Pandemonium

Title: Pandemonium (volume 1)
Author: Chris Wooding
Illustrator: Cassandra Diaz
Publisher: Graphix (Scholastic)
Copyright: 2012
Price: $12.99
ISBN: 978-0-439-87759-6
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Summary and Quick Thoughts: Seifer Thombchewer (his last name from his grandfather who enjoys eating gravestones) thinks he leads a dull life. Seifer’s charismatic, he’s the star of the skullball team, and he has a loving family. Yet, he is drawn to the mountains, knowing that there is something over there and adventure is waiting. Adventure does come to him, though, in the form of kidnapping and being enlisted to pretend to be Prince Talon Pandemonium, Lord Defender of the Realm. The resemblance is uncanny, but there isn’t time to dwell on that as another force is determined on claiming part of the country. Pandemonium spends a lot of its first volume setting up the world and leaving us with way too many questions.
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Recommended Audience: Middle and High school readers
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Things to be aware of: violence, magic
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Further Thoughts: I know Chris Wooding for his YA work, which was a different kind of fairy story as far as I could tell. I’ve never read anything by him so this is my first exposure. Frankly, this title feels like a web comic type of story from the lack of back story to the art.

I picked up this title because it was a “Scholastic Graphic” title and thought “hey, this looks like something with potential.” My first glances, though, disappointed me. I wasn’t interested in the art and I thought it was rather weak. It looked like the artist’s first work, yet I found that as I read it, the art grew and seemed to be what the story needed, even if it is an odd pairing.

The story fits a web comic saga: spend time on the action and world building; then, start explaining stuff. In a way, it’s fine, but on the other hand, I’m worried that because of that set-up, this is all we will get from this series. I didn’t mind the adventure, but I somewhat wanted a little more information than I got about the Seifer-Talon connection (because it’s clear there is one). I certainly thought we’d get an explanation about the ring that shows up in the latter half of the book before the end, but nope. We’re left hanging, since the one character that had been explaining everything did not explain that before the end. Now, I wish this was in a web comic format so I can read more of this.

Overall, it’s a solid, fantasy story with a lot of world building, action, and good comic timing. I’m not sure I’d have purchased this based on a review, but on the other hand, it adds a nice change, especially in paperback. For some reason I keep thinking that this might appeal to readers of Amulet, but I have to admit I haven’t read Amulet yet to tell you if that is true. I’d like to see more of Seifer, but I hope that the next volume gives us a little more back story than this one.

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Source: Library copy.

Sense & Sensibility Marvel Adapation

Title: Sense & Sensibility
Author: Jane Austen (Adapted: Nancy Butler & Sonny Liew)
Illustrator: Sonny Liew
Publisher: Marvel
Copyright: 2010
Price: $19.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-4829-7
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Summary and Quick Thoughts: After the death of their father, the Dashwood daughters and their mother relocate to a small college. This is mainly due to their half-brother’s manipulating wife, but that’s ok as they will live happily there and marriage prospects look good. This is the story of Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, their friendship and their romances. This is just an adaptation of the classic and collects the single issues published in fall 2010.
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Recommended Audience: Middle, high school, and adult
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Things to be aware of: None.
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Further Thoughts: Let me begin this by the fact that I was thoroughly expecting to snark my way through this book. Seriously. After the horrendous adaptation of Pride and Prejudice (click for my review), I expected to read this for the inconsistencies and the annoying, horrendous art.

Um. I was wrong. I was so crazy wrong. I’m so glad that this one is much, much better than the first which I still can’t believe actually made the New York Times Bestsellers (according to the back cover of this one).

Full disclosure: I have not read Sense & Sensibility, but have watched a few adaptations so I know the general story…sorta.

First, the art. I expected the art not to match the covers since that was obviously what happened with the first Austen adaptation. Nope. The art on the covers totally matched what was in the comic and I was thrilled. For me, half of the story is made up in the art from the nuances to the faces, the placing of characters, and how the scene is to be understood. One highlight of this work is that the characters are somewhat like caricatures, so when we slip into chibis (tiny bodies, large heads, in manga used to convey humor and cuteness) it was a natural shift and helped to add to the scene’s humor. I also never grew tired of the possibly screwed-up proportions. It just added to the story and the illustrator did a fantastic job conveying how the characters were feeling. My only complaint is how flushed everyone looked for most of the time. Occasionally I thought “who is going to be sick now?”

The text of the story is a bit wordy for a comic, but I’m not sure if there was any way to get around that. The narrated bits seemed out of place, but necessary. Having not read the text though, I cannot tell you where the liberties were taken for this story and what was original. I did feel that there were no essential parts left out this time like the major plot point missing in the Pride and Prejudice adaptation.

I’m impressed. I look forward to the next adaptation of Austen into comic style and hope that this success is only the beginning of more. Considering I’ve never read any other Austen (only got half-way through Emma), I’m hoping for an adaptation of Persuasion, as that movie adaptation only confused me. I’d also like to see how Mansfield Park could be improved upon as I tried to read that and couldn’t believe the stuff that character went to.

If you’re looking for more girl-centric stories and something that is mostly clean, this is a good selection. Well done Marvel. Not what I expected at all.

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Source: Library copy.

Baby's In Black

Title: Baby’s In Black
Author: Arne Bellstorf

Illustrator: Arne Bellstorf
Publisher: First Second (:01)

Copyright: [May 8] 2012

Price: $24.99

ISBN: 978-1596437715
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Summary and Quick Thoughts: Before The Beatles made it big, they were performing in Germany. Instead of four band members, there were five and this was before Ringo. Paul, George, John, Pete, and Stu were performing a crazy amount of time in a club in a not so great part of town. This is not that story though. This is the story of Klaus, who discovers The Beatles and brings in his friends, including Astrid Kirchherr, whose eyes meet Stuart Sutcliff’s and the rest follows their tragic love story.

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Recommended Audience: adults

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Things to be aware of: smoking…in every panel
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Further Thoughts: I’m not a Beatles Nerd. I’m not necessarily a lover of The Beatles, but don’t mind when The Philosopher Musician puts their music on (probably one of the few things we can agree to in his car). I adored the movie Across the Universe (my intro to most of The Beatles music). I read the YA book that borrows from the song Across the Universe, but like A Million Suns, I had to be filled in by The Philosopher Musician regarding The Beatles and how the songs tied into this book and the YA books.

So, that explains my reaction to this book: lukewarm, excepting the last chapter, which almost made me cry.

The Philosopher Musician should really do this review. Instead, he’s busy with school work.

Baby’s in Black is the love story of Astrid Kirchherr and Stuart Sutcliff, the “fifth Beatle.” He’s really a trapped artist along for the ride because he likes John. Throughout the story, we watch as Astrid works on her English, Stuart works on his German, and they fall sweetly in love. He moves in, discovers his passion for art, watches his friends get deported, watches them come back, and so on and so forth. Then his health starts to deteriorate. He has “episodes” until finally he succumbs in a simply wordless (ellipses-filled) final chapter that pulls on your heart strings.

The last chapter is beautiful. I cannot express how the scenes, at first confusing, express emotions and words not said. You’ll want to cry reading the story, especially if you don’t know how the love story ends.

Sadly, I can’t say I liked the art much. Half the time I was thinking “which Beatle is that?” I couldn’t tell who was who, but after a while, I knew who Astrid was, I knew who Klaus was, and I knew who Stu was. Any “Beatle” that spoke was just “A Beatle” in my mind and for scenes where I couldn’t tell anyone apart, I just decided “dialogue.”

Overall, to sum it up, Baby’s in Black is a reference to a title of a Beatles song, which I did not know and wish I had known earlier. This book could have benefited from an intro instead of the small epilogue we got. Get it for the Beatles Lovers, but pass if you don’t have the budget.

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Bonus:

Source: NetGalley

Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Cardboard Box (#12)

Title: Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Cardboard Box (#12)
Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Retold by M. J. Cosson & Murray Shaw)

Illustrator: JT Morrow & Sophie Rohrbach
Publisher: Lerner Publishing

Copyright: 2012

Price: $27.93

ISBN: 978-0761370901
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Summary and Quick Thoughts: Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are called to help Lestrade investigate a mysterious package with disturbing contents sent to Miss Susan Cushing. Told in a bland tale about a bland adventure

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Recommended Audience: Upper Elementary

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Things to be aware of: Gross box contents
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Further Thoughts: When poking around Netgalley for interesting graphic novels to read I saw this title and thought “OH MY GOSH, Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Cardboard Box sounds great. What could be so mysterious about a cardboard box?” Sadly, it did not live up to the greatness that the title implies. If anything, I figured it’d be some hilarious zombie story that had me in stitches. Instead, it is the mystery of Miss Susan Cushing receiving a mysterious box with severed [spoiler] in it. BORING.

If this is a Sherlock Holmes story, I have yet to read this one or even hear about it or see it adapted with Jeremy Brett. Unless it was ages ago and I forgot, which tells you what I think the fate of this book will be: forgotten.

The text is unappealing. The art is unappealing (to me). The text is badly done: told not shown, not spiced up a bit. The words probably borrowed from Doyle or they were adapted to make it a more interesting and easier read for kids. Alas, it comes off stiff and dull. The art is not my thing at all. The characters are all bizarre shapes and Sherlock is a different skin tone than everyone else. Not to mention his chin: it grows, it shrinks. The only character who seems consistent and true to the tale is Dr. Watson.

Despite the word “adventure” in the title, this Sherlock Holmes lacks it. Pass for better adaptations, which I know are out there.

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Bonus:

Source: Netgalley.