This seems pleasingly old-fashioned colourful pulp fantasy with talking animals and flying cities and mages and warriors, but there's a lot more going on here. The Champion summoned by a secret conclave of magicians to save magic seems to be from a more sci-fi past, and every chapter opens with a double page spread of text and illustration that suggests these stories may be literally pulp. However, these elements are part of the long game, and for now, Learoyd and Dusty must protect the people of the fallen city from enemies without and within and OF COURSE it ends in a cliffhanger dag nabbit. Wonderful art, and some of Busiek's best writing.