A tangled bureaucracy. A young cartographer. The encroachment of new technologies and new ideas. A strange woman whose body is marked with lines that may represent a map of some sort. This is the world of Sodrovno-Voldachia, a land which eerily reimagines and resembles what was once Yugoslavia in the real world. This is the world of Roland, new to the profession of cartographer, and caught up in events he doesn’t yet understand.
The Invisible Frontier is part one of a two book set of graphic novels by acclaimed Belgian authors, Benoit Peeters and Francois Schuiten. The story is strangely fascinating, but where this book really shines is in the art. It manages to mix realism and a certain idealized dreamlike quality to produce something straight out of Kafka or Metropolis: all high buildings and retro-technology and an immense dome that houses the Center for Cartography. The colors, however muted, bring out the richness of the lines, and the prevalence of curves, further adding to that unreal quality. Beautiful and intelligent, this is a graphic novel that is sure to fascinate as well as entertain. Due to some nudity and a somewhat complex storyline, this book probably shouldn’t be aimed at younger readers. Also, be aware that this is part one; the conclusion of the story won’t be out for some time. More information may be found at www.nbmpublishing.com.
Archive for category Graphic Novels & Picture Books
This is the inaugural volume of a new series of picture books starring Babu the Water Buffalo, a young hero who gets involved in all sorts of adventures while learning about life and growing up in India. Meet Malla the Kawwa bird, Babu’s parents Mataji and Pitahji, Singh the King Cobra, and Mohan the Mongoose, and learn all about the perils that await a young water buffalo who wanders off on his own.
The first release from Babu Books, a new publisher of children’s books, Babu the Buffalo is an extremely strong example of what’s to come. The story, while short (less than 20 pages), manages to pack a remarkable amount of information and characterization and deliver a complete adventure. The art is absolutely gorgeous, the characters expressive and filled with a childlike whimsy, the colors rich and glowing and all but jumping off the page. As an added, and most welcome, bonus, there’s a four page vocabulary list in the back of the book, covering a wide variety of the words found in the actual story. Educational as well as lovely, Babu is clearly the start of something good. This is one book I’ll definitely be keeping until I have children to share it with. You can learn more at www.babubooks.com.
In this extremely entertaining retelling of Rapunzel, the titular character is a feisty, take-no-prisoners girl who uses her extraordinarily-long braids as whips, lassos, and ropes. Together with her new friend, the roguish Jack, she sets out to battle the evil witch, Mother Gothel, whose crimes include terrorizing the landscape, enslaving the locals, and imprisoning Rapunzel in a magic tree for years. Along the way, they’ll battle all sorts of ruffians and dangers, become the best of friends, and maybe even find Rapunzel’s real mother. Skillfully told by Shannon and Dean Hale, Rapunzel’s Revenge is a graphic novel brilliantly illustrated and brought to life by Nathan Hale, making for a lovely, pseudo-Wild West version of an classic fairy tale. This is not to be missed.
This is the long-awaited capstone to the bestselling, highly popular Spiderwick Chronicles, and is actually a replica of the book which carries much of the story’s plot. In the books, the three Grace children find their uncle’s Field Guide to the creatures of Faerie, and are thusly hounded, hunted, bedeviled and threatened by the various goblins, gnomes, trolls and what-not that are described within. Here at last is the book which started it all, recreated in all its glory by superb artist Tony DiTerlizzi, with help from the ever-impressive Holly Black.
Covering dozens of creatures, including many not actually seen in the Spiderwick Chronicles, it combines full-color drawings with textual articles on everything from Brownies to Unicorns, Dragons to Phookas, Goblins to Salamanders, and much more. Every page is a work of art, combining fresh new art with samples of Arthur Spiderwick’s original journal notes. As well, there are notes added by the next generation, in the form of the Grace children after their own encounters with the creatures of magic. If you were planning to study supernatural beings, this book might very well be a great place to start, provided you have the right equipment and a certain lack of self-preservation.
Quite simply, this is the logical successor to Brian Froud’s fairy books, as good as anything he has done on the subject if not better. Beautifully put-together, with richly intricate and whimsical art on every page, laid out with the utmost of care, the Field Guide is a worthy addition to the shelf of any fantasy lover, and a must-have for Spiderwick fans. DiTerlizzi and Black have outdone themselves here. I can’t recommend this item highly enough, and I suspect we’ll be seeing more from this creative team in the near future.