My favorite thing about this book is hard to describe via words. But I shall try. Here it is: all of the stories have very different artwork. It's amazing. Often, you'll read a comic and say, "The art was so good!" And it is. But in this book, I was hit by just what an art form comics are. The way Carroll wrote her words and incorporated them into her drawings, and the way she changed her writing and artistic style for each story both had SUCH strong impacts on the way I read and reacted to each story, and I just loved that. I imagine it took a ton of work, too, from concept to idea to execution, and I truly appreciate all her efforts. Here are some examples that hopefully exemplify what I mean:
Through the Woods is full of untidy endings that leave questions lingering and refuse to settle the tension her stories raise. When I went to see Sarah Waters discuss the Gothic tradition recently, she said that this lack of resolution and the way it lingers in your mind is one of the hallmarks of Gothic fiction. Through the Woods accomplishes that better than anything I’ve read in a long time.Yes, yes, yes! Definitely one to check out if you enjoy comics. Or if you like creepy stories. Or if you JUST LIKE ART. If you qualify for any of the above, I think you will enjoy this read.
:D So glad you enjoyed it. And your point about the range of artwork styles in the book is spot on.
ReplyDeleteOhh I do like creepy
ReplyDeleteI need this one. Even though I don't usually read graphic novels or scary, I still need it!
ReplyDeleteOoh, that looks very good. I echo Carol above in that I don't read a lot of graphic novels or scary stories, but this looks like top of the line stuff.
ReplyDelete'creeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepy' is right. lol I read it earlier this month and really liked it. Love the art!
ReplyDeleteSold Aarti, the artwork looks great! I've only recently started reading graphic novels, and the two I read (Jane, the fox and me and The Arrival) were so good I'm on the lookout for recommendations.
ReplyDeleteInto the wish-list it goes. I bought 3 graphic novels in the last week alone (Saga, Chew and Seconds) - the fault of book bloggers!
ReplyDeleteI would love to read this book! The artwork does look very splendid overall and the book sounds amazing!
ReplyDeleteOh I DO want to read this! If only my library hold would get in!
ReplyDeleteYou are so right! The artwork and color and handwriting for this book were exceptional. I don't read scary stories, but this is a book that I want to buy after reading it.
ReplyDeleteW.O.W. that looks cool. (Also, I just spent 3 minutes cursing my library for not having this available, only to notice that I'd been searching "INTO the Woods"....problem solved, hold placed.)
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