When I Arrived at the Castle

I have read a bunch of comics by E.M. Carroll, and they are typically very scary, creepy, and totally engrossing. They adapted the celebrated YA novel Speak into graphic novel form, and you can also enjoy an anthology of some of their best short stories, Through the Woods. They are an Eisner and an Ignatz Award winning artist, and they won one of those awards for this book, When I Arrived at the Castle.

The plot of this book is that a cat-woman has been traveling through the countryside in a rainstorm and she comes to a castle. The countess of the castle takes her in and lets her warm up, but (surprise, surprise) she is actually a vampire who is playing with her prey. 

Or is she? As we progress through the book, we learn more (maybe?) about the cat-woman, and not only has she met the vampire before, she may just be stalking her instead. Or maybe she is actually courting her?

When I Arrived at the Castle is a beguiling book because of its complex plot, which takes several turns. It takes its framework from classic fairy tales, but twists them into a different configuration. It is gorgeously illustrated, full of feeling, blood, and gore as well as gothic architecture and furniture. Reading it has its share of suspense, but it is also a very atmospheric book, and the ambience powers it just as much as the plot. After reading this very potent and disturbing tale, I was compelled to re-read it, to make more sense of what I just experienced and also try to figure out if this was a book about murder or romance. It is a frightening and a frightfully good book, haunting readers with its images and tone.

All of the reviews I have read of this book sing its praises. Andy Oliver called it "as hypnotic as it is terrifying." Shea Hennum commented on "Carroll’s incredible capacity to scare." Sara L. Jewell wrote that "what is so satisfying about Carroll’s oeuvre is its resistance to a single reading or interpretation."

This edition of When I Arrived at the Castle was published by Silver Sprocket, and they have a preview and more information about it here. 

Heaven

A new Katie Skelly book is always cause for celebration. I have read pretty much every book she's made, including My Pretty Vampire, Operation Margarine, Nurse Nurse, and The Agency. I love her art style and comics sensibility. She makes some very engaging and gorgeous books.

In Heaven, she weaves a tale about four young women who are obsessed with a strange building on the outskirts of town. It is a strip club, but sometimes it's not there. And its online reviews are bizarre.

One of them, Dolly, an ex-gymnast who is from a troubled home and the only one who is 18, not only manages to enter the building, she auditions and gets a job. Her friends pump her for information, and what she finds is some very weird goings-on. The patrons are shady, and Lover, the owner, can be violent. Plus, Dolly gets to wear a vampire cape at work, which is a big plus for her.

The story has horror elements, with vampires, blood, and murder, but it is also a coming of age story about Dolly trying to find her place in the the world. This book is relatively brief, and it conveys its messages in very economical ways. I appreciated how it does not spell things out completely and leaves the burden on the reader to pick up on visual cues. 

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been positive. Neil Raymundo wrote that it "balances horror and youthful uncertainty with confidence, delivering a graphic novel that is accessible and quietly affecting." Justin Harrison called it " a compelling, grindhousey coming-of-age tale." Tate McFadden summed it up as "short and sweet."

Skelly speaks about her comics career and inspirations for Heaven in this interview.

Heaven was published by Fantagraphics, and they offer a preview and more info here. 

Sleep

Let me start off by saying that Zander Cannon is one of my favorite comics makers, and I have reviewed almost every book he's drawn. His series Kaijumax is one of the most enjoyable comics out there, as is his book Heck. He has also drawn a few nonfiction graphic novels along the way, including Bone Sharps Cowboys and Thunder Lizards, T-Minus, and The Stuff of Life. His art style is somewhat cartoonish, but also packs a punch in terms of drama, expression, and pacing. And I love that he adds lots of small touches that reward readers with multiple re-readings of his books.

Sleep is a horror comic, about a man named Jonathan Reason. When he falls asleep and wakes up, he finds himself in strange situations and amid carnage but with no memory of what has transpired.

He begins to realize that when he goes to sleep he becomes something else, something unknown to him. That something hurts and even kills people, and he does not know who to turn to for help. Jonathan has been a good Samaritan for most of his life, and he has one good friend, Tabby, who gives him support, but he is deeply troubled by the ethical consequences of his actions. Also, he has no idea why this is happening to him, or at all really.

Two things make this book work for me. The first is that it is told so that the reader is just as in the dark as Jonathan, which ramps up the tension and anxiety and conveys the horror story in a compelling and visceral way. Second, the black and white artwork is accentuated occasionally with the color red, in the form of Jonathan's glasses usually, but over the course of the book it also comes into play with the reveal of what has been happening. As soon as I finished reading the story, I started going back and seeing what information was being left as clues along the way, a hallmark of a book with exceptional plotting and execution.

Also, I have to say that this book really sticks the landing. The final image is simultaneously revelatory, terrible, and sweet, and it has haunted me since I read the book. If you are a fan of horror, go get this book in your hands as soon as you can.

All of the reviews I have read of this book have been positive. Eric Marcotte delved deeply into the philosophical aspects of Sleep and called it "a series where you will benefit from a second read-through – it is easy to miss a lot of subtle details and clues as you get caught up in the propulsive thriller aspects." Landon Kuhlmann called it "a slow-burn mystery that rewards patient readers."

Sleep was published by Image Comics, and they offer a preview and more info about it here. This book features violence, gore, and profanity, so it is recommended for readers mature enough to read about those things.

Francisco Goya "The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters"

 

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring

I recently borrowed this book from my local library. Libraries rule!

Rite of Spring is a continuation of the series Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, which I read and reviewed last year. In this book we flash forward eight years into the 1990s and the advent of the internet becoming commonplace in homes. With this new technology comes different ways to communicate and share/search for information, which transforms small town living and also begins to complicate Samantha's life. It turns out that people searching for murder victims can track clues and share info on message boards, which brings Monica, a persistent and determined duck, to town to figure out what happened to her brother Daniel, who was one of Samantha's victims.

Monica's momentum is formidable, which makes it compelling to see how Samantha deals with her. This book has just as many twists and turns as the original series, with Samantha trying to stay ahead of her pursuer(s) while pretending to befriend and assist them. Secretly, she is also planning a pretty vicious response of her own. Additionally, her past is explored and the origins of her murderous ways are revealed (to the reader anyhow). 

The artwork is charmingly disturbing in how it uses the cuteness of funny animals to embody horror movie tropes. The gory bits are more shocking in their realism when juxtaposed with the general picture book animal qualities. Overall, I was impressed by how well plotted and creepy this book is, and the way it ends promises more dreadful deeds to come, which I will eagerly await.

Patrick Horvath wrote and drew this series, with lettering by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. Horvath has written and directed a number of movies, and beyond this debut series of his he also is writing the Archie in Hell mini-series. Otsmane-Elhaou has lettered books for many different publishers and also was a co-editor of PanelxPanel, an excellent, Eisner Award-winning web journal about comics. Horvath speaks about this follow-up story arc and future installments in this interview.

The reviews I have read of this book have been positive, though some point out the let-down that can come with a sequel. David Brooke wrote that it "successfully builds on the original series with a compelling new protagonist, emotional depth, and chilling visuals." Ian Keogh called it "very readable, but not as strong as the first outing." Greg Burgas wrote about having "serial killer fatigue" in general but still found it to be "a fairly worthwhile comic."

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring was published by IDW, and they offer more info about it here. This book is not for kids.

Natalie Babbitt's Tuck Everlasting: The Graphic Novel

I remember reading Tuck Everlasting when I was in school, and I happened on this graphic novel adaptation recently at the local library and checked it out. 

 

0-year-old Winifred Foster strains against the strictness of her mother, and one day decides to explore the local woods. She meets what she assumes is a young man, and when she asks him his age he tells her 104 but quickly changes his response to 17. She also sees him drinking from a small spring but when she tries to take a sip, he blocks her way and tells her a wild tale. 

He and his family drank from that same water decades ago, and they have since not aged at all and also learned that they can also withstand mortal injuries. They view their condition as a plight not a blessing, speaking about what it is like having people and the world change around them while they remain unchanged. 

Winifred promises to keep their secret, but she also plots to maybe drink from the spring herself someday, a matter which causes her much deliberation. To complicate matters further, there is also a stranger in town who seems to know about the family and their spring, and he is seeking to locate it so he can sell the water to the highest bidders.

This adaptation of the classic story about a young girl who happens upon a family who have seemingly gained eternal life by drinking from a magic spring is a thoughtful and evocative meditation on mortality and what makes life worthwhile. The artwork incorporates some of the original text and also conveys the narrative in ways that take advantage of graphic novel conventions. In an era of cash-grab, slapdash "adaptations," this one builds from and augments the original.

K. Woodman-Maynard wrote and drew this book with much feedback and interaction with the original author Natalie Babbit's family. She also adapted another classic novel, The Great Gatsby, into graphic novel form. She speaks about her work in adapting Tuck Everlasting in this interview.

This book has been very well reviewed, appearing on several end-of-year "best of" lists. In a starred entry, Kirkus Reviews summed up, "as wise and wonderful as the original." April Spisak wrote that the "illustrations do their intended work of filling in the rest, drawings that tell a story of longing, danger, loss, and hope as much as the text." In an another starred review from School Library Journal, Kasey Swords wrote, "Woodman-Maynard achieves the seemingly impossible task of enhancing a much beloved classic."

Tuck Everlasting: The Graphic Novel was published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and they provide a preview and more information about it here.

D'orc Vol. 1: The Book of Certain Doom

I recently borrowed (via Hoopla) and read this collection of comics that will not be available physically until October 14th. Libraries rule!

D'Orc has been a series with a lot of buzz around my local comic book shop, and I picked up and read the first issue months ago and decided to wait for the collection. I am not made of money, people! I can see why it's been popular among folx I know, because it's a fun, funny, and action-packed adventure. The main character is the titular D'Orc, a thing of legends, born from a creature of light (a dwarf) and a creature of dark (an orc), and who is prophesied to destroy the entire world.

As if that is not enough a weight to bear, he also has an undying, talking battle-shield and the ghost head of a slaughtered chicken as companions as he travels the Scar, a land between realms where there is constant strife. Almost everyone is out to kill him, and despite this all he seeks to right wrongs and defend the weak. Also, he and his compatriots seek to find the mysterious Bone Witch, so that D'Orc can learn about his origins and the shield about the soul inhabiting it.

Not just full of action, this story also has a lot of witty banter between characters, humorous situations, slapstick comedy, puns, and magical enchantments to boot. The artwork is dynamic, cartoony, and full of emotion and personality. This series is charming and exciting, a sure-fire hit for fans of fantasy and adventure tales.

This comic book series was created, written, and drawn by Brett Bean with colors by Jean-François Beaulieu. Bean has drawn many comic book series, including I Hate Fairyland, and also a number of graphic novel series for younger readers, such as Muk 'n' Honey and Zoo Patrol Squad. Beaulieu has many credits in the comics industry, including books for Image and Marvel Comics. Bean talks about his career and inspirations for D'Orc in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read of this book have been very positive. Ricardo Andrés Acevedo called it "a wildly entertaining journey packed with enough humor and bloodlust to sate even the hungriest of comic book readers." Collier Jennings described it as "a fast-paced, funny take on the fantasy genre." School Library Journal gave it a starred review.

D'orc Vol. 1: The Book of Certain Doom was published by Image Comics, and they offer previews and more information about it here. The series is ongoing, and a second trade paperback collection will be published in December.

Graphic Science: Seven Journeys of Discovery

I have read a number of graphic novels by Darryl Cunningham, who has mainly focused his work on nonfiction, writing biographies about billionaires, Vladimir Putin, and Ayn Rand, as well as explorations of psychiatric conditions and science denial. He infrequently blogs here, sharing a look into some of his more recent fictional work.

I recently checked out his book Graphic Science from my local library, because local libraries rule. I had not read it before, though it has been out for some time, and I found it included biographies of several scientists whom I did not know much, if anything, about.  They are:

Antoine Lavoisier: A French chemist who named oxygen and identified it as a chemical element, beginning the system of organizing elements that eventually came to be represented in the periodic table.

Mary Anning: An English fossil collector whose discoveries changed how researchers thought about prehistoric life.

George Washington Carver: A Black-American botanist who studied ways to combat soil depletion as well as peanuts and sweet potatoes.

Nikola Tesla: A Serbian-American inventor who pioneered work with alternating current electricity and whose inventions paved the way for modern society.

Alfred Wegener: A German climatologist who explored and mapped polar regions and also put forth the first theories about continental drift.

Jocelyn Bell Burnell: An Irish physicist who discovered pulsars but was not among the recipients of the Nobel Prize this work garnered.

Fred Hoyle: An English astronomer who worked out the concept of nucleosynthesis, which is the process of creating new atomic nuclei from pre-existing neutrons and protons, and he also coined the phrase "Big Bang," ironically popularizing the term while rejecting the theory.

The images and text read in journalistic and informative fashion, showing the origins and high points of each person's lives and scientific interests. The book ranges far in terms of the topics covered, and I feel I learned much about each scientist and also got to know them as people. What is common in their stories is that they have been overlooked for awards or that their work has been misunderstood in some way. This book would be a great resource about some specific topics in science, which could be read as excerpts, or even as the seeds of a project in exploring scientists' lives and careers. It's a great collection of biographies.

The reviews I have read of this book have been positive. Johanna Draper Carlson wrote, "Reading them [the scientists] as people, some who undercut themselves with mistakes or unusual behavior, makes their discoveries all the more powerful and interesting." Joe at the Woolamaloo Gazette opined about the book that "each [chapter] shares this rather lovely approach – putting the human face on these events, people and discoveries."

Graphic Science was published by Myriad Editions, and they offer preview images and more information here.