Adequate alternatives to the sometimes tediously wordy originals, though the lack of the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present...
A double dose of Dickens, severely “adapted” in this graphic format but featuring illustrations that thicken the period atmosphere.
Though both paraphrased stories, originally published in French, show signs of careless translation in occasional typos and misquoted lyrics, it’s their plots that have taken the most punishment. Squiring the shaken Scrooge through time, Marley’s ghost is the only specter in “A Christmas Carol,” and in the lesser-known “A Remembrance of Mugby,” a kind drifter looking for a home adopts a child who is not, in the original, either fatherless or abandoned. The tales are nonetheless still coherent and bear both their sentiment and their lessons well. In Meyrand’s small sequential panels, the Victorian settings are evoked in fine but clear details of dress and décor. The artist ably captures mood with lighting that ranges from deep shadows to rich golden tones and sensitively depicts Scrooge’s remorse and inner transformation, as well as the fundamental decency of the unnamed protagonist of the other episode, in expertly drawn body language and changes of expression.
Adequate alternatives to the sometimes tediously wordy originals, though the lack of the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come seems a major loss. (biographical sketch) (Graphic classic. 8-11)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-59707-346-2
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Papercutz
Review Posted Online: Sept. 11, 2012
Doughty young Sardine and her cohorts continue to vanquish hilariously dopey Supermuscleman, mad scientist Doc Krok and other villains in nine more or less independent new adventures that range from helping out a crowd of cartoon characters angrily protesting because they’re so lamely drawn (“Hey! You could at least draw me some pants!”) to rescuing acres of stolen French fries and herds of wild “Burgeegies” in the mouthwatering kingdom of Yummy. Presented in colorful, crowded cartoon panels and well-endowed with both self-referential comments (“Comics are cool but we only get 10 pages per story . . . A movie’s longer, so we’d have more time to kick Supermuscleman’s butt”) and characters with names like Emailia and Fetcher Bone, this expert mix of action, gross humor and clever side remarks will, despite the lack of a cohesive plot line, draw carloads of Captain Underpants graduates. (Graphic fantasy. 8-11)
Pub Date: April 1, 2007
ISBN: 1-59643-128-8
Page Count: 112
Publisher: First Second/Roaring Brook
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2007
Taking child spoilage to a whole new level, six-year-old King Ethelbert performs some world-class acting out in these 12 graphic-format misadventures. With no parents around to say him nay, Ethelbert takes great delight in watching all of the grownups scrambling to deliver whatever he demands, from an elephant-sized sundae to having all of the children in the kingdom replaced with robot replicas of him. Not only, though, do his notions rarely turn out quite as planned, but those grownups are smart enough to outmaneuver him at need—and even deliver a few counter-pranks of their own. Though the small pictures and truly tiny typeface will challenge all but the most acute eyes, the retro ’60s-style art perfectly conveys the slapstick action and sly tone of this import. Calvin and Hobbes fans will be particularly delighted. (Graphic fiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: May 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-1-59643-094-5
Page Count: 128
Publisher: First Second/Roaring Brook
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2007
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