Now, this is fuel for my Far Out Fairy Tales obsession. Jak, a girl in this version with a very funky hairdo, has been told by her internet obsessed mother (well, her avatar anyway) that she has to sell her best friend Cow, a robot, for parts to the scrap man. The scrap man makes a deal with Jak to save Cow and possibly even the planet, but it means a trip to the space station at the top of the elevator to Cloud Kingdom to find some magic nano-beans.
Jak and Cow actually have personalities!! Naturally Jak’s mother’s avatar looks nothing like her and she calls at the most inconvenient times, which was part of the humour of the story for me. There’s a monstrosity of a space octopus type creature that stands in for the giant in the original fairy tale.
The most fun of all was the use of the word scrap, which will never be the same after you read this graphic novel. My favourite was “Holy Scrap!”, although “What the scrap?!” also deserves a mention.
The illustrations were just as fun as the story, with Jak’s personality coming alive with her expressions. The different colours used for the locations helped set the tone for each part of the story.
This story had a bit of everything I look for in a graphic novel – characters with personalities, adventure, humour, danger and some good ol’ quirky bits. There weren’t any boring sections in the story and I followed along without having to reread sections to work out what I missed. I’d happily reread this one!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Jak and her robotic servant, Cow, are in a pickle; Mom wants Jak to sell Cow for scrap, but Cow and Jak have become best friends. So instead of selling the rusty old robot for spare change, Jak strikes a bargain with the scrap collector: if Jak and Cow can visit the Cloud Kingdom via the Space Elevator and get hold of some magic nano-beans, Jak can keep Cow safe and sound. But what they find in space is anything but safe – and its sounds are far from soothing …
It was Snow White and the Seven Robots that started my Far Out Fairy Tales obsession. I’ve now got in my hot little hands all of the other graphic novels in this series that my library currently own (until I beg them to buy the rest). Because of my love of the Snow White retelling I was excited to see what strangeness and wonder Goldilocks would offer.
Comparing this book to the Snow White one I was disappointed. It’s still entertaining and I know I shouldn’t compare but I was glad I found Snow White first because I doubt Goldilocks and the Three Vampires would have ignited a new obsession.
The three vampires didn’t make me want to sink my teeth (sorry!) into the story as their personalities were about as dead as they were. Goldilocks was more interesting and thankfully she was smart but she was a bit too much of a know it all to make me warm to her. I kind of wanted to vampires, or at least the spiders, to triumph in the end.
The story itself was fun. Goldilocks is on an Indiana Jones style adventure with her very own flying arrow death trap to navigate along the way. Goldilocks is a crypt cracker and the National Museum has sent her to study a tomb rumoured to have treasures hidden by King Arthur inside. She has to use her smarts and some gymnastic ability to survive three death traps before stumbling upon the homes of three vampires.
I loved C.S. Jennings’ illustrations, particularly the various expressions of the vampires and the massive spiders.
The glossary and questions about the story are great extras at the end. The section at the end outlining the main differences between the original story and this Far Out version are very helpful. I hadn’t actually picked up on the three traps correlating to the original Goldilocks trying out the porridge, chairs and beds.
While there wasn’t anything specifically wrong with this graphic novel, with vampires 🧛♀️ 🧛♂️ 🧛♂️ , spiders 🕷 and an archaeological expedition, I was looking for a wow factor that I didn’t find.
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Goldilocks is an explorer extraordinaire. Curious and fearless, Goldi searches the world for hidden artifacts and forgotten treasures of ancient civilisations. When her travels bring her to a creepy crypt, she discovers more than just dusty relics in the shadowy chambers … She’s stumbled into the home of one, two, THREE blood-sucking vampires! Can Goldi use her smarts to navigate the tomb’s tricky traps and defeat the vampire trio, or is this her last archeological adventure?
I found my new graphic novel series obsession! It’s the Far Out Fairy Tales series! I’ve just powered my way through Snow White and the Seven Robots and ordered every other one my library owns. I love my library for introducing me to amazing stories I’d probably never find otherwise.
This quirky retelling of Snow White takes place in Techworld and Snow White has been created. Queen Regent fears Snow’s intelligence, not beauty! Woohoo! Hello, new world of fairytales!
The Queen’s magic mirror is a satellite that monitors their planet and the Queen doesn’t offer Snow a poisoned apple. This evil, evil traitor offers Snow [sniff, sniff 😢] poisoned chocolate! How dare she taint the most heavenly of the food groups!
Entertaining for adults although allegedly they’re aimed at kids, this graphic novel is a delightful retelling where Snow is not only intelligent but is gifted specifically in science. After the story there are extra bits including a glossary of terms, a summary of the original tale and some of the key differences between the old and new stories.
It’s a quick read that I’d happily reread and the illustrations are excellent! My only nitpick (and it’s a minor one) is that I would have loved for the seven robots to have names and individual personalities.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Far, far away, on a distant planet called Techworld, a little girl named Snow White is born. Created by the planet’s smartest minds to be the perfect scientist, Snow immediately shows a knack for working with electronics. The Queen, fearing for her crown, exiles Snow White so she cannot grow up and take the Queen’s place as the most intelligent person on the planet. However, Snow White’s willingness to help those in need – especially the downtrodden robots of Techworld – earns her many friends, and they are all quite eager to help her cause.
The artwork in Rapture is brilliant! The people, creatures and landscapes really come alive. Not realising there are a swath of comics related to the characters in the Valiant world, I came into this one completely unprepared, basing my interest solely on the cover image.
I was thankful for the page that gave a bit of a heads up on who’s who in the zoo but knowing nothing else about the characters or the world I felt I missed out on a lot. The story was interesting, there’s plenty of action and the illustrations were incredible, but I didn’t connect to any of the characters so I wouldn’t recommend coming into this world via this graphic novel.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Valiant Entertainment and Diamond Book Distributors for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
On a scarred landscape, two otherworldly armies prepare to battle one last time, vying for control of a massive tower named from an ancient language no longer permitted to be spoken. One army is led by a primeval force named Babel, whose goal is singular: to breach “Heaven” no matter the cost. The only thing standing in his way is a gray-haired barbaric warrior, filled with rage and regret, a man who sees this battle as his last chance for redemption. But he knows his depleted forces have little chance of victory unless aid comes.
Enter Tama: A 12-year old girl on the crest of a hill overlooking the battle, who has just become humanity’s only hope. The last in an ancient line of mystics who protect the Earth, she has foreseen this battle and knows millions will perish if she’s unable to stop it. Now Tama and her ragtag team of malcontents – Ninjak, Shadowman and Punk Mambo – must somehow defeat an elder god hell bent on piercing the heavens. New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (X-O Manowar) and artistic sensation CAFU (Rai) lead a Tolkien-esque journey into the space between life and death … through the Deadside … and into the many worlds that lie beyond right here with a spellbinding and horrific standalone volume! Collecting RAPTURE #1-4.
Why have I never heard of this series before?! Have I been hiding under a meteoroid? This was so much fun!!!
When Zita and her friend Joseph find a hole in the earth that wasn’t there before, they have to check it out. There’s a meteoroid with something inside it. Something that has a red button. Of course Zita is going to press it! A portal appears and something grabs Joseph and pulls him through. After some mild freaking out Zita follows him through the portal into another world with a multitude of alien species. Or perhaps she’s the alien?
Zita witnesses Joseph being kidnapped and is determined to find him and return them both to Earth. Along the way she meets new friends including One, Mouse, Strong-Strong and Randy. Together they journey against the clock to find and save Joseph, for there’s a countdown happening in this world. There’s only three days left before an asteroid will destroy it!
This is one of those graphic novels that has few words but is big in story and scale. The illustrations of all of the new creatures Zita comes across are generally either cute, amusing or downright creepy. I love a ‘girl on an epic quest’ story and this one is action packed. I smiled throughout the story and can’t wait for the next instalment.
All of the copies at my local library are on loan so I have to wait to find out what happens next! I’ll do my best to not read any reviews of Legends of Zita the Spacegirl because I want to go into it the same way I did with this one – loving the cover and knowing nothing at all about the story.
Reread 18 May 2018
Here we are almost 4 months after I first adored this graphic novel and I still haven’t read Legends of Zita the Spacegirl. What’s wrong with me?! (Please don’t answer that!) The bright side is that I decided to reread this one so I remembered where I left Zita and her friends.
I had so much fun during my reread. I appreciated and paid more attention to the details this time around, including the wonderful expressions on Zita’s face throughout the story. I loved her wide eyed OMG, the button worked! expression
and giggled at the “BLRG!” horror of raising herself from the ground covered in giant snail slime.
Character wise, I had completely forgotten about dopey Jerry who joyfully declares the good news that “In three days an asteroid is gonna explode us all!” to attempt to fix Zita’s leaking eyes. The monster wearing the “The End is Nigh” sandwich board is wonderful. I adore all of the monsters featured with the chapter number signs although I’m quite partial to chapter two’s sod on legs with leaves on its back and bugs hanging out with it. I think I need a plush Strong-Strong to cuddle.
The illustrations are as engaging as they were when I first saw them. What surprised me during this read was how quickly I connected with each newly introduced character. Within a couple of panels I was all in, which is pretty impressive considering that there are entire novels where the author doesn’t manage to connect me to a single character. Overall I think I enjoyed the story even more the second time and would happily read it again.
Favourite Invention – Doorpaste, which would be useful in countless Looney Tunes cartoons.
Favourite Line –
“My favourite food from the meat category is sugar.”
(from the Early Zita Sketches page, not the story)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Zita’s life took a cosmic left turn in the blink of an eye.
When her best friend is abducted by an alien doomsday cult, Zita leaps to the rescue and finds herself a stranger on a strange planet. Humanoid chickens and neurotic robots are shocking enough as new experiences go, but Zita is even more surprised to find herself taking on the role of intergalactic hero. Before long, aliens in all shapes and sizes don’t even phase her. Neither do ancient prophecies, doomed planets, or even a friendly con man who takes a mysterious interest in Zita’s quest.
Zita the Spacegirl is a fun, captivating tale of friendship and redemption from Flight veteran Ben Hatke. It also has more whimsical, eye-catching, Miyazaki-esque monsters than you can shake a stick at.
Starting this graphic novel I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I was initially wary because I knew it had been translated from Italian. I always worry I’m going to miss key elements in translated works but Carla Roncalli De Montorio has done a wonderful job.
Beginning with Matteo’s train trip to his home town after three years in Milan with his boyfriend, he is certain he will not be welcomed into his father’s home. Returning with no money, job or relationship, he lands on his Nan’s doorstep, greeted by his pregnant cousin Sara. Matteo is surprised to see his aunts A, B and C are now living with his Nan. He also meets Odina, his Nan’s caregiver and Francesco, his Nan’s nurse.
Through interactions with his family, Odina and Francesco, Matteo begins to learn to deal with his problems rather than running away from them. His individual family members, some more accepting of him than others, teach him about love, support, strength and what the generations can learn from one another.
I certainly didn’t expect to cry while reading something with so few words. I guess that tells you something about how powerful this story is. Flavia Biondi, who incidentally has done a brilliant job conveying the story both in words and images, created a cast of complex characters who I came to love more because of their flaws, not despite them.
The analogy of people being apples and our family being a tree was just beautiful. Exploring themes of love, loss, grief, sexuality, homophobia and acceptance, this graphic novel’s depth pleasantly surprised me.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Lion Forge and Diamond Book Distributors for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
After three years in Milan, Matteo returns home to the provincial country town where he was born and from which he had fled. Coming out as a young gay man in a provincial country town had led to ugly clashes with his conservative father, and the urban metropolis of Milan had been a welcome change from the stifling small town life of his childhood and the anger and bewilderment of some members of his family. But now, Matteo finds himself with little choice but to return home, with no money, no job, and an uncertain future, like so many other young people of his millennial generation. Afraid of encountering his estranged father, he instead takes refuge with his extended family, at a house shared by his grandmother, three aunts, and his very pregnant cousin. As he tries to rebuild his life, reconnecting with the women of his family and old hometown friends, he warily confronts a few truths about the other generations of his family – from their bigotry to their love, and tolerance, and acceptance – and a few truths about himself, including his fears of confrontation and commitment.
I grew up watching The Flintstones and then bought the seasons on DVD as an adult. I love everything about it – the characters, the storylines, the catchphrases, the prehistoric household appliances. Needless to say, I was all yabba dabba doo at the chance to read The Flintstones Vol. 2: Bedrock Bedlam.
I tried so hard to love this one but unfortunately my get up and go just got up and went. I didn’t find it funny and never connected with the characters. Maybe it was a case of my expectations being too high for a childhood favourite but it never really felt like I was reading about my favourite modern Stone Age family. I’m so sad to say that it never lived up to the Hanna-Barbera cartoons for me.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and DC Comics for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.
⭐⭐
Rating: 2 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Fred and Barney reunite for Mark Russell’s modern take on Hanna-Barbera’s most famous stone-age family!
This second volume starring the first family of Bedrock (and civilisation, really) tells the story of who we are and why we do what we do as if it all began with Fred, Wilma, Barney, Betty and the rest of the citizens of Bedrock. Shining a light on humanity’s ancient customs and institutions in a funny origin story of human civilization, Mark Russell (Prez) blends modern interpretations with Hanna-Barbera’s classic characters, bringing a breath of fresh stone-age air.
Hanna-Barbera has created some of the most recognizable animated characters of all time. As part of DC Comics’ reimagination of cartoons like Scooby-Doo, Johnny Quest, Space Ghost and Wacky Racers, these new series are infused with modern and contemporary concepts while keeping the heart and soul of the classic animation.
Wallace the Brave takes us through a year in the life of Wallace, his family and friends from one summer school holiday to the next. Wallace lives with his mother, father and little brother in Snug Harbour. He attends school at Moonstone Elementary where his teacher is Mrs MacIntosh.
Wallace loves playing pinball and enjoys reading comics, his mother has recently discovered her very own comic addiction, his father is a fisherman and is fairly laid back, and his little brother Sterling is a weirdo with a unibrow. He’s best friends with Spud, a kid with anxiety, and has made friends with new girl Amelia.
Wallace the Brave sort of reminded me of a Charlie Brown comic but didn’t strike me as funny at all. I’ve read some reviews that thought it was hilarious but I was bored by it. If Wallace the Brave was a Charlie Brown comic then Spud was Charlie Brown, Amelia was Lucy, Scratch-N-Sniff was Pig-Pen and I have no idea who Wallace would be.
I wasn’t sure what age Wallace was supposed to be other than knowing he attends Elementary School. His younger brother was even harder to pick an age for as he attends school in the afternoon and talks but he’s carried around by his mother in one of those baby carrier harness thingies where you wear your kid like a backpack that you wear on your front … a frontpack? I’m not a parent so don’t know the technical name for these things but hopefully you know what I mean.
This comic book wasn’t terrible or anything. I just didn’t find it funny and couldn’t connect with it at all. I was really keen to read this when I read the blurb and saw the cover but once I made it past the first few pages I would’ve given up on it had I not committed to reviewing it.
Thank you very much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Welcome to Snug Harbor! Will Henry’s Wallace the Brave is a whimsical comic strip that centers around a bold and curious little boy named Wallace, his best friend Spud and the new girl in town, Amelia. Wallace lives in the quaint and funky town of Snug Harbor with his fisherman father, plant loving mother and feral little brother, Sterling.
I was surprised by how emotionally attached I became to the main character in Pride of the Decent Man. Told in chapters, this graphic novel follows the life of Andrew Peters. Growing up in an abusive home, Andrew’s Grandma teaches him to hold onto the good times to get through the bad. His Grandma takes photos throughout her life to reflect on as she grows older. Inspired by her, Andrew begins to write, capturing his thoughts and experiences in a series of journals.
Andrew tries to do the right thing in his life but allows his friend Whitey to consistently rope him into plans which never turn out the way he intends. The idea of redemption is common in a lot of what Andrew has been reading and when he discovers he has a daughter he hopes that his chance to redeem himself has come.
My heart melted when Andrew reads to his daughter what he wants to say to her. He’s more comfortable writing than speaking and the fact that he wanted to get this interaction with his daughter just right was so touching.
Ultimately Andrew is a good man who strives to overcome his past and I imagine he just wants to be the kind of man who his Grandma, then girlfriend and finally his daughter will be proud of. He leads a quiet, often solitary existence and I found myself really liking him. I was proud of him for taking responsibility for his actions and I wanted everything to turn out well for him.
In under 100 pages, T.J. Kirsch made me connect with his main character more than a lot of authors of 400 plus page novels do. The writing was fairly sparse but this made the words that were written have more of an impact. The illustrations told the rest of the story, allowing access to Andrew’s emotions. Sometimes in graphic novels you can feel a disconnect between the story and the illustrations. Given that this graphic novel was written and drawn by the same person, there was no feeling of anything being lost in the translation.
I really liked the interplay between the handwritten portions of Andrew’s journals and the speech. The flashback scenes added to the story and were done in such a way that they blended in to the story and I didn’t find them distracting as a reader. I loved the use of the birds’ silhouettes throughout and particularly loved the symbolism of the brightly coloured butterflies in the final panel.
I suppose part of what drew me to Andrew was the fact that I’m also more comfortable expressing myself through writing than speaking. I do know I wasn’t expecting a great deal from this graphic novel and I’ve come away having read it twice so far with respect and admiration for this rough around the edges main character.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, NBM Publishing and Papercutz for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
In a sleepy New England town, Andrew Peters is born into an abusive family. As he grows older, he seems to be on the right track, using writing as his outlet — but his best friend Whitey is always pulling him in the opposite direction. Andrew eventually lands himself in prison, and shortly thereafter, learns he has a daughter. The shock resolves him to a path of redemption and an attempt to live his life as a decent man.
Written by Stefan Petrucha and illustrated by Allen Gladfelter, Kakieland Katastrophe is the first in a new series of graphic novels that introduce new stories in the Hotel Transylvania world we already know and love.
With character profiles at the beginning, you are reminded of the monsters and human you already know or introduced to them if you’re new to Hotel Transylvania land. If you haven’t already seen the movies, please remedy that immediately as you are seriously missing out!
In this story, Stephen Cling, horror author and owner of Kakieland, a new Transylvanian theme park, is our baddie. Wanting to expand his empire, Cling decides he wants a hotel and he’s found the perfect one … Hotel Transylvania.
After tricking our helpful, loveable monsters into posing for some selfies that make them look scary and distributing them via the Internet to ruin the image of monsters everywhere, an angry mob arrives and turn up the heat on our monsters with flaming torches, pitchforks and protest signs. My personal favourite which is an absolute classic says ‘Sorry, I never know what to say on protest signs‘.
After all of the adults do their bit to attempt to fix the problem and fail, it’s up to the kids (Dennis and Winnie) to save the day, the Hotel and the reputation of monsters everywhere!
This is a really fun graphic novel. The characters stay true to the way they were depicted in the movies, the storyline is interesting and the artwork is excellent. There’s great attention to detail in the illustrations and enough humour and character traits from the movies shining through so it’s easy to hear the characters’ voices in your head as you read. It can be difficult to translate characters from movies onto the page but this is an impressive introduction and I’m interested to see where the story takes us in the next volume.
Colourists Laurie E. Smith and Matt Herms and letterer Wilson Ramos Jr. also deserve kudos for jobs well done in making the overall look come together in a way that stays true to the feel of the movies yet also creatively stands apart.
Thank you very much to NetGalley and Papercutz for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
The debut Hotel Transylvania graphic novel based on the movies! Horror author Stephen Cling visits Hotel Transylvania to try and prove monsters are still dangerous. Dracula, his daughter and her family, and the Drac pack are anything but! However, when a human child goes missing, it is up to Drac, Mavis, and the rest of the Hotel crew to locate the child before their monstrous reputation gets them chased out of town.
Schizanthus Nerd 