henry, john

"John Henry is the strongest, fastest hammerman working on the railroads in the years after the American Civil War. One day, a salesman comes by with a machine he says can drill faster than any man. John is determined to prove no fancy device can beat him"--Back cover.

In this graphic adaptation of the American folktale, John Henry is the strongest elf in Gem Forest, able to carve out a perfect mining tunnel with a single swing of his hammer; so when Snotsworthy the gnome invents a machine that digs tunnels without the need for paid workers, John Henry challenges the gnome to a contest on sinister Witchfinger Mountain--home to a tribe of sleeping orcs.