Anya's Ghost--A Graphic Novel Adventure

Anya's Ghost is a good graphic novel that pulls the reader into the story quickly, and keeps you turning the pages to find out just what is up with this ghost...Is she really just a friendly ghost who wants out of the well where she's been stuck for nearly a hundred years? Or is there something slightly more sinister going on? 

Built around Anya, a teenager whose mother emigrated from Russia to America when Anya was a child, we follow her through a normal, teen-angsty type day, wherein the boy she likes has no clue she's alive and school is such a bore. Then she trips and falls into an old well, and unable to make herself heard, she realizes she's not alone--there's a skeleton in there, with its ghost still attached. Turns out the ghost belongs to Emily, who died nearly a century ago, and now wants to experience more than her hole in the ground. When Anya is rescued, she finds that somehow she's brought Emily's finger bone home with her, thus enabling Emily to leave the well. The thing is, Emily is pretty handy, helping out in school and giving advice on how to make Sean take notice. But Anya wants to help solve the mystery of Emily's murder, and it's this fact that changes everything.

The story itself is good, and the characterizations are spot on. I really enjoyed the artwork; Emily's pupil-less eyes give a definite creepiness to her appearance, and the black and white theme adds to the ambiance. This graphic novel would most definitely appeal to teens who feel isolated in social situations, and it's got enough depth to the story to make even a reluctant reader want to keep going. I wasn't such a fan of Anya's friend Siobahn (still not really sure what her purpose was, to be truthful), but I loved the way Anya's confidence grew over the course of the story, and I liked the idea that she had difficulty fitting in because she came from another country.  This is one graphic novel with a good story that can easily be recommended to anyone who wants to escape for a bit.

~taminator40

Now For Something Different...A Graphic Novel

The Fifth Beatle is a graphic novel of the life of Beatles' manager Brian Epstein from roughly the time he meets the boys until his tragic death just a few short years later. At just over a hundred pages, it is lushly illustrated in a style that evokes the time period with its colors and likenesses, and yet it is more than that. It's both a celebration and a unencumbered documentary on the life of a troubled genius.

The novel takes us down the path of Brian's obsession with the boys, his driving ambition to see them become successful, and his tirelessness in bringing them to the world at a time when the world most needed them. It doesn't, however, shy away from the darker stuff, all of which contributed to Brian's demise: His necessarily closeted homosexuality, his addiction to drugs, and his not always sharp business acumen. More than that, the book is colored with Brian's insecurities and his overwhelming need for love in whatever form it was available. With sequences that chronicle actual events (this Beatles' fan recognized actual well-known conversations) interspersed with whimsical episodes, the story moves through the successes and disappointments, staying true to the facts and the people of the time.

The actual artwork is breathtaking and vivid, with characters' countenances reminiscent of their real life counterparts. It took me a bit to get the idea of Moxie, the girl who seems to be Brian's assistant; I didn't recall anyone so named in his real life, but after I *got* it, I have to admit, she's a good addition that helps us see another side to Brian's personality. When I finished the story, I was left with a sense of waste and disappointment for Brian Epstein, and yet the story is told so well in both pictures and text, it's a must for any Beatles' fan. Well worth the price for daring to examine and illuminate this tortured genius.

~taminator40

A Graphic Novel For a Change of Pace

Resistance is a graphic novel about three children in France during World War II who join the Resistance against the Nazis occupying their country. I say three children, but the eldest is a teen girl who is interested in local boys and is able to lead her brother and sister to Paris with a Jewish boy whose parents have escaped Nazi custody there. The youngest is Marie, a rather loud bossy youngster, and then there is Paul, her slightly older brother whose good friend Henri escapes being taken with his parents when he is away from home during the day. The two decide to hide Henri in a cave but also find out their sister and mother are helping the Resistance. With a rather scary train ride, the siblings must escort Henri to his parents.

I had high hopes for this novel but ultimately I was let down. While I could see it perhaps appealing to a younger reading set, I didn't find the story especially intriguing and Marie was downright annoying (as little sisters can often be). The graphics themselves are all right but not really anything special; I did find some of the scenes drawn by young Paul to be enlightening. I suppose I was expecting to be drawn into this world completely, and I did not feel the story was realistic in how easily the children became involved in the Resistance. However, if the goal was to expose readers to the role of children during the French Resistance, its mission was accomplished, albeit in a light manner. Could be read by an adult in a very short sitting, and might possibly bring younger readers to want to learn more about France's World War II history.

~taminator40

Now For Something Different...Sort Of

Based on Patricia Briggs's successful Mercy Thompson series, Homecoming is sort of a companion piece: it's a graphic novel, easily read in one sitting, that shows us what happened when Mercy arrived in the Tri-Cities. Mercy being Mercy, she immediately found herself in danger while out on a run in coyote form; though saved by an unknown pack of werewolves, Mercy further places herself in harm's way when she stops at a VW shop for car work and ends up making friends with Stefan, a local vampire. How Mercy then meets up with Adam, Zee, and Zee's son Tad while deciding whether or not to stay in town rounds out the story that also involves Adam's pack forcing rogue werewolves out of town.

Like many of the reviewers, I did feel this story lacked the depth I'm used to from the Mercy Thompson series. I'm not a big graphic novel fan, but I was open to the idea of furthering Mercy's tale with pictures (even if my mental images did not necessarily match up with those on the pages). I suppose I was most let down by two factors, however; first, the overly sexualized comic book rendering of Mercy, complete with curves every little boy drools over. Really? This was the best way Briggs could allow Mercy to be fashioned? And secondly, the fact that there were a couple of grammatical errors in this published book, including the insertion of "liked liked" on one page, is inexcusable, especially in a book this size. Where were the editors? I had to re-read the caption three or four times to be certain this gaffe wasn't one of my imagination.

That said, I did enjoy the book, even if I didn't love it. I liked knowing how Mercy came to know Zee, and I had no trouble following the action. The drawing itself is strictly comic book style, which will probably appeal to those who generally enjoy that type of thing. I'm not sad I read this book, but I doubt I'll be rushing out to purchase another one. It simply didn't add much to the storyline and with the errors, it certainly wouldn't be money I'd spend again.

~taminator40