Graphic Novels
I love these things, the novels that not only give you an interesting story but also very often amazing artwork. Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series got me into it, made me realise that graphic novels are not cartoons or comics but that they are on a par with written novels. If artist and writer understand each others ideas the resulting book will be a beautiful artwork. I will not start to try to review Sandman, it is beyond any words I possibly could find, to me it’s the ultimate pleasure. A story that will never leave you, artwork, by many artists, that stops your breath and, at least in the edition I own, beautiful print on paper you can’t but stroke. There, now you probably think I am mad, but believe me, it is something special. And when I go and browse through the graphic novel section in bookshops I not only look for a story that interests me or an artist whose work I like but also for a high quality of print and paper. I read many others since then and not had a disappointment yet. But let’s leave the past behind and start with only the most recent and all future books I’ll read.
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel is slightly different from my usual reads – it is a memoir, of a real life and a real person. I usually avoid memoirs and biographies, they don’t interest me very much, but this one came recommended in some best-of-list or other so I gave it a try. The other intriguing bit is that the writer has done the artwork herself.
The book tells the story of a childhood and youth partly in a Victorian house -that constantly gets decorated and restored by the cold and distant father- and partly in the family business, a funeral home the family calls the Fun House. The father is a closeted homosexual who is frequently involved with male students. The story tells us in a moving and funny narrative about the deep yearning the daughter has for her father that climaxes in her own coming out as gay. But this memoir is more than just the simple facts. The memories of this particular childhood are drawn and told in such loving detail, with so much feelings that you can’t but sucked into the world of the Fun House.The artwork is in black and white with sparse grey in-colouring, simple but very effective, mirroring the distance and lack of emotion of the father. A brilliant novel.
*
A few weeks ago I found a little link on twitter directing me to a book of graphic stories all using the lure and temptation by some or other form of siren. And in a brilliant twist the publishers decided to call it Siren. There are 15 different stories, all by different writers and artists and to describe the art is futile – you need to see it. There are stories of children being lured away by their own fantasy, man eating sirens, beautiful girls dying because of unrequited love, children catching trolls and their mothers, goddesses having to learn a lesson and so many more takes on sirens – it is a huge book, beautifully printed and has all the information about the artists you could possibly want, including their websites. Unfortunately this beautiful gem is only available in America, but here is where you can get it: http://sirencomic.com/index.html
The site gives you the possibility to look inside the book, so you don’t have to take my word for it.
*
Cute. So very cute. The Clockwork Girl by Sean O’Reilly and Kevin Hanna. It’s a small book, takes you half an hour to read at the most, but it’s so sweet. Clock work scientist makes a clockwork girl, biologist makes wolf boy, they meet, fall in love, can’t have each other because their makers hate each other, big crisis, big fight, then something happens and all is well, love conquers all and so on. Yes, we know the story, no surprise. But the way it’s told and the way it’s drawn is just to beautiful. It’s a little treasure you are holding there, beautiful paper as well. Suitable for kids if you please allow them to read graphic novels. Cute.
*
The Facts In The Case Of The Departure Of Miss Finch by Neil Gaiman & Michael Zulu is the adaptation of one of Gaimans short stories with the beautiful, rich art of Zulu. You might know the story but you still will want to own this. A group of friends with the very stern Miss Finch in tow visits a circus spectacle called The Theater Of Night’s Dreaming that is performing in subterranean tunnels underneath a main train line in London. The circus performs rather macabre illusions and tricks with culminate in the Cabinet Of Wishes Fulfill’d. Fantastic little story, gorgeous artwork make this novel a pleasure to hold.
*
