Graphic By Nature

This is the place for graphic novel reviews, but you won't find any traditional superheroes here. If you're like me, you enjoy your comics funny, strange, and sometimes a little dark. But you also value an interesting story and captivating illustration. Sounds like you? Check out the review below.

Photo credit: Capstone Young Readers

Rudyard Kipling's Just So Comics: Tales of the World's Wildest Beasts is the graphic novel adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories. The graphic novel has been beautifully illustrated by Pedro Rodriguez as his style is reminiscent of Disney's The Lion King. An outstanding team of writers at Capstone worked their magic on the original stories by artfully maintaining the feel of Kipling's writing while bringing new life to the text to create a graphic novel that is both unique and fun.

Rodriguez's use of color transports the reader to from Sub-Saharan Africa to the Red Sea to India through a safari of color. The drawings are whimsical but not so cartoonish that both parent and child can't enjoy them as the panels flow easily from one to the next. 

Author Rudyard Kipling illustrated the original Just So Stories in 1902, upon the book's first publishing. His pictures are in black and white with fine lines like pen and ink drawings. They are exquisite in their own right, as if you could take the individual panels, frame them, and hang them in your home as pieces of art.

Just So Comics has adapted four of the original thirteen stories:

• How the Leopard Got His Spots
• How the Elephant Got His Trunk
• How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin
• How the Camel Got His Hump

Each story is broken up into three parts. It starts with "Research" that includes a picture of the animal as well as facts about where he's from, what he eats, and what types of animals he hangs out with. The next section is entitled "Kipling's Observation" and recounts the way in which the animal has evolved. This section ends with the poem originally associated with the story. The third and final section, "Conclusion," shares facts and a drawing of the new and improved animal.

The stories are imagined versions of each animal's origin. Author-turned-explorer Rudyard Kipling is your guide -- he's the narrator that occasionally butts in, keeps things moving, and provides the reader with useful bits information along the way. Each tale is silly and fun -- a joy to read. There was more than one laugh-out-loud moment while flipping through the pages and I often caught myself smiling. While the graphic novel is aimed at grades 3 - 6 (8 - 11 year olds), there are tidbits thrown in for adults. This would make for good reading together, parent and child, either one story at a time or all in one sitting.

Verdict:

Bookshelf. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Just So Comics. It was colorful and clever. The comic stands on its own despite being an updated version of the renown Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories. If you have a young reader in your home, this demands a place on your shelf.

*A copy of Rudyard Kipling's Just So Comics: Tales of the World's Wildest Beasts was provided by the publisher, Capstone Young Readers, via NetGalley.com.

LitStarter: Bringing You the Best in Bookish Projects

Welcome to another installment of Lit Starter! This is a regular look at some of my favorite projects discovered through two popular crowd funding websites: Kickstarter and Indiegogo. The featured projects will be related to literature and comics, but not limited to publishing or writing projects.

This week, we're featuring The Leaning Girl Translated Graphic Novel Project by Steve Smith of Alaxis Press. There is a French graphic novel series entitled The Obscure Cities that began in the late 1980s and continues today. Only five books in the series have been translated into English, but the translations stopped after 2002. As a fan of the series Steve Smith wanted to see all of the graphic novels translated into English and published.

Smith is asking for $30,000 in order to cover the production costs of the first book, The Leaning Girl. Smith has been involved in the publishing industry for over 30 years and has done his homework. The same company that produces the European editions has been hired to produce the English editions for this project. Smith has purchased the rights, paid publishing advances, and received blessings from the creators -- the artist, François Schuiten, and writer, Benoît Peeters.  Smith has already completed the translation himself.

What drew me to the project wasn't just Smith's passion for making The Obscure Cities available to English-speaking audiences, or the promise of beautiful artwork and an intriguing story, but the involvement from the original creators. They're featured in the Kickstarter video and create a more dynamic view of what the project is and what it aims to do. It's clear that the relationship between Smith, Schuiten, and Peeters is a close one and an integral part of why this Kickstarter will be a success.

From left to right, François Schuiten, Steve Smith, and Benoît Peeters, posing for a picture in La Grande-Place de Bruxelles. 

 You can learn more about Alaxis Press and The Obscure Cities by visiting the website.

Photo credit: Steve Smith.

Truthful Tales: Exploring Non-Fiction

In Truthful Tales: Exploring Non-Fiction, CWAtC will be exploring new non-fiction each month that contains a 5th Thursday. Writers will rotate, so expect a wide variety of non-fiction reviews! For May, Book-tator Jeane, reviews My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf. Enjoy!

Written by an author who was a friend of and went to high school with Jeffrey Dahmer, My Friend Dahmer is a graphic novel about the infamous, cannibalistic serial killer. Interestingly, Derf Backderf tries to present a humanistic side to Dahmer. Backderf does an excellent job of showing how the murderer inside Dahmer could have been subdued had he received the help he needed during his troubled teenage years. 

My Friend Dahmer is well-written and super creepy. It freaked me out in parts and made me a little sad for Dahmer when I learned what he went through.  

Verdict

Library Bag: I believe My Friend Dahmer would be great people who already enjoy graphic novels, those who enjoy crime or true crime stories, and might even be fun for reluctant readers. In addition, I think some people might enjoy this graphic novel as a first-time experience in the graphic novel world because it gives an insider perspective of a world that most of us, thank goodness, will never experience. And, it is an illustrated format! How cool is that?!?

Graphic By Nature

This is the place for graphic novel reviews, but you won't find any traditional superheroes here. If you're like me, you enjoy your comics funny, strange, and sometimes a little dark. But you also value an interesting story and captivating illustration. Sounds like you? Check out the review below.

Reviewing Capote in Kansas provided a great excuse to read Truman Capote's In Cold Blood: A True Account of Multiple Murder and Its Consequences. I'd heard of it, but never read it; one of those famous novels that sits in a toppling pile of to-read books. In Cold Blood was artfully crafted -- each line written with care. It's a rare novel that, for an avid reader, compels you to read and savor every word. In Cold Blood was emotional, telling the human stories of the victims, the townspeople, and the killers. Capote created a "non-fiction" novel; a retelling of the murder of the Clutter family, the investigation into their death, and the capture of their killers. Instead of the novel reading like a dry crime procedural, Capote turned the story into the page-turning classic it is today. If you haven't read it yet, I recommend stopping what you're doing and picking up a copy. Borrow it, buy it -- it doesn't matter. Just be sure to read it.

Photo courtesy of Goodreads.com.

After finishing In Cold Blood, I got to work reading Capote in Kansas -- written by Andre Parks and illustrated by Chris Samnee. The strength of this graphic novel comes from the talent of Chris Samnee. His use of fine lines to capture detail is stunning. But he also knows when to use simplicity in panels to tell the story. He knows when to draw in the fine lines, when to leave them out, and when to ink with solid black. There are many panels where detail is drawn into the background with the characters in the foreground, quiet and without facial details -- I found these to be some of the best and most impactful. Samnee is an expert in the use of light and dark to portray mood and feeling. He draws the characters close up -- an intimacy is created between the reader and the characters, especially Truman Capote.

I came to Capote in Kansas looking for hints of the compelling story that I discovered while reading In Cold Blood, but I didn't find them. 

Where the artwork of Capote in Kansas is it's highlight, the writing is its downfall. Andre Parks admits to using the basic time and structure as the skeleton of his story and building the rest with fiction. The story, as the title suggests, focuses on Truman Capote as he researches, writes, and publishes In Cold Blood. He arrives in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas with his snotty New York attitude, disappointed when the town can't offer him the comforts he is used to. The story follows his struggles to connect with the locals, the problems it causes in researching the story, the haunting of Nancy Clutter, and his troubles in maintaining his long-term, long-distance relationship with his partner. The story is superficial and awkward at times, especially in dealing with Capote's love life and sexuality. There is a scene where Capote is waiting with Perry, one of the two men convicted of the Clutter murders, before he is taken to the gallows. As they're waiting, Capote kisses Perry. It felt like the author was using Capote's sexuality as a gimmick, assuming it was the logical extension of Truman Capote's real life compassion for Perry. It's a shame because as you read the original novel, it's hard not to share some of that same compassion for him as well. The characters in Capote in Kansas aren't well developed and Capote's relationship with each of them barely delves beneath the surface enough to make emotional scenes work.

Capote in Kansas doesn't stand on its own, either. You have to have read In Cold Blood to understand the basic story at work in the graphic novel. There are too many pages without words, while well-drawn and compelling, that make it difficult to understand the context. Coupled with a weak storyline and the semi-development of only one character, Capote, the graphic novel doesn't leave a lasting impression.

For many, the story of Truman Capote and the story of In Cold Blood are inextricably linked. Looking back, one sees Capote's research and writing of his most successful book as colliding with his downfall -- he never published another novel. He frequented the talk show circuit, struggled with depression and alcoholism, and died from liver cancer in 1984. This linkage has created an obsession in America: there is a black and white adaptation of the film by Richard Brooks, In Cold Blood (nominated for an Academy Award). Capote and Infamous focus on the author and his relationship to the Clutter murders as he researches and writes his novel. There was a TV miniseries created in the mid-1990's featuring Anthony Edwards and Eric Roberts based on the book. There are many, many books devoted to the subject such as Capote by Gerald Clarke, George Plimpton's Truman Capote, and Capote in Kansas: A Ghost Story by Kim Powers. At the time of this review, there is only one graphic novel version related to the story of Truman Capote and In Cold Blood. I would suggest choosing from one of the many other, expertly created interpretations available if you're looking to satisfy your curiosity about Truman Capote that was inevitably invoked by reading In Cold Blood.

Verdict:

For many, this graphic novel belongs in the donation box. But for graphic novel lovers, it might be worth putting in the library bag -- flipping through Samnee's beautifully drawn panels is a treat.

*A digital copy of this graphic novel was provided by NetGalley.com.

Graphic By Nature

Welcome to the first installment of Graphic By Nature! This is the place for graphic novel reviews, but you won't find any traditional superheroes here. If you're like me, you enjoy your comics funny, strange, and sometimes a little dark. But you also value an interesting story and captivating illustration. Sounds like you? Check out the review below.

Image from Goodreads.com

I discovered Vera Brosgol's graphic novel, Anya's Ghost almost by accident. I was at the library perusing the "Teen Section" where they have conveniently placed all of the comics and graphic novels, making me look terribly out of place in the process. I was scanning the shelves and title after title read "Marvel" and "DC." While superhero comics are fun and popular, that's not what I was interested in. I wanted something I hadn't seen before, something a little different, and Brosgol's novel stuck out like a sore thumb. So I picked it up. While the old adage, "Don't judge a book by it's cover" can be useful, it wasn't here. A judgement was rendered -- it looked interesting -- and it came home with me.

Anya's Ghost is a young adult graphic novel centered around a high school girl named Anya, her struggle for normalcy as a Russian immigrant living in America, and her friendship with a ghost named Emily. But the moral of this story is about perception. Things aren't always what they seem, but Anya just doesn't know it yet. 

At the beginning of the story, Anya is like many other teenagers -- self-absorbed, insecure, and a bit mean to her family. She sees only what is happening on the surface. It's at a typical high-school party that she has the experience of peering into another reality to realize that all is not what it seems. Anya begins to change through a series of events involving her ghost friend Emily, a classmate named Dima, and her family. Anya becomes stronger, more self-confident, and selfless through these experiences and over the course of the story.

The graphic part of the novel is beautifully drawn and shaded in three main colors: black, white, and purple. The lines Brosgol uses are heavy and dark while the artwork is a bit cartoonish -- it's reminiscent of Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis. The cartoon-like quality of the drawings makes the novel accessible to readers of almost any age. 

While I especially enjoyed the beginning of Anya's Ghost, things were muddled in the middle with the fight involving Anya's best friend, not to mention her inaction while watching Dima get bullied, or her attempts to garner the attention of her popular crush. Ultimately, Anya learns her lesson that things aren't always what they seem.

The Verdict:

Library bag. While I enjoyed Anya's Ghost, it's heavy midsection kept me from running down to my local comic shop to pick up my own copy. However, I think it would be a great read for most adolescents and teens. It's beautifully illustrated with a lesson that all of us could take care to remember.

You can find the author on Twitter @verabee.