Sunburn

The main character of Sunburn is Rachel, a 16-year-old British teen whose summer plans involve working at a butcher shop where she'll be elbow-deep in pig guts as well as the typical week-long family trip to a rainy cabin. Those plans get exploded when a mysterious invitation appears from the Warners, family friends who own an island house in Greece. They invite her to a summer of fun and sun, and she happily accepts.

Once there, she lives a comfortable life, with wonderful food, free new clothes, and scenic views. She also gets daily visits to the beach, afternoon naps, and dinner parties at different people's houses. The cherry on top of this sundae is that she also gets to spend time with Benjamin, a slightly older British boy, and the two flirt and get involved. 

Of course, nothing this awesome comes for free, and over the course of the book Rachel uncovers the details about why she is there. I very much enjoyed this book, as it made me nostalgic for my own vacations in Greece when I was younger, but it is also a compelling combination of a mystery and character study. Aside from the interesting plot, the artwork is also gorgeous, with a limited color pallette and plenty of landscape imagery that sets the atmosphere.

Sunburn was a collaboration between writer Andi Watson and artist Simon Gane. Watson is a cartoonist, writer, and illustrator who has created a number of books and graphic novels and who has been nominated for four Eisner Awards, two Harvey Awards, and an official selection of the Angoulême International Festival. Gane has drawn a number of comics series and books, including They're Not Like Us and Ghost Tree. Watson talks about making this book as well as some of his other projects in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read of this book have been positive. Darryll Robson wrote, "You will not find immediacy here, but the narrative is better for its slow, dreamy walk through the lives of its characters." Kirkus Reviews called it "a contemplative study of a girl battered and disillusioned by her first glimpses of adult complexities." Ramon Piña opined, "The art in the book is nothing short of spectacular."

Sunburn was published by Image Comics, and they offer more info about it here. 

Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula

Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula is a delightful and fun graphic novel for all ages. It stars a great number of interesting characters, the main three being the dutiful, overworked Princess Decomposia, the hypochondriac and finicky King Wulfrun who won't leave his bed, and Count Spatula, the vampire chef with a huge sweet tooth and a penchant for making desserts. The king is leery of this new chef, not only because of his generous use of spices but also because of how familiar he is becoming with his daughter. Decomposia is just happy to have someone to relate to and watch out for her.

Even though the setting is the underworld and the artwork is appropriately atmospheric in black and white, this book is still effervescent. As you can see from the excerpt above, the artwork is charmingly attractive, with simple linework that conveys action and emotions in very clear, concise manner. I also liked that the characters were not mere stereotypes but more complex and well developed personalities. But my favorite part of the book has to be its playfully oddball supporting cast, from an anthropomorphic garlic clove to a snooty werewolf leader to a blustery zombie general.

Writer/artist Andi Watson is best known for his series Skeleton Key as well as his more recent picture book series Glister and Gum Girl. He also wrote a number of Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic books for Dark Horse. Watson speaks about his work on Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula in these two interviews.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been positive. Dan Kois called it "delightful" because Watson's "character design is elegantly simple, so these cartoony inhuman figures are able to feel and display a thrillingly human range of emotions." Norah Piehl called it "a winning story of love, death and desserts." Publishers Weekly summed up, "it’s a comic that will charm younger readers and adults alike."

Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula was published by First Second, who have a preview and much more available here.