The Great Fables Crossover by Bill Willingham

For those who have no idea what Fables is (and if this is you, why??) the basic idea is that all of the fairytale characters you've ever heard of (and the ones you haven't) have fled their homelands during a war with an enemy known as the Adversary, and are now living in a new Fabletown, in New York. That was the premise in the beginning, anyway. A lot has happened since then. 

I was a little bit confused at the beginning of this volume, because I haven't yet started the Jack of Fables series, and so I felt a bit like I was missing some information. I do plan to get to the series at some point, but as Jack pops in and out of the main Fables storylines, I wasn't completely adrift, and I still have seven volumes of Fables to go (and I'm pretty sure there'll be at least one more before it ends next year), and two of Bill Willingham's new series, Fairest, so it might be a while!

This latest volume takes place after all the drama with the Adversary is over, after the battle of Fabletown, and it has a new (ish) villain and a cast of characters in the form of the Literals, who are embodiments of ideas and thoughts rather than fairytale characters of imagination, like most of the fables. The plot is pretty similar to a lot of the preceeding volumes; various fable characters (this time Bigby and Snow White along with a few others) set off on a mission to defeat an enemy who threatens their very existence. Things happen along the way... But somehow, despite its slightly formulaic approach, The Great Fables Crossover manages to have characters you want to read about and be unpredictable enough to keep you hooked right until the end. 

As a whole, I love this series, but I do go up and down with how much I enjoy individual volumes. Some just aren't as gripping as others, but I would say that on the whole this was one of my more favoured ones. The plot is strong and I really enjoy the way that Willingham and his collaborators weave narratives together - one of my favourite things about the Fables series is that unexpected people keep turning up and the story is continually taking unexpected turns. While I don't love it as much as I loved the Sandman series by Neil Gaiman, it's definitely a very close second and a brilliant addition to my fairytale reading. Plus it goes really well with Season One of Once Upon a Time, which we're catching up with on Lovefilm at the moment!

I have a hard time writing about Fables as a series, purely because I like it so much and I want everybody to go out and read it so we can talk about it now, please? And I don't want to ruin it at all for you, so I try to talk about it without talking about specifics, which makes it difficult to talk about at all, really. All I can say is, I'd like Rose Red back now, please. Enough moping already! 

Review: - Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

I don’t know if I mention it enough, but just in case I don’t, I really like graphic novels. Like, really like them. I have a lot of t shirts with really geeky graphic novel related things on them, and I refuse to be ashamed. I love the effort that goes into them and I love their general thick glossiness and how the stories themselves are generally totally kick ass. As part of the Graphic Novel Challenge last year I decided to branch out from my almost solely Neil Gaiman based graphic novel collection and try some different styles. Fun Home came on my radar when I was looking for books the internet thought were similar to Perspolis by Marjane Satrapi. Any of you who have been reading my blog over the last year will probably know that Persepolis was my ‘oh my god what is this book and why did nobody tell me about it before??!’ book of 2011. I LOVED it, and up until I read The Night Circus, it was the book I was recommending to everybody, so I had incredibly high expectations of Fun Home going in.

Alison Bechdel’s autobiography centres around the family business; a funeral (‘fun’) home, and her childhood and growing up, although really it focuses on her issues with her father, Bruce Bechdel, and coming to terms with being a lesbian. Alison’s father is painted as a remote man, unpredictable, angry, and distant from his children. The reasons for this – that he was a closet homosexual who was having affairs with male students, and Alison’s babysitter – don’t become clear until later on in the book, but they have a considerable effect on Alison herself both consciously and unconsciously. She feels as a child that he loves their big, historic house more than his children, and is more interested in renovating it than in spending time with her and her brothers.

Although I didn’t love it like I love Persepolis, I can see where the comparison came from.  Both are stories of growing up in unusual and difficult circumstances (just to be clear, I’m not comparing Bechdel and Satrapi’s situations – they are clearly not the same, but they are both stories of a young girl feeling very lost and uncertain of who she was and where she belonged), and their style of illustration is similar – both are done solely in black and white and are very clear and easy to follow. Personally, it’s a style I find more relaxing than the full, aggressive colour of many other graphic novels.

The story isn’t told chronologically but jumps around a lot which I found made it more engaging. Both of Alison’s parents are prodigiously intelligent people; her father is a professor, and her mother is an actress. When I originally wrote that sentence, it came out in the past tense, and although Alison’s mother is still acting during the course of Alison’s childhood and adolescence, she feels like one of those women whose individuality became subsumed by her husbands’ personality and her children’s needs. Her mother seems very disappointed with life, resigned to living with a man who doesn’t really want to be with her, and whose interests are totally separate from her own. Bechdel talks about her mother with a sort of sadness, and actually I just found out that she is bringing out a new book in May 2012 entitled Are You My Mother, seemingly to even things out a bit.

Throughout the book, Alison’s parents are not often seen together, and when they are they are violently arguing, but still it takes Alison’s mother until Alison is nearly twenty to ask her father for a divorce. Her parents seem to both have very creative and intellectual lives, and her mother is in many ways an incredibly positive role model for Alison – acting and completing a Masters thesis while raising three children, but despite all the achievement she is shown as disappointed, lifeless, and worn out. The facial expressions in Fun Home were one of the things which made it most effective for me. Bruce Bechdel’s face is always the same – closed up and emotionless even when he is talking to Alison about having to visit a psychiatrist because he is ‘bad, not good like you’ (p153). Because Bechdel obviously knew what her father had done while writing the novel, the underlying accusation is always there throughout the story , giving the reader a different perspective on events than Bechdel herself would have had at the time.

People say that to a degree, every family is dysfunctional. I personally don’t have an experience of this – my family is big and loud and we all have similar interests and are always talking and ringing each other to borrow books, movies, clothes. We go to the pub together, to the cinema, some of my siblings came to stay for New Year and we had an awesome party... So I am lucky, but I know a lot of people who are less lucky than me, and everybody has their secrets it’s just that some are bigger than others, and Bruce Bechdels’ secret was definitely one of the bigger ones.

Another thing that I liked about Fun Home though was the other thing that makes it so comparable to Persepolis. It is filled with books. Throughout Alison’s life, she reads. Her father reads - he recommends her books from time to time. When she begins to think that she is a lesbian, she reads about it – all the books she can get her hands on. I can completely relate to this, and I’m sure many other readers can. When I want to learn about something, I read about it. Although I really enjoy a good debate, I am the kind of person who likes to be sure that I have all my facts straight first, and so in many ways I would rather learn intellectually first, before putting ideas into practice. I learned to knit this past year from a book,  which I know is not really comparable to learning about your sexuality from books, but it can be so comforting to read about somebody who has been through the situation you have been through and been confused as you are confused and to see how they resolved their situation.

Fun Home won’t be going on the list of things I rave at people about, but it will be staying on my shelf so that I can recommend it to people.  

Reviews: - Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall & Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham

The Fables series of graphic novels by Bill Willingham is one of my newest and most awesome discoveries in the graphic genre. I originally found out about it at Sophisticated Dorkiness, and after doing a bit of research I thought it sounded exactly like my kind of thing. This is really a double review of two Fables books: 1001 Nights of Snowfall, which is a kind of prequel, based around the Scheherezade/ Arabian Nights concept, and the first official book in the series, Legends in Exile.

The Fables (Snow White, the big bad wolf, Beauty and the Beast and the rest) have been forced to leave their magical homelands by an enemy known only as The Adversary, and have taken refuge in a suburb of New York which they have named Fabletown. Here they’ve lived among humans for centuries, and here is where Legends in Exile begins. Although it is the first book, I am glad that I read 1001 Nights of Snowfall first, as it explains a lot of the set-up of Legends in Exile, such as how Snow White and Rose Red came to be estranged, how Old King Cole became the mayor of Fabletown, and the beginnings of  Bigby the wolf. Fables runs the risk of being ridiculous – anything based around fairytales always has the potential for childishness – but it completely isn’t. Legends in Exile, more than 1001 Nights of Snowfall, is a very adult, raw and complex and I loved it. The fairytale characters are presented with all the uncomfortable edges of humanity – all their flaws are jarringly present and obvious.

Legends in Exile is pretty much a murder mystery. Rose Red’s apartment is found trashed and covered in blood and Bigby, the head of the Fabletown police force, is called in to investigate. Red’s sister, Snow White is the assistant to the mayor of Fabletown, and she becomes involved in the hunt for her estranged sister’s killer. The plot follows the development of the investigation, and the revelation of Rose Red’s entangled love life, starting with her boyfriend Jack (as in Jack the giant killer, of ‘and the beanstalk’ fame), and quickly warping to involve a complex relationship with Bluebeard, the guy who kills all his wives...

I thought that the way the story developed was very enjoyable. Although it wasn’t the most shocking ending ever, the story was still pacy enough to keep me engrossed and wanting to read the next one (which I now have). I always love new takes on fairytales – many of you will know that this is the subject I’m apt to geek out the most about – and I love that Willingham has stripped fairytales back to what they would be like if they were actually about real people in the real world. What I’ve read of the Fables series so far has a ring of authenticity that fairytales generally lack, and I think that’s probably what I found the most powerful about them. I also really liked the artwork, especially on 1001 Nights of Snowfall. It is often quite stark and fairly brazen (as are the stories), while retaining some of the traditional fairytale, ethereal feel.

The rest of the series has gone on my wishlist...

Review: - Bake Sale by Sara Varon

When I was sent this book by First Second Publishers, I was extremely excited. Not only is it a graphic novel, it’s a graphic novel about a cupcake, which has recipes for cupcakes in it! Amazing. Here’s a synopsis:

“Cupcake’s life is pretty good. He’s got his bakery, and his band, and his best friend, Eggplant. His days are full of cooking, socializing, and playing music. But lately, Cupcake has been struggling in the kitchen. He’s sure the solution to all his problems is out there somewhere. But maybe that solution is hiding closer to home.”

Although this book is aimed at an age group younger than myself, I did thoroughly enjoy myself while reading it. It was a very quick read, and the story was very simple and refreshing. Cupcake is the central character; a little pink cake with a cherry on top, he owns his own bakery and aspires to be a great baker like his hero, Turkish Delight, who is, as the name implies, a big piece of Turkish delight with legs. When his best friend Eggplant tells Cupcake of his plans to go to Turkey for his Aunt’s book release party, and divulges furthermore that his Aunt’s best friend and partner is none other than Turkish Delight herself, Cupcake becomes determined to go with him and begins to devise new recipes to make extra money.

Really, Bake Sale is a very sweet story about the value of friendship and the importance of supporting each other, masquerading as a story about cakes. It’s a brilliant ploy, and if I’m honest, it was the fact that it was a graphic novel about cakes which first attracted me to it, and quite rightly so. Varon’s style of drawing is gorgeously simple – big, bold outlines and bright colours – and child –friendly without being at all childish. The book itself is beautifully put together, with gorgeously illustrated step by step recipes, and my personal favourite page, the recipe for sugared flowers framed by creeping flower –covered vines. At the end of the book, Cupcake realises that more important than meeting his hero or getting to travel the world are his friends, and especially his friendship with Eggplant. Any friend who’ll stand by you through an embarrassing incident of wrapper – wrinkling at the Turkish baths is definintely worth having!

Sara Varon’s first novel Robot Dreams is also about the importance of relationships, and I think I’ll have to go and seek it out. When writing for children, a lot of authors fall into the trap of over-simplifying, and therefore patronising the child. Varon doesn’t do this – she treats her subject matter with beautiful sensitivity, and I love how understanding Cupcake and Eggplant are of each other. Bake Sale did a really good job of exploring what a great friendship is, and it’ll go into my stockpile (yes, I am stockpiling awesome children’s books for future kids/nieces and nephews.. I’m the eldest of 7, so hopefully somebody will have some kids!), and for now, I will be handing it on to my younger brother! I would recommend it for anybody who’s interested in graphic novels or children’s books, or both!

Thanks to the publishers, who very kindly allowed me to read and enjoy this novel!

Bake Sale is out September 2011.

(from First Second promotional material)

Lost at Sea by Bryan Lee O'Malley

 So, a while ago, I watched a little film called Scott Pilgrim vs the World, and fell in love.. resultingly, I just had to read the books that the film originated from, and thus my discovery was complete.

'Lost at Sea' is the standalone book which precedes the Scott Pilgrim novels in release date. If they weren't graphic, I guess you would call O'Malley's stories magic realism, for their casual acceptance of impossible things - Ramona's ability to get from A to B via the use of magical doors only she can find, Raleigh's belief that a cat has stolen her soul... However, Lost at Sea is much more abstract than the Scott Pilgrim series. It also felt to me, much less complete in itself. Having said that, this didn't make it a bad novel, in fact I (somewhat predictably) loved it.

O'Malley continues to surprise me with how real his characters are, and how much he can build them up, and make you empathise with them. Initially, I thought that this was because the Scott Pilgrim series, being 6 books long, allowed him the space to do that, and admittedly, there is a lot more back story involved, but Lost at Sea was a standalone novel, and it still had completely 3D characters. Really a story was only given to Raleigh, but that was ok, because the story is really only about her. And I totally loved her by the end.
As an aside, I'd just like to mention that this novel took me about an hour to read. The illustrative technique is absolutely brilliant - just really stark and simple, in black and white with thick lines, it makes it impossible to step away from the book for even a minute.
The illustration is a reflection of the story of the novel: about a girl called Raleigh who believes that she has no soul, on a road trip from 'visiting her dad' in California, back home to Canada, with three kids from school she doesn't know too well. The storyline and characters are all very simple, and O'Malley has the genius of being able to make his readers unquestioningly accept the viability of whatever he chooses to put in a story.
Raleigh starts off the book coming across like a bit of an outsider, and slightly out of this world, and throughout the course of the tale, she become included, accepted, and even finds a best friend for the first time in years. Really, Lost at Sea is a coming of age story - showing first love, friendship, and self discovery, and the graphic format just gives it that extra tinge of awesome.
The only thing that annoyed me is that you never find out what's in the letter! (Read the book, you'll know what I'm talking about!!)
I read this for the Graphic Novel Challenge (and because my amazing fiance bought it randomly..), and I'm really glad I did! So far, I'm totally loving the books I've been reading for this challenge!

Rating :*****

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood and The Story of a Return by Marjane Satrapi

Persepolis amazed me. For starters, it is the first graphic novel I have ever read which is not from the fantasy genre. I found the use of the cartoons a hugely effective way of portraying the storyline, and was also stunned by how unexpectedly funny it was, given the subject matter. It actually made me laugh out loud.

The book is basically Satrapi's autobiography, and tells her story from childhood, beginning in 1980, during the Islamic Revolution in Iran, all the way through to 1994, when she left Iran to study in Paris. The fact that it is graphic helps to slightly distance the reader from the horrors contained within the story. As a child, Marjane learns about the imprisonment of her grandfather, experiences the imprisonment and execution of her uncle, and has to contend with the Guardians of the Revolution, while out buying Kim Wilde tapes off the Black Market.

The second part of the novel deals with her period of living in Vienna, where her parents sent her to continue her education, aged 14. From the horror and repression of Iran during a war, Satrapi emerges to a society which shuns her as a foreigner: when she fights back against her headmistress telling her that Iranians have no education, she is expelled, and eventually spirals from drugs, a boyfriend who spends all of her money, and who mother hates her for being different, into homelessness,a nd finally back to her family in Iran.

Persepolis is surprisingly humorous and hugely perceptive. It depicts many of the way in which the so called 'emancipated' Western world can be just as repressed and restrictive as the East. For me, it took a period about which I knew nothing, and informed me, while at the same time entertaining me (and annoying my fiance, as I persisted in reading the funniest bits aloud to him.. I know, it's annoying).

The thing that I loved the most about this novel, was the emphasis on books and education. I completely agree with Satrapi when she says 'One must educate oneself'. And on that note, I'm off to rent the film...

Rating: ***** (I'd give it more if I had them!)

V for Vendetta

I borrowed this from my little sister (who got it for Christmas) for our Graphic Novel book club, for which we had the ingenious idea that whoever chooses the book for that month, has to buy it and circulate it to all the other members, so that there's only ever one copy of a book, as they're so expensive and difficult to get second hand (although charity shops are always worth a look!). This creates a bit of a problem, though, as by the time we get around to the meeting, half the people have forgotten most of what happens in the novel, but I guess you can't win them all.
I've been a big fan of the film ever since it came out, although my sister (different sister) will only let us watch it on November 5th, and although I now live in a different county, around 2 hours drive away, I still don't feel able to break that rule...
Never having read the book, I obviousy expected it to be similar to the film, although, having read a vast number of adaptations, I have no idea why I would think this, but there we go. It isn't.
There are, of course, similarities. For example, the characters, V, Evey, Mr Finch, Mr Creedey, are all there, and major things which occur in the book are obviously taken pretty much straight from there to the screen, however major other things are left out. In the book, the film's climactic ending of the destruction of the Houses of Parliament, has already occured. However, the book does place less emphasis on Guy Fawkes than the film does, and so the detonation at its' ending does not feel out of place within the story created by Alan Moore and Dave Lloyd. In fact, on having finished the novel, I felt that the ending was probably better, although not as strong or poignant, as that of the film. Simply said, the book is much less cinematic than the film, obviously, some may say. It is set over a much longer period of time, years, rather than months, but despite this, the complexity of the storyline is not more than the film. I didn't mean to compare this to the film, as I feel very strongly, in some cases more than others, that books which have been adapted into films, deserve to be viewed in their own light, as well as in comparison to the film, which is undoubtedly more well known, but in the case of V, it is hard not to compare.
The general consensus is that they both are amazing pieces of artwork. A sad omission from the book, but a stroke of genius on behalf of the screenwriter, is V's speech from the beginning. I leave you with these words.

Voila! In view humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the “vox populi” now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin, van guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition.
The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous.
Verily this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it’s my very good honour to meet you and you may call me V.
- Hugo Weaving as 'V', V for Vendetta, 2006

Rating - *****