrowed the rights to Jewel Riders to develop a similar story about three ordinary girls wielding enchanted jewels with ties to the magical land of Avalon. While it was a decent fantasy series in its own right, the three teenagers from the real world--Emily, Adriane, and Kara, fell flat in comparison to the regal Gwenevere, heartfelt Tamara, and adventurous Fallon, who grew up in a world of magic, friendship, and wonder that was so much gentler than our own. I am far more eager to learn about the twists and turns that the Jewel Riders' lives took after their adventures in the show than I would be to read more about the Avalon: Web of Magic girls, who felt more like reader-insertion characters than fully fleshed-out people. For many years, I thought that the Web of Magic books were the closest thing we would ever get to new adventures with the Jewel Riders, especially after celebrating the show's 25th anniversary a few years ago with my friends from the Jewel Riders Archive, but this is so much better!

The only vague thing in the graphic novel's description is who the new villain will be. It alludes to "a foe the Jewel Riders thought they'd once vanquished." As there were only two villains in the show, this can only mean either Lady Kale, Princess Gwenevere's aunt, or Morgana, the evil sorceress from Arthurian lore that the girls faced off against in the second season. Given how many references the graphic novel contains to the show's first season, Kale would make more sense as the new villain. However, Morgana was a more powerful and dangerous threat, which would make her a better choice despite the weak writing in the last season. Leaving this detail up in the air only makes me more excited to read the graphic novel next May to find out who it is and how they managed to return after the Jewel Riders defeated them. The summary also mentions Merlin acting strange as a result of wild magic, implying that a new rescue mission might be in order, resuming their primary goal from the series to free Merlin and sustain peace in the kingdom of Avalon.

The upcoming Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders graphic novel is a dream come true for fans of this beloved '90s animated series. Despite the show's obscurity in recent years, the collaboration between Mad Cave Studios and 41 Entertainment is set to bring the magic and nostalgia of this girl-powered cartoon back to life. The cover art and release date announcement have already captured our attention, showcasing updated versions of our favorite characters in their jewel armor. With a focus on the magic of female friendship, this YA take on the classic cartoon promises to return fans to the colorful and charming world of Avalon. While the return to the original characters and setting is highly anticipated, the mystery surrounding the villain's identity and Merlin's strange behavior only adds to the excitement. With May 28, 2024, just around the corner, I can't wait to delve into this new chapter of Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders and continue the quest for magic, friendship, and peace in the kingdom of Avalon. Do you plan on reading this brand-new graphic novel series when it comes out? Let me know in the comments!

I have always dreamed of being a writer and creating the next great fairy tale princess heroine. Princesses inspire us to be our best selves. While you're here, feel free to follow my page on Facebook, subscribe to my YouTube channel, and check out my books. I'm also on Instagram and Twitter.

Would you like to contribute to The Princess Blog? Become a patron, and you could pick the topic for my next post!

Comments

☆a c i d k u r o i p e a c h said…
Wow! What perfect timing for this be announced asI'm watching Jewel Riders for the first and also ready Avalon: Web of Magic for the first time as well. I'll definitely be checking this graphic novel out!
October 30, 2023 at 11:49 AM
Lisa Dawn said…
That's fantastic! I'm really excited to see the new artwork and stories! Jewel power!
October 30, 2023 at 11:50 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fans "Wish" Disney Had Used These Abandoned Concepts

Image
Happy New Year, princess fans! When a new year begins, many of us think about things we can do better than the year before. There is no company this notion applies to better than Disney, which has been failing in every direction  now more so than ever. Their latest feature, Wish , was a genuinely solid movie that sadly did not make the profits it deserved. Following its theatrical run, many fans noticed that the concepts presented in the official  Art of Wish  book  would have elevated it from a good movie to a great one. Most of these concepts revolved around love and romance , which has been strategically removed from modern Disney Princess archetypes , despite being a staple of the brand prior to the past decade. Despite some early rumors that Asha might be the daughter of King Magnifico and Queen Amaya, the film's director Chris Buck explained in an interview  why he was adamantly against making her a princess, which may have been another mistake that could have altered the m
Read more

Review: Mountain of Dragons and Sacrifice

Image
As a member of the street team for the Sacrificed Hearts series , I have been eager to read these books about unexpected romance from many of my favorite authors. The series plays on the trope of sacrificial maidens  who learn that their "captors" are not what they appear to be and grow to love them. In other words, they can be interpreted as loose retellings of "Beauty and the Beast,"  one of the most beloved love stories. The first book in the series, Mountain of Dragons and Sacrifice  by Tara Grayce , is a quintessential starting point for this series. I recently reviewed Netflix's Damsel , which had a similar premise but was marred by modern agendas and stereotypes of what it means to be a princess today . In many ways, this story is the opposite of Damsel , taking a damsel who believes her life will be threatened by a fearsome dragon before learning she doesn't need physical strength to defeat it and that what is inside her heart is already enough. I wa
Read more

Princess Fashion

Image
I've been seeing several viral posts recently about historical fashion lately. One was  a gallery of women's fashion every year from 1784 to 1970 , and another was a video re-enactment of how women got dressed in the 18th century . These got me thinking about some of my favorite princess fashions. Though princesses are not known to be  historically accurate , their fashions drew inspiration from many different places, and history is one of them. If you take a look at the way fashion has evolved over time, you can get an idea of which parts inspired the princess movies and which parts were altered. Something that surprised me in the re-enactment was how many pieces were assembled on a woman to give the appearance of a single dress. Today, most dresses are a single piece, but historically, gowns consisted of a corset bodice and a large skirt with a crinoline underneath. This was something I also noticed about Disney's  theme park princesses . Though they look like one dr
Read more

Review: The Spanish Princess/White Queen Trilogy

Image
Yesterday, the Starz network  released the series finale of The Spanish Princess , concluding  The White Queen  trilogy of miniseries that began in 2013. Based on a book series called The Cousins' War  by Phillippa Gregory , the trilogy covers the women who stood behind the men in power in the English monarchy from 1464 to the 1530s, preceding the first two sovereign queens, Mary and Elizabeth. The White Queen , The White Princess , and The Spanish Princess  grant us a rare opportunity to see what life was like for medieval monarchs. Watching them reminded me of why I prefer the fairy tale versions of royalty. Those stories do not contain the gory deaths, gruesome births, and invasive politics that historical dramatizations like these exemplify. In fact, I had very little interest in watching the second season of The Spanish Princess until I watched some historical videos and learned that the king that Catherine of Aragon was married to was none other than King Henry VIII, who was
Read more

Review: Disney Princess - The Concert

Image
Update:  I just received confirmation from Christy Altomare (Wow!) that she will be attending the fall leg of the Disney Princess concert tour and was unable to attend the first few months because she is performing in a new musical at the Paper Mill Playhouse  and that Anneliese has always been part of the concert. If you attend this concert in the fall, you will have the good fortunate of seeing her live! It's been ten months since Disney launched the Ultimate Princess Celebration  when they announced that they had acquired the Broadway Princess Party  and retooled it into Disney Princess - The Concert . After several cast changes  and  the cancellation of the entire 2021 leg of the tour, I was fortunate enough to attend one of the first successful performances at the Bass Concert Hall . Initially, I was excited to see Anastasia's Christy Altomare , but she was replaced with Disney Channel's Anneliese van der Pol , who played Chelsea Daniels in That's So Raven and Rav
Read more

Review: Time Princess - The Underground City

Image
Where Infinite Shimmer , the last visual novel in Time Princess , encompasses everything romantic and girly in a seemingly misplaced cyberpunk setting, The Underground City: Stirring Shadows does quite the opposite. Although the dystopian world of The Underground City is so similar to Infinite Shimmer that it could have easily been a spinoff about a different character living a different life, Sera's circumstances are not nearly as appealing as Aurora's. This visual novel takes everything a player would expect from the genre instead of twisting it into a Barbie-like setting . While this is great for fans of dark gritty dystopian worlds, it feels out of place for such a bright girly game as Time Princess that features a fairy who gives the protagonist the power to become anyone. While not appealing to my personal tastes, this novel demonstrates the game's versatility to players who enjoy all types of stories. Underground City players are transformed into Sera, a tragic figur
Read more

Review: Unicorn Academy (Netflix)

Image
As soon as I saw the previews for Netflix's new animated series, Unicorn Academy , I couldn't get over how similar it looked to Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders . Teenagers forming magical bonds with unicorns to save the world from evil? Yes, please! With a Jewel Riders graphic novel on the horizon, this is the perfect time to revisit that premise. Unicorn Academy is loosely based on a book series of the same name  that got picked up by Netflix and recently aired its first season. The premiere movie and successive eight episodes follow six unicorns and their riders on their quest to protect the magical realm from the evil Ravenzella, who performed reprehensible acts to previous generations, including the father of the main character, Sophia. The show contains a lot of teen angst and drama as well as rainbows, sparkles, and magic. Although Unicorn Academy features an entire school full of unicorn riders training to be protectors, it only focuses on the six students liv
Read more

One Hundred Princesses for My 100th Post

Image
Today is a major accomplishment for me. I started this blog 100 days ago, and I've managed to write a new post in it every day since then. Some of the topics were easier to come up with than others. I also had to go back and edit some after the fact due to poor proofreading. Speaking of which, I'm really sorry about the disastrous short story from my first Story Saturday post . The whole thing was written on my phone on the way to a Mermaid Art Show event in San Diego, so I was a little distracted. I promise to put more effort into future Story Saturdays, which should be easier now that I will no longer be writing new posts every day. Don't worry, though. I will still keep everyone informed of the latest princess news and review all the new princess movies and specials. Without further ado, in celebration of my 100th post, here is a list of 100 princesses with all of the posts I've made about them (in no particular order). Thank you so much for reading my blog. 1-11:
Read more

Review: The Princess Twins of Legendale

Image
For those of you who aren't savvy in the world of underground Hollywood, there is a studio called The Asylum , whose sole purpose is to create low-budget imitations of popular movies in the hopes that an old granny will forget her glasses while shopping and buy one on DVD for her grandkids, thinking it's that big blockbuster movie they're always yapping on about. When they set their sights on an upcoming release from a major studio, they rush to get their imitation out before or around the same time as the one they're mimicking so they can pretend that they came up with the idea first. The Princess Twins of Legendale  was not produced by The Asylum, but it feels like it easily could have been. In actuality, it was produced by a modern toy company called MGA Entertainment , which is famous for making Bratz and  L.O.L. Surprise dolls. You would think that a toy company producing a low-budget movie would only do so with the intention of selling toys, but surprisingly, my
Read more

Review: Damsel (Netflix)

Image
A year and a half after Hulu's  The Princess , a film about a generic fairy tale princess picking up a sword and saving herself, is owned by Hulu, Neflix decided to take on their own version of the trope with  Damsel , a film about a general fairy tale princess picking up a sword and...saving herself? Though these two films share similar themes, the primary foe in Damsel  is a mythological dragon instead of a greedy conqueror, giving Netflix's take on the overdone plot more of a fantasy feel. However, the sweet taste of magic is as fleeting as the film's promise of happiness to its sacrificial brides. Like The Princess , Damsel  is a gritty action flick with little levity. I found The Princess  enjoyable enough for what it is, and Damsel , though generic, has its moments as well. The first act is particularly eye-pleasing with breathtaking imagery of castles, gowns, and indulgence in the royal life before the film's visuals and plot plummet into a dark pit. Elodie is a
Read more