graphic novels

Review: The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil

Posted by

0

The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil
The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil by Stephen Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved loved loved this hilarious graphic novel, and then the end left me flat. I hate those poignant, leave-you-hanging, no closure endings that are supposed to be all philosophical and crap. Bleh. There is no resolution and I hate that!

The artwork is beautifully detailed, but still gives this impression of space on every page. It really draws your attention to these little changes and reflects the mood of the story perfectly!

I adore the writing style, the prose and almost poetry, that makes every word count. It’s just perfection!
The plot is hilarious and the weird and wild things going on just put the characters into stark relief before this background of a war between chaos and order.

I was laughing and weirded out and thoroughly enjoyed it…. except for the end.

View all my reviews

Book Review: The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Posted by

0

The Invention of Hugo Cabret
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hugo is an orphan child, living and working in a grand train station in Paris. He is the son of a clockmaker, and loves to tinker with mechanical things. He meets a bitter old man and a bookish little girl, and finds that he is not the only one struggling to make sense of his past losses.

This is a story told partly in words, partly in pictures, and with reference to the beginnings of the motion picture. It amazes me how the story encompasses so many mediums!
It’s a melancholy story about loss and heartbreak, but also about finding a family of your own and owning your past. Continue reading →

Review: Redwall: The Graphic Novel

Posted by

0

Redwall: The Graphic Novel
Redwall: The Graphic Novel by Stuart Moore

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Matthias Mouse, whose home is being attacked by the evil rat Cluny the Scourge, is on a quest to recover the legendary sword of Martin of Redwall, so that he can meet Cluny in battle. There are riddles and secret passageways, old enemies and unexpected friends, and of course, several mighty battle scenes!

I adore the full novel, Redwall, so seeing it in graphic form was exciting! There is so much more depth to the story that couldn’t be included in this format, but it still managed to fit most everything in there, although it feels a bit rushed. Continue reading →

Graphic Novel Review: Anya’s Ghost

Posted by

0

Anya's Ghost
Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Anya is a Russian American with difficulty fitting in at school. When she falls down an old well, she meets a ghost who follows her around. Anya and the ghost become friends, but the ghost has secrets, and Anya has to find her true self in order to solve the mystery of her ghostly companion.

This story really surprised me! Just when I thought I had it figured out, the plot twists came at me. I love the artwork and the beautiful characters. The story almost seems superficial at first; fitting in at school and being accepted by the cool kids, but then the deep themes come in, like the nature of friendship and accepting yourself, the love of a family and how that can be a fortress against the world. There are so many good ideas behind the story that give it a powerful and meaningful message. Continue reading →

Book Review: The Sculptor

Posted by

0

The Sculptor
The Sculptor by Scott McCloud

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

When David Smith makes a deal with Death, he gains power over stone and metal to create his sculptures, but the deal involves more than he knows, and his artistic talent is the only thing he has left to carry him through. As he comes to grips with his own art, his friendships and relationships begin to suffer and he has to lose everything to find himself.

This is the most depressing thing I’ve read all year. Ugh. I can’t deny that it’s very powerful, but I didn’t like the way it made me feel. And I didn’t like the smatterings of profanity. At least the profanity wasn’t on every page, so I was able to mostly ignore it and read through the entire book. And then there was some nudity towards the end that got on my nerves, so yeah. bleh.

The thing is… it’s really very well-written and the artwork is so incredible! The story line, the characters, the relationships, and dialogue, and mood and tone and everything… it’s genius! But I didn’t LIKE it. I didn’t like how it made me feel. I thought it was depressing and grotesque and hopeless. The art is so beautiful, but it depicts such ugly things. It made me uncomfortable. Continue reading →

Comic Review: Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant

Posted by

0

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant
Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love it so much!!! Action and adventure and friendship and travel and everything… Ah, so good!
So this is the story of two unlikely traveling companions, who go looking for adventure and go up against a dirty pirate king. They escape from hoards of bad guys in Delilah’s flying boat, and then stop for a cup of Selim’s famously delicious tea and biscuits. Continue reading →

August Reading

Posted by

0

What is a children’s book that reminded you of Beatrix Potter? What’s your favorite graphic novel? Tell me in the comments!
Books for MKs is a charity organization that donates books to missionary kids on the foreign mission field all over the world.
Donate now at http://www.gofundme.com/booksformks to help these children get reading material!

Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE, LIKE, and COMMENT!

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/thekai05
WordPress: https://booksformks.wordpress.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/booksformks
Instagram: http://instagram.com/thekai05/