Category: Comics or Graphic Novel

An artform consisting of pictures that tell both fiction and non-fiction stories. Useful for reluctant readers of all ages.

Your Highness by Sean Phillips

Your Highness by Sean Phillips

Your Highness, a two comic collection, is the prequel to a film called, you guessed it, “Your Highness”.

In these pages, Fabious, the elder prince, goes on a quest to slay a monster who was unleashed by an evil sorcerer. The younger brother, Thadeous, is sent by his father, the king, to secure a treaty with a nearby dwarven kingdom.

Both princes encounter adventures that they were not prepared for.

I wish, in preparation for reading this slim tome, that I had had the chance to rewatch the movie. But I didn’t. So, until then, I’ll just have to rely on my memory of the film from twelve plus years ago.

In the comic, as in the movie, both princes are caricatures of the angel/devil archetype of consciousness.

Fabious, the elder brother, stands in for our “angelic nature”. He is driven to bring justice and safety to those around him while carefully protecting his honor throughout the quest. The flipside to this personality is he suppresses his baser urges, leading to some amusing innuendo with his fellow knights.

(Sexual innuendo and clever word play isn’t something I necessarily find funny, but for those who do, Fabious provides this in spades.)

The other brother, Thadeous, represents humanity’s shadow mode of consciousness. He delights in excess whether that is food, marijuana, or sex. And though he is tasked by his father with as important a mission as his brother, readers know immediately that he will probably fail- not because he’s is incapable of doing what is required, but because he will most likely chose to indulge in his baser instincts to the detriment of his goal.

Overall, I liked the artwork in Your Highness. I thought the panels flowed nicely and the dialogue was well done too.

As for the story itself, I felt it was a tad predictable, but still enjoyable.

I wish, in the Thadeous storyline, the dwarves’ weed had had some magical properties that elevated it beyond bringing an excellent high. Maybe using it could cause one to see where minerals were hidden beneath the earth?

Anyway, recommended for fans of the movie and readers who enjoy fantasy comics in general.

Scurry by Mac Smith

Scurry by Mac Smith

Wix is a mouse with a major problem: there aren’t enough resources to feed the colony he lives with. He braves hungry cats and birds, mysterious foxes and roaming wolves, as well as a myriad of other dangers in his quest to find food for his people.

Pict is the daughter of the leader of the colony whose name is Orim. Pict longs to be out in the wilderness but her many duties keep her at home. This is her life until something extraordinary happens and then she must go forth to warn Wix, as well as the others, about what has transpired.

The story in this graphic novel has been told before. However, the artwork that accompanies the tale is beautiful. I especially liked the panels that contain flames. The light that shines on the characters brings additional depth to the drawings. It is worth picking the book up for that alone.

From the book’s cover, I learned Scurry was initially a webcomic. It definitely deserved getting its own printed medium.

Recommended for middle grade children.

Maestros by Steve Skroce (Writer/Illustrator), Dave Stewart (Colorist), Fonografiks (Letterer)

Maestros by Steve Skroce (Writer/Illustrator), Dave Stewart (Colorist), Fonografiks (Letterer)

When the Maestros and his entire extended family are killed in an inter-dimensional fight, the only part of the Wizard King’s bloodline remains with a young man named Will who was banished to Earth with his mother, Margaret.

Now as Will takes the throne, his enemies, and his father’s enemies, are on the move. Will he be able to retain power or, in these uncertain times, his life? We shall see.

The artwork of this series is amazing. From the colors to the style, each page has eye-catching illustrations. Well done, Steve Skroce!

This graphic novel is rated Mature and it is easy to see why. There’s nudity, graphic violence, and some depictions of torture. So, librarians, please categorize it correctly.

Despite its mature, and occasionally disturbing, elements, I enjoyed the story in this comic quite a lot. It is a fantasy-laden coming-of-age tale that asks the question: does absolute power corrupt absolutely?

Highly recommended for mature comic book readers. Thanks for reading!

The Daughters of Ys by M.T. Anderson, Jo Rioux (illustrator)

The Daughters of Ys by M.T. Anderson, Jo Rioux (illustrator)

The Daughters of Ys opens with a father relating a story to his daughters. The story concerns the magical way he met his wife and their future mother on a dark stormy night in the middle of the sea. From there, the two carve a city from the sea and begin a new life.

But now, their mother is dead and, the king and his daughters (Rozenn and Dahut) have to figure out their lives and how to run their magical kingdom, Ys, without her.

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Pexels.com

In this coming-of-age tale, secrets run in every direction. The discovery of what those secrets are make this story fascinating.

Magic and living comes with a cost is one of the many lessons that could be learned from this fairy tale.

I loved the illustrations by Jo Rioux and feel like they really elevated the story. She uses mostly muted colors to weave shadows and magic throughout the tale. The brightest colors are reserved for Dahut, the younger and more magically inclined daughter.

I think this book is appropriate for young adults. There are some mature themes that are dealt with, but they’re not explicit. Highly recommended.

Thanks for reading!

Black Orchid by Neil Gaiman (Author), Dave McKean (Illustrator)

Black Orchid by Neil Gaiman (Author), Dave McKean (Illustrator)

Shadowy art elevates this superhero graphic novel written by the incomparable Neil Gaiman.

Susan Linden is a crime fighter named the Black Orchid. In the first pages of the story, she is killed by gangsters. She spends the rest of the book trying to remember who she is and why she has extraordinary abilities- including reincarnation.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The graphic novel brings in numerous heroes from the DC universe including Batman, Poison Ivy, and Lex Luthor. It was fun to read those interactions.

The overall feel of the story is very dark which makes the bright, almost electric purple of the Black Orchid panels stick out so much. Black Orchid and the other flower women are nude and it is handled tastefully throughout.

Here’s the Black Orchid and a friend from the graphic novel:

Before this graphic novel, I had never even heard of Black Orchid. This story makes a great introduction, but it doesn’t go fully into her abilities- some are still a mystery.

At first, I thought it didn’t fit the character that Black Orchid could fly because I associate plants with earth and being tied into the ground. However, in the supplemental materials at the back of the book, it explained that plants can change their density. Then, that particular superhero ability made more sense to me.

This isn’t a story for kids. I’d recommend it for readers 18+ because of the violence and some disturbing dialogue.

Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons: Deluxe Edition by Patrick Rothfuss, Jim Zub

Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons: Deluxe Edition by Patrick Rothfuss, Jim Zub

Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons is fun. I’m not a big fan of the Rick and Morty show, but even I found plenty to love in this graphic novel.

In this book, Rick, Morty, and their family explore different dimensions that represent various editions of the fantasy role-playing game, Dungeons and Dragons. If you have some experience playing the game, you’ll find lots of inside jokes to enjoy.

I personally have minimal game play time with Dungeons and Dragons, but again, it was still fun.

My favorite story from this collection was the last in the book, which dealt with a character named Mr. Meeseeks. He’s from the Rick and Morty show so those who have seen the episodes with him can probably guess what happens.

It still made a great impression on me.

There’s some vulgarity and language in this book, which might make it appropriate for teens and up. That’s for you all to decide.

Thanks for reading!

The Paradox of Getting Better by Raven Lyn Clemens

The Paradox of Getting Better by Raven Lyn Clemens

The Paradox of Getting Better is about a young person who is struggling with mental health issues. These struggles are symbolized in the comic by strangely shaped bodies and surreal art.

The artwork itself is done in pencil with words crossed out and rough edges with lines coming off of it. There’s a definite style to this comic. It didn’t resonate with me.

I understand this is an indie comic, but I wanted to see a little more polish to the presentation. As it is, the book felt like an art project in its early stages- more like a book proposal than a finished project.

The writing in this comic is fantastic by the end. However, at the beginning, the main character can’t even speak in words. They just keep saying, “XXXX”, over and over.

I get this is supposed to represent an inability to communicate in the midst of a mental health crisis, but it didn’t quite work. The family members of the individual were able to understand what the sufferer was saying, but the readers weren’t. It didn’t feel fair. I wanted to understand that person too.

This work is very imaginative. I liked the shapes the author incorporated and I also liked the message in the final panels.

If you’re going to read this one, I recommend borrowing it from your local library. Thanks for reading!

DPS Only! by Xiao Tong Kong

DPS Only! by Xiao Tong Kong

Vicky lives with her brother, Vergil, who is a renowned e-sports player of the game “Xenith Orion.” Though Vicky loves to play video games too, she is too shy and self deprecating to tell him.

When an opportunity arises for Vicky to join an e-sports team of her own, she takes it, and uses a mask to conceal her identity. But she knows, it is only a matter of time until her secret comes out.

What will she do then?

I very much enjoyed this coming-of-age graphic novel. Readers get to see Vicky really coming into her own in the video game scene, while handling her personal relationships, particularly the one with her brother.

Photo by Florenz Mendoza on Pexels.com

This story touched on the potential sexism of e-sports. So few young women play, and when they do, they can draw all sorts of negative or toxic attention. Vicky avoids some of this with her costume, but other parts of it she can’t escape- like when one of the members of her brother’s team presses her for her phone number, though she doesn’t want to give it.

Or the negative comments arising from spectators to the tournament which are specifically directed to a female member of another team who isn’t hiding her gender behind a mask.

I experienced this type of thing first-hand in some of my gaming days. I was big into EverQuest in the early 2000’s. Luckily for me, that was before head-set communication during gaming was a thing, so, even though I played female avatars, most of the people I gamed with just assumed I was a guy.

Photo by Matilda Wormwood on Pexels.com

It was easy for me to hide. I never felt like I had to, like Vicky, but looking back on it all now, it saved me from negative attention for years.

News articles about e-sports have reported women comprise about half of casual gamers but only a handful of professional gamers. Here’s hoping more young women find the courage to follow their dreams!

The video game portions of this book were the most difficult to follow. It cut quickly from one character to the next with little explanation of what is going on except the kill.

Other than that, I thought this book was well done.

Highly recommended for reluctant readers, fans of video games, and readers who enjoy graphic novels.

Thanks for reading!

witchbody by Sabrina Scott

witchbody by Sabrina Scott

What is a “witchbody”?

Sabrina Scott defines this nebulous concept in graphic novel format.

Basically, to have a witchbody, the spiritual practitioner uses his or her senses and whole body to connect with everything in the world around her- be that a polluted parking lot or a clear mountain lake.

Scott touches on this idea that sometimes in our spiritual practices we only consider “pure” and “unpolluted” things as holy. They put forward the theory that, if we continue down this path, there may be nothing left to connect with as everything in existence mixes and mingles with everything else.

The spiritual is in the here and now, in the interaction of all things. I heartily agreed.

They wander through philosophy and other theories in the delivery of this message, which some readers may enjoy. I found myself wishing the text had a little more organization to it.

The art in this black and white graphic novel is beautiful. There is some non-graphic nudity- for librarians looking to categorize this book, I’d suggest in the adult graphic novel section.

As lovely as the art is, the lettering is close together and difficult to read in places. I think the author was going for the obviously hand drawn look, but I think they went one step too far. Otherwise, this book was enjoyable.

Highly recommended for spiritual seekers.