Today's post is a compilation of mini reviews of graphic novels I have read but have yet to post about on this blog. So without further introduction here are four mini graphic novel reviews.
Title: The SculptorAuthor: Scott McCloud
Publication Year: 2015
Publisher: First Second
Goodreads Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22040598-the-sculptor
Sentence Summary: David, A young sculptor, makes a deal with death that allows him to sculpt whatever he can think of but at what price will he have to pay?
Mini Review: This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2015 and I'm so glad I finally got to read it. I didn't know very much about this book going into it but I saw samples of the art online and really wanted to read it. I put it off for a while until I saw a wrap up from one of my favourite Youtubers and they mentioned it. This is definitely a much darker story than I thought it would be and it was very different to what I'm used to reading. At times I did get confused with what was happening as there were many moments where the story was left to the reader to interpret themselves. I really loved the artwork (which is in a blue type of shade) in this book as I felt it was very detailed and was able to tell the story really well through the images. It had a slow start but as it all wrapped up in the end, I really started to enjoy it. I also loved Meg and David. I felt they were quite relatable in their emotions and the way they saw things. They were quite complex characters with a lot of interesting quirks in their personality which I found really fascinating to read about. Overall it was a fantastic read and which I definitely recommend for avid graphic novels readers. There is a bit of mature content so I would recommend it to mature readers. I will definitely be reading more of Scott McCloud's work.
Star Rating: 4.5/5 Stars.
Title: AwkwoodAuthor: Jase Harper
Publication Year: 2014
Publisher: Milk Shadow Books
Goodreads Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22774664-awkwood
Sentence Summary: A boring office job, a useless roommate and pursued by monsters? What will Liam do?
Mini Review: I found this book to be very interesting because of the different layers to the story. I stumbled upon this book in an independent bookshop and thought that the art looked really cool. It is quite a short graphic novel but it had a lot of content despite it's size. The story follows a struggling musician who works a boring job and struggles with inner fears and demons that one day come to life and try to take him down. It is a great book about the battle that some people have with themselves especially in regards to following your dreams. It was a weird read with some questionable and confusing scenes that are left to the reader to interpret on their own. I did like the artwork and the amount of text the author used was not overpowering. I think the main thing that let me down was the amount of reader interpretation needed to get the full story. Overall I found it to be an okay book, it wasn't as good as I thought it would be but for a debut book it was great introduction to his work. If Jase Harper publishes other work, I will probably check it out to just see what else he can create.
Star Rating: 3/5 Stars.
Author: Stephen Collins
Publication Year: 2014
Publisher: Picador
Goodreads Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518880-the-gigantic-beard-that-was-evil
Sentence Summary: In a tame and predictable place called here, a man named Dave suddenly grows an uncontrollable beard that shakes the whole island.
Mini Review: This book was fantastic and I really enjoyed reading the story. It is quite an interesting take on a quite common story plot of being different. The story follows an island called "Here" where everyone follows the same rules in the way they work, where they live and how they look. Dave is just a simple man who all of a sudden grows a giant beard that doesn't fit the town's standards. The message of being different and facing the unknown is large part of what I took away from this book but I feel like people could get different interpretations from the story as well. This story is greatly made up of black and white illustrations with a small amount of text. Collins is able to tell such an interesting tale, simply through his detailed artwork which is such a talent. I was able to feel all the emotions that were intended through just the pictures. Overall, I really loved this book and loved how simple everything was in the story but yet how it told a bigger tale. The graphics were the biggest plus for me about reading this book. I will definitely read anything else Stephen Collins publishes because this book was amazing.
Star Rating: 5/5 Stars.
Title: Lost At SeaAuthor: Bryan Lee O'Malley
Publication Year: 2014 (Originally 2003)
Publisher: Oni Press
Goodreads Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18430370-lost-at-sea
Sentence Summary: Raleigh finds herself on a road trip with three classmates that she barely knows.
Mini Review: This is the debut graphic novel by Bryan Lee O'Malley who is most known for his Scott Pilgrim series. O'Malley is one of my all time favourite graphic novelists and I plan to read everything he has ever written but honestly, this book kind of disappointed me. In saying this, I was told by other people who had read the book that it wouldn't be as good as his recent work but I still had high hopes. The story was really interesting as it was all about growing up and figuring out who you are as well as letting go of the past but there were a lot of moments when I was really confused. I think I understood what the book was trying to say but it was difficult to gather until the end when I slowly put all the pieces together. I did enjoy the concept and the writing style but could not find a personal connection to the story or the characters. It may of been the amount of text that put me off as I really enjoyed the art but found the length of the text on each page to be difficult to read and keep up with. Overall, There were good and bad things about this book that I found but I think that if I read it a few more times, I might be able to enjoy it more. I'm glad he has now found his voice and style as shown through his later work but it is interesting to see what his work was like right in the beginning.
Star Rating: 2/5 Stars.
So those are my mini reviews for this week. Let me know in the comments if you have read any of these books and what you think. Also if you have read any other graphic novels that you think I would like, let me know.
I hope you are having a wonderful day!
~Louise
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