A Tale of Two Travelers

I bought this book during Fieldmouse Press's annual catalog pre-sale. I got all the books, and I will be reviewing some of them here, stay tuned! First up is A Tale of Two Travelers, an adaptation of a tale from the Brothers Grimm. In this story, a tailor and a shoemaker meet up on the road to a big city, and they decide to travel together. They are a study in opposites, as the tailor is rather carefree, open, generous, and likes to leave things to chance. The shoemaker is reserved, severe, penurious, and likes to plan everything out in advance. The shoemaker gets easily annoyed by the tailor, and even attempts to leave him a few times. When they come to a point where the trip will take either two or seven days, the tailor does not take enough water to sustain him, and then the shoemaker strikes a dark bargain for his companion to survive.

I was not familiar with this story beforehand, and it is intriguing on its own, with weighty ethical and moral implications. But the narrative is incredibly enhanced by the deceptively simple artwork, which is sketchy, bold, and expert. The characters and backgrounds are rendered in remarkably economical ways that amplify the characters' personalities, the stakes of their situations, and the emotional drama. I loved reading this book, and it would be an excellent text to include in any unit or study of folktales or simply as a great diversion in its own right.

This book was written and drawn by Madita Schwenke, whose comics have mostly been published in German. If you go check out her website, you can see images from some of her other works, like Drifting and Wohnen und Wurmen. This book was translated into English by Natalye Childress, a writer and editor who trucks in comics.

A Tale of Two Travelers was published by Fieldmouse Press, and they offer preview pages and more information about it here.

Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: Bones and Berserkers

The 13th book in one of my favorite graphic novel series, Bones and Berserkers changes up the format in that it features a collection of 13 tales rather than one overarching narrative. Still, all the major players are still here, and the range of horrific stories run a gamut of genres. There are folk tales like the Demon Cat, an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's "Hop-Frog," the real-life misadventures of pro-golfer Eben Myers with medicinal radium, and the terrible murders and arson at Frank Lloyd Wright's home/studio Taliesin. I felt that in some ways this book was a bit more documentary in places, like history mixed with true crime writing, which worked well.

This book is dedicated to Alvin Schwartz and Stephen Gammell, and it shares a real kinship to their Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. It features some pretty graphic scenes, including a human head stripped bare by cancer treatments, a bunch of men dressed as orangutans who are set on fire, and butts being chopped off of people's bodies, so it is pitched toward an older audience than earlier volumes in the series. Still, there are moments of grim humor that punctuate the proceedings much like the Crypt-Keeper did in Tales From the Crypt. It's not a book for the squeamish, and I found it to be wonderfully gruesome and fun. This book is a treasure trove of horror for fans of both fiction and nonfiction.  

The Jersey Devil!

Bones and Berserkers was made by Nathan Hale (not related to the Revolutionary War spy), a highly accomplished graphic novelist. I love his work so much that I named one of my annual favorites list categories after him. Aside from his great success with this series, he has also published the fictional graphic novels The Mighty Bite,  One Trick Pony and Apocalypse Taco. He has also drawn a few others, including Rapunzel's Revenge and Calamity Jack. I learned some more about Hale's work on this book and his upcoming projects in this article.

The reviews I have read of this book have been positive. Kirkus Reviews summed it up, "Not all true, but truly nightmarish." Susan Harari wrote that it would be "perfect for reluctant readers in middle or even high school who are brave enough to handle both fictional and factual horror stories."

Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: Bones and Berserkers was published by Abrams Fanfare, and they offer more information about it here.

The Dragon Slayer: Folktales from Latin America

Long-time readers of this blog should know that Jaime Hernandez is one of my favorite comics creators. He has won multiple Harvey and Eisner Awards for the long-running Love and Rockets series he co-created with his brothers, and I loved seeing his work in various anthologies over the years. The Dragon Slayer, notably, is his first foray into comics for younger readers. It is a thin book, but it is packed with beauty, energy, and fun.

After an introduction by F. Isabel Campoy that gives context to Latinx folktales, there are three 10-page stories. The first, titular story is about a young daughter who gets kicked out her house but is gifted a magic wand that helps her find her way in the world and (yes) eventually kill a horrible dragon.

The second tale "Martina Martinez and Pérez the Mouse" is about a beautiful woman who marries a mouse but has to deal with the fact that he has drowned while fishing a delicious onion out of some soup. The third is "Tup and the Ants," about a youngest son who is shunned by his parents but finds his way to success via befriending a colony of ants.

Not surprisingly, I was not familiar with any of these stories, and I found them full of magic, wonder, and surprises. They are fun, impressive tales that have a good sense of whimsy. Also, the artwork is clean and simple in appearance, but it packs much emotion and action. I loved this book, and I cannot wait to share it with my own children.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been glowing. J. Caleb Mozzocco opined, "It’s a perfect work for adults who grew up on Love and Rockets to share with their children, and it’s an equally perfect introduction to the rich folklore immediately to the south of the U.S." Rob Clough wrote, "The fact that Hernandez chose stories that aren't strictly morally instructive, but instead convey other kinds of information, simply make people laugh, or act as shaggy dog stories makes this volume especially enjoyable." In a starred review, Kirkus Reviews summed up, "Rousing tales, spirited artwork, and rich back matter ensure that this slim graphic novel for kids becomes a rich resource for all caregivers, not just those of Latinx children."

The Dragon Slayer was published by Toon Books, and they offer a preview and much more here. This book's stated audience is grades 3 and up.

Fire!! The Zora Neale Hurston Story

I was an English major in college, and my first exposures to Zora Neale Hurston were her novels Their Eyes Were Watching God and Jonah's Gourd Vine. All I really knew about her was that she led an interesting life, did some anthropological research, and died in an unmarked grave (as famously found by Alice Walker). So I was glad to read this book, which chronicles her life from her childhood to her death and rediscovery by Walker. What I most admired about it was how much it embodies the energy and verve Hurston displayed in her life. Always a vocal and outgoing person, she came from a tumultuous family life and humble beginnings in Alabama, moved to Florida, and then eventually made it to college in Baltimore, Atlanta, and New York City.

Eventually, she came to work with Franz Boas while at Barnard College, doing ethnographic work that took her back home to Florida but eventually also to more exotic places like Haiti and Jamaica. She also became involved with a burgeoning Harlem Renaissance and was a prominent African-American writer and thinker of the time. One of the aspects I admired most about this book was how it depicted her various relationships, with peers, colleagues, and benefactors, showing much of the politics involved with doing academic and intellectual work. It also lends a very human face to some prominent figures, as well as a shot of humor into several situations.

Overall, it was that sense of humor and warmth that Hurston used to her advantage to do her work, date and marry who she wanted, and live an exceptional life. The art in this book is very cartoonish, but in the end I think it was probably the most apt for realistically and faithfully capturing the vitality Hurston displayed throughout her life.

This book's creator Peter Bagge is one of my all-time favorite comics makers. A multiple award winner with decades of credits, he created the seminal alternative comics series Neat Stuff and Hate and served as editor of the holdover underground comics anthology Weirdo. He has also created a number of graphic novels, including Woman Rebel, Apocalypse Nerd, Other Lives, and Reset. More recently, he has been a contributor to publications like Reason magazine (see his collections Founding Fathers Funnies and Everybody is Stupid Except for Me) and Vice Magazine (the Musical Urban Legends column). He speaks about his work on Fire!! in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read of this book have been positive. Chris Oliveros commented that Bagge "has proven himself to be a thoughtful, careful researcher with a gift for portraying the deeply fascinating and hilarious moments in people’s lives." Etelka Lehoczky called it "an exhilarating addition to Hurston lore." Paul Constant regretted a lack of detail about Hurston's literary work but still concluded that "artists like Bagge continue to do the necessary work of asking the questions" about race and representation.

Fire!! was published by Drawn & Quarterly, and they offered a preview and more here.

Nursery Rhyme Comics

Nursery Rhyme Comics follows the formula used by editor Chris Duffy in Fairy Tale Comics and Above the Dreamless Dead, start with some classic source material and get an all-star team of talent to illustrate those classics. I am glad to say that like those two aforementioned books, this one is also quite excellent. It features a bevy of talented artists, 50 in all, many of them well celebrated like Jules Feiffer, Roz Chast, Raina Telgemeier, Kate Beaton, Gahan Wilson, and Gilbert Hernandez.

The artwork is gorgeous and varied in superb manner. I love the multiple styles in here, and also that these nursery rhymes are depicted in punchy, one or two page spreads for the most part. Some of these adaptations are pretty literal:

A rare non-Love and Rockets Jaime Hernandez piece.

Others are set in exotic locales:

This picture just makes me smile.

Others rely on playful re-interpretation:

Dave Roman rules!

And a handful are funny, clever meta-commentaries on nursery rhymes:

Not going to lie. I laughed out loud at this one.

Taken together, this book is a treasure trove of fun, expertly crafted comics. I think it is best savored in small chunks, so that the reader can experience each nursery rhyme on its own terms without creating a blur by binging on these short tales.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have gushed as much as I have here. Kirkus Reviews gave it a starred review and summed up, "As much as the visual styles may vary, the high levels of wit and invention never falter." Elizabeth Bird wrote that this book "gives kids everywhere a new way of encountering some essential cultural touchstones." Stumptown Trade Review called it "a fun and unexpected delight."

Nursery Rhyme Comics was published by First Second, and they provide a preview and much more here.

I can't stop posting preview pages!

Fairy Tale Comics: Classic Tales Told by Extraordinary Cartoonists

This book features an all star team of creators retelling an all star team of fairy tales from across the world. I felt it was a very impressive collection of well drawn and expertly told tales. It is hard to pick one story as my favorite, but if I had to narrow it down to two, I am very partial to Luke Pearson's version of the Japanese tale "The Boy Who Drew Cats"

and Joseph Lambert's retelling of a Br'er Rabbit tale "Rabbit Will Not Help."

Also, Graham Annable's wordless version of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" had me laughing out loud.

Nevertheless, there is a wide range of excellent work contained in this book, told in very different styles and covering many kinds of stories, horrific, funny, sad, and adventurous. Among the other strong works in these pages are:

Gilbert Hernandez's bright retelling of "Hansel and Gretel"

His brother Jaime Hernandez giving us a spacy, wonderful "Snow White"

Comics veteran Ramona Fradon drawing the surreal and magical "The Prince and the Tortoise"

David Mazzucchelli's take on the creepy "Give Me the Shudders"

Craig Thompson sharing "Azzolino's Story Without End"

Raina Telgemeier's fun and feisty "Rapunzel"

Charise Mericle Harper's version of a strange English tale " The Small-Tooth Dog"

Gigi D.G.'s expressive version of "Little Red Riding Hood"

Brett Helquist's textured and impressionistic version of "Rumpelstiltskin"

And these are only some of the stories contained in this anthology! I did not think any one of them was a clunker, and what is more, there are endnotes that I found helpful when I ran into a story I did not know and wanted to learn more about. I also like the range of creators, and I am glad to have seen some relatively new folks mixed in with established ones I was very familiar with.

Editor Chris Duffy gathered all of these artists and stories, and he also wrote the adaptation to "The Prince and the Tortoise." A veteran in the field, he edited Nickolodeon Comics for 13 years, as well as the Bizarro Comics anthology for DC Comics and Spongebob Squarepants comics for Bongo Comics. For more about this book and how Duffy chose the stories and artists he did, check out this interview at Good Comics for Kids.

All of the reviews I have read thus far have been very positive. Publishers Weekly wrote, "Duffy has assembled a dazzling lineup of comics versions of more than a dozen fairy tales in this hilarious follow-up to Nursery Rhyme Comics." The librarians at Stacked were more measured but still called it "a great collection for young readers who may come to many of these stories with new eyes, never having read them anywhere else before." Michael May summed up the book nicely as "a fascinating look at modern culture through the lens of classic stories, but that’s what grown-ups are going to get out of it. For children, it’s simply an exciting, funny, beautifully drawn collection of unique versions of their favorite tales."

A preview and more are available here from the book's publisher First Second.

Thank you, Gina, for the review copy!