Graphic Novel | Lost in a Good Book

Other Ever Afters: New Queer Fairy Tales by Melanie Gillman

09 Jun 2024 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Graphic Novel, LGBTQIA Tags: fairy tales, fairytale retelling, fairytales, four stars, graphic novels, lgbt, LGBTQIA, melanie gillman, retelling

Published: 20th September 2022
Publisher: Random House Graphic
Pages: 240
Format: Graphic Novel
Genre: Fairy Tale
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

Once upon a time . . . happily ever after turned out differently than expected. In this new, feminist, queer fairy-tale collection, you’ll find the princesses, mermaids, knights, barmaids, children, and wise old women who have been forced to sit on the sidelines in classic stories taking center stage. A gorgeous all-new collection in graphic novel format from a Stonewall Honor-winning author and artist.

What if the giant who abducted you was actually thoughtful and kind? What if you didn’t want to marry your handsome, popular, but cold-inside suitor? What if your one true love has all the responsibilities that come with running a kingdom?

Award-winning author Melanie Gillman’s phenomenal colored-pencil art creates another “ever after” for the characters who are most worthy of it.

This was a fabulous recommendation and it holds up to the praise. It is filled with wonderful fairy tales that are unique, meaningful, and feel like the traditional ones we’ve known for generations.

One things I adore is that these princesses aren’t the typical kind you find in retellings – they are not the tough, kick arse princesses, they are still maids, still children, but they have their worlds changed. They are saved from their storylines and empowered by love. There is an amazing message about not letting fairy tales devour girls and instead to let the system of oppression and rule starve.

Gillman hasn’t made them complicated, or too on their head, but they are about people being saved from fate, from the society around them, from their despair and from themselves. They are really beautiful stories.

It is a great collection of stories that showcase different types of experiences but also put unrepresented people in stories that have been dominated by others for so long. From stories about Sapphic love to a story about a trans character dealing with dead naming and their supportive grandmother there is a lot of queer representation and experiences to explore.

The illustrations are lovely. The colours are beautiful and the art style ties in with the other worldly mystical nature of fairy tales while also feeling beautifully modern as well.

This is a super quick read, but each tale is profound in meaning, full of heart and love and it is a reminder that fairy tales can be written every day. These feel old, they feel ancient. They feel as timeless as those that have passed down for centuries but also feel more hopeful.

You can purchase Other Ever Afters via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Blackwell’s

Dymocks | Wordery

Fishpond | Amazon

The Adventure Zone: The Eleventh Hour (#5) by Clint McElroy

15 Feb 2024 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, Graphic Novel Tags: carey pietsch, clint mcelroy, five stars, Graphic Novel, griffin mcelroy, justin mcelroy, taz, taz: balance, the adventure zone, travis mcelroy

Published: 21st February 2023
Publisher: First Second
Illustrator: Carey Pietsch
Pages: 352
Format: Graphic Novel
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars

The Bureau of Balance has located yet another Grand Relic, and this time it’s…time? A small mining town called Refuge has been locked away behind an arcane bubble, and somewhere inside it the Temporal Chalice is causing unknown mayhem. Taako, Magnus, and Merle are launched into their investigation, but they’ve barely had a chance to get their feet under them before the situation literally falls apart. When the town clocktower strikes noon, Refuge and its citizens are destroyed in a sudden chaos of flame and ruin, and our heroes’ relic hunting — along with their lives — comes to an abrupt end.

But woah, what’s this? It’s 11AM, they’re alive again, and Refuge definitely hasn’t just been exploded? Looks like a classic time loop, friends. This town is trapped in its final hour, and so are the three of them. And in order to escape, they’ll not only have to solve the mystery of what happened to the Chalice, they’ll also also have to resist what it offers: the chance to rewrite the worst days of their own pasts.

Every time there is a new book published I have no doubt I’m about to go on an incredible adventure. The team does a fantastic job translating this story from podcast to visual medium and they’ve smashed it once again. This a continuation of The Adventure Zone series and takes our trio of heroes onto their next adventure. For all the goofs, jokes, and magical D&D content, this a powerful story about consequence and how decisions we make impact our lives.

There is a quick and cute catch up if you can’t recall what happened in the previous book, helpful considering the early scenes reflect the events of The Crystal Kingdom. I am always amazed at how the introduction to each book and the reminder of our key players can be so seamless, clever, and funny. It’s a skill of the format and the layout, between McElroy’s adaptation and Pietsch’s illustrations, that creates the winning combination.

The interlude has been woven into the story again and we learn how the characters have levelled up and gained new items, but other interlude moments have also been slotted into other parts of the story is key moments which keeps the original story and character development without taking away from the new arc. More importantly (to me), the greatest scene of the podcast is kept in there, something I wasn’t sure would happen on copyright grounds but it’s there and truly if I got nothing else from the arc I was glad that was there. (Here it is in animation form for your enjoyment).

But I do get a lot more from the arc. Spoiler free but the use of the layout in telling this story is remarkable. You get to keep all the moments that make the learning process and story unfold, each increment and bad choice, every cycle, all with the benefit of not taking up page after page and too much space. This happened with the podcast too, but the summarised version of the graphic novel makes it funnier and saves time without abridging the story.

Pietsch again has phenomenal illustrations. I love the hints and guides to let us know who is talking, with each character designated a symbol to help readers know who is speaking if they aren’t visible on the page. The colours are vibrant and the scale is beautiful. Large double page spreads that show vast caverns, the epic heights of temples, or the power of a detonation. Pietsch’s rough sketches and designs have also been included at the end of the book so you can pour over the process of creating the stunning visuals for the book and how layouts and town planning came about.

This arc has huge reveals in terms of overall story, but also, ironically, is a little patch of time by itself. There is a complicated story being told in between the humour and the stunning visuals which is what makes it such a beloved arc. We’re nearing the end and as more information is uncovered, more questions are asked and the cogs of conspiracy start turning in your brain. If you’re impatient the podcast is ready and waiting, or if you want to catch up previous arcs there’s four phenomenal graphic novels to catch up on.

You can purchase The Eleventh Hour via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Dymocks

Wordery | Angus and Robinson | Blackwell’s

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

Long Lost Review: The Crystal Kingdom (#4) by Clint McElroy

08 Feb 2024 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, Graphic Novel, Long Lost Reviews Tags: #llr, clint mcelroy, long lost review, Long Lost Reviews, taz, taz: balance, the adventure zone

Long Lost Reviews is a monthly meme created by Ally over at Ally’s Appraisals which is posted on the second Thursday of every month. The aim is to start tackling your review backlog. Whether it’s an in-depth analysis of how it affected your life, one sentence stating that you only remember the ending, or that you have no recollection of reading the book at all.

Published: 13th July 2021
Publisher: First Second
Illustrator: Carey Pietsch
Pages: 272
Format: Graphic Novel
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Star

A desperate call for help interrupts holiday celebrations at the Bureau of Balance, and sends Taako, Magnus and Merle on a high-stakes mission to find and Reclaim a fourth deadly relic: a powerful transmutation stone, hidden somewhere in the depths of a floating arcane laboratory that’s home to the Doctors Maureen and Lucas Miller. An unknown menace has seized control of the stone, and is using it to transform the lab into a virulent pink crystal that spreads to everything it touches.

It’s only a matter of time before this sparkling disaster crash-lands, but in order to find the stone and save the whole planet from being King Midased, our heroes will have to fight their way through a gauntlet of rowdy robots and crystal golems, decide whether they can trust the evasive Lucas Miller, and solve the mystery of what—or who—has put them all in peril, before there’s no world left to save.

I love the entirety of The Adventure Zone podcast but this was also my least loved arcs so I was surprised to see how much I loved the graphic novel. I mean I still loved it, I loved all of the campaign, but it never stuck with me the ways the others did. Which is weird given how much stuff happens in this arc and how it started shaping the entire rest of the campaign into the masterpiece it becomes.

Seeing it visually play out reignited my admiration for Griffin’s storytelling and Clint’s ability to convert an audio into a visual medium. The illustrations by Pietsch were in top form once again and the effect of the crystal is balanced nicely, the feeling is conveyed of a place entirely crystallised while not becoming an eye sore for the reader.

The catch up on the previous book is as fun and informative as ever. I like how it changes each time, and the way the characters themselves reference previous arcs is a great fourth wall break. I also loved the way the interlude is included: bookending the story with the voiceover of the GM Griffin tantalising us with what is to come and cryptic messages.

This arc introduces some great characters like Kravitz, as well as Boyland. Not to mention the silent reference to the fun with elevators, Hodge Podge, and so many more memorable and quotable moments. The eater eggs and foreshadowing is a delight to those who know the podcast, and are fun additions to engage new readers.

The character designs for new characters are great, and just perfect in the Pietsch style. The end pages of the book include artwork from other artists which include their own designs and interpretations which was fantastic. As great as Pietsch’s are, I loved seeing fan art over the years of the podcast and seeing what people came up with. To have a selection included in the back as a bonus was a delight.

Clint adds a new approach to the characters as he must when adapting from a semi causal real play podcast, but he keeps it in line with the characters people know and love, keeping Griffin’s story on track and true. Key moments remain true and critical scenes and fan favourites keep the humour, romance, and drama going.

While it may not be as action packed as the others, and consisted of more puzzles and storytelling, it is still another step in the journey of this little band of misadventurers and I am keen to see it continue.

You can purchase The Adventure Zone: The Crystal Kingdom via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Blackwell’s

Dymocks | Wordery | Angus and Robinson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

The Adventure Zone: Petals to the Metal (#3) by Clint McElroy

20 Jul 2021 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, Graphic Novel Tags: clint mcelroy, d&d, dungeons and dragons, five stars, Graphic Novel, griffin mcelroy, justin mcelroy, taz, the adventure zone, travis mcelroy

Published: 14th July 2020
Publisher: First Second
Illustrator: Carey Pietsch
Pages: 272
Format: Graphic Novel
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Star

START YOUR ENGINES, friends, as we hit the road again with Taako, Magnus and Merle, the beloved agents of chaos from the #1 New York Times Bestselling books The Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins and The Adventure Zone: Murder on the Rockport Limited.

Our boys have gone full-time at the Bureau of Balance, and their next assignment is a real thorny one: apprehending The Raven, a master thief who’s tapped into the power of a Grand Relic to ransack the city of Goldcliff. Local life-saver Lieutenant Hurley pulls them out of the woods, only to throw them headlong into the world of battle wagon racing, Goldcliff’s favorite high-stakes low-legality sport and The Raven’s chosen battlefield. Will the boys and Hurley be able to reclaim the Relic and pull The Raven back from the brink, or will they get lost in the weeds?

Based on the beloved blockbuster podcast where three brothers and their dad play a tabletop RPG in real time, The Adventure Zone: Petals to the Metal has it all: blossoming new friendships, pining for outlaw lovers, and a rollicking race you can root for!

The third graphic novel of The Adventure Zone podcast adaptation is as wonderful as the audio episodes it’s representing. This was my favourite arc of the podcast and seeing it come to life on the page with stunning illustrations and the humour and charm of the character dialogue is fantastic.

My favourite thing is at the start of the book there is a fantastic game board where you can catch up on what happened previously. With +1 and -1 consequences for certain events and a fun and informative way of reminding readers what has happened it is an incredibly clever addition that doesn’t take away from the incoming story but it adds a whole lot of extra entertainment.

The story combines Petals to the Metal arc as well as Moonlighting episodes once more. It’s a great way to combine the interlude episodes because they have a lot of important plot, and it’s a great frame for the narrative to have. Once again Pietsch is a master at including visual references from the podcast as well as creating incredible illustrations for the spectacular and creative narrative Griffin has created.

The standards of the novel series remain, each time a character is introduced they have a mini ID chart telling us about their race, class, and proficiencies like a Dungeons and Dragons character sheet but my favourite thing is the proficiencies change each time and are relevant to the scene at hand or are used to tell you a bit more about their character, always with the Pietsch humour attached.

The depiction of the battle racers and the action of the entire race was full of drama and action, often no words were needed as Pietsch captures facial expressions, and action incredibly well. It’s not all action though as the McElroy humour and the hilarious, weird, and sometimes strange moments from the podcast are included. There are also heartfelt moments that are beautifully conveyed and the alterations to the podcast are fantastic as it brings a more bittersweet moment of hope and rectifies previous miscalculations when it was a more free form storyline.

There’s the usual mystery and intrigue around the B.O.B and the mystery Red Robes which furthers the larger plot and it all fits together seamlessly for a well-rounded story and fantastic addition to this series.

What I love most about these adaptations is that the smallest thing reminds me of the magic of the podcast and it resurfaces my desire to relive it again for the first time because Griffin created such a beautiful and creative storyline and the boys as a group made a fantastic story. Seeing it transported into this graphic novel shows that while a few things have been changed and adapted for the format, the essence of the story is there, and these characters I’ve grown to love over the years come alive on the page. It’s a wonderful feeling to read these stories and be brought back to those moments alone listening to the audio and creating the story in my mind. The fact the book provokes the same feeling and emotion is a test to Pietsch and the McElroy’s skill.

You can purchase The Adventure Zone: Petals to the Metal via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Wordery | Angus and Robinson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

The Escape Manual for Introverts by Katie Vaz

05 Apr 2021 Leave a comment

by Amy in 1 Star, Graphic Novel, Non Fiction Tags: Graphic Novel, katie vaz, non fiction, one star, self help

Published: 6th August 2019
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Pages: 144
Format: Graphic Novel
Genre: Non-Fiction
★ – 1 Stars

Feeling cornered at a wedding reception by gossipy guests? Stuck at a holiday party that lasts forever? This beautifully illustrated book is the ultimate funny, sometimes absurd guide to escaping those painfully awkward situations.

Trapped in an airplane seated next to a chatterbox? Are you hosting a dinner party with people who just won’t leave? Katie Vaz has the key to your escape. The Escape Manual for Introverts guides readers through different scenarios with themed chapters (“Friends,” “Relatives,” “Strangers,” etc.). Each chapter covers a range of situations, from an invitation to karaoke night to group lunchtime. And she offers a number of escapes for each scenario: bringing odoriferous foods to lunch for a while, having a pet (real or imagined) that “requires” frequent check-ins, and even investing in a jet pack. This book features Vaz’s full-page illustrated spreads, hand-lettering, and spot illustrations. From the silly to the sincere, Vaz’s clever, hilarious escape plans and bizarre excuses speak to the introvert in all of us.

I am always wary about these kinds of books not only because it’s always focused on the introverts and never on the extroverts but because introverts are often portrayed in negative ways. Even this book, which I thought was going to be at least funny if not relatable in a way, is a poor construct of comics, advice and what is probably meant to be humour but never comes across as such.

For something that’s supposed to be a fun guide for introverts it’s really disappointing. There isn’t any real substance here, not that I expected it, but I was expecting fun cartoons and recognition about experiences like I have found in other similar books. Instead this is a book that offers up suggestions and excuses about how to get through the day around people and it makes introverts look like horrible antisocial people who need to lie in order to get by in the world.

The layout is sparse which only makes it even less interesting. The words are minimal and the pictures are useless, the entire thing was essentially a How To on not talking to anyone and avoiding being around people at all times which is not what being an introvert is about.

Vaz mentions in her authors note that it’s meant to be a cheeky book, but she also says she hopes introverts and other socially awkward people can use these tips. I can see how a few may be useful, the less extreme ones but there are a lot of farfetched ones too. The advice varies from a few reasonable things like how to get off phone calls quicker and avoiding small talk but the majority are things like eating pungent foods to avoid people wanting to be near you and various other subterfuges which again, probably are meant to be funny, or actual advice I have no idea how I’m meant to interpret these suggestions.

This is an annoying book all round as a guide or as a fun book looking at introvert behaviour. I would like to know where are the myriad of books for extroverts telling them to stop talking so much and being so loud all the time? Not to mention how to enjoy an introvert’s activity and company without judgment or belittling, instead there’s more of this nonsense.

You can purchase The Escape Manual for Introverts via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Wordery | Angus and Robinson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust