Leo Da Vinci, Renaissance Kid-Graphic Novel Review
- Ben Crane
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Title: Leo Da Vinci, Renaissance Kid
Written by: Richard Ashley Hamilton
Illustrated by: Marco Matrone
Lettered by: Dave Sharpe
Publisher: Papercutz
Release Date: 04/14/2026 (FOC was 03/23/2026)
Price: $9.99 Digital, $17.99 Hardcover, $12.99 Trade Paperback
Solicit:
Meet the Original Prank Artist! Most people think of Leonardo Da Vinci as some old guy painting stuff hundreds of years ago…yet even Da Vinci was once a bold, troublemaking kid who craved adventure—this is his story! Equal parts Sherlock Holmes and Indiana Jones.
Most people think of Leonardo Da Vinci as some old guy painting stuff hundreds of years ago…yet even Da Vinci was once a bold, troublemaking kid who craved adventure—this is his story! Young Leo has spent his childhood exploring art and engineering (and creepy caves) in the freedom of his hometown. But when his long-lost dad drags Leo to an apprenticeship far away, our boy genius soon finds himself out of his depth…and in a city on the brink of war! Fortunately, Leo also finds two new friends who change his life forever: Tano, a charmingly clumsy chum from Africa, and Filomena, a pre-teen patron who funds Leo’s latest inventions and always wears a mysterious smile—the smile which will inspire Da Vinci’s most famous portrait. Together, Leo, Filomena, and Tano uncover a deadly conspiracy that threatens the entire world…only nobody believes them, since they’re “just kids.” So Leo and his pals must grab everyone’s attention the only way they know how—with elaborate pranks that harness the true power of Art to open eyes and change minds. Equal parts Sherlock Holmes and Indiana Jones, Leo Da Vinci leaps out of history and into our hearts in an epic tale full of action, comedy, and full-color fun!
REVIEW
Leo Da Vinci, a new middle-grade graphic novel by Richard Ashley Hamilton, Marco Maltrone, and Dave Sharpe, coming from Papercutz follows, unsurprisingly, the young Italian polymath.
In his childhood home of the small town Vinci, the young Leo is comfortable and loved, but thoroughly bored and prone to getting in trouble because of it. But when his father, a noble and government functionary in the nearby city-state of Florence brings him to the city for an art apprenticeship, Leo’s capacity for mischief only grows.
As quickly as he ingratiates himself to the wheelchair using leader of the city, Cosimo de Medici, with whom he bonds over a love of wondrous machinery and local, idealistic teens Filomena and Tano, Leo also earns the ire of his fellow apprentices for vastly outshining them. And being an unrecognized son, Leo misses the warmth of his family back in Vinci as his father keeps him at a cool distance, separated and distinct from his recognized children.
With war with the city of Venice on the horizon and Venetian spies infiltrating Florence, it isn’t long before Leo, Tano, and Filomena’s childish hijinks land them at the center of a plot to destroy the city—but who will believe the boy prone to stories of wonder and fancy?
Leo Da Vinci is a charming book that cleverly blends historical detail with modern sensibilities. Leo and his friends talk and act like modern children, which keeps the book feeling fresh, even if it isn’t perfectly accurate, and this classic story of kids saving the day is sure to entertain young readers. The illustrations are bright and clear. Leo is an immediately winning protagonist, at once both an overconfident rake and a deeply vulnerable boy in search of affection, friendship, and mentorship.
In a few places the narrative does stumble, and more than once I found myself confused as the story leapt forward abruptly. The ending, while satisfying in the moment, also doesn’t make perfect sense. Both the conspiracy plot and Leo’s personal arc feel both rushed and unfinished, and I wish Tano and Filomena were given a bit more of a chance to be heroic and grow themselves.
Don’t go into Leo Da Vinci expecting true history—this is a children’s adventure first and foremost wrapped in historical trappings—but if you have a kid who loves Ren Faire and Venetian masks, then this story about cleverness and bravery winning out over strength and bloodlines could be a real charmer.
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