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Graphic Novel Review: Daphne Byrne by Laura Marks, art by Kelley Jones

Cover art for Daphne Byrne by Kelly Marks

(Bookshop.com | Amazon.com )

Daphne Byrne by Laura Marks, art by Kelley Jones

DC Comics, 2020

ISBN-13:

Available: Hardcover, Kindle, comixology

 

Set in 1886 New York, Daphne Byrne is still in mourning over the death of her father and has been affected greatly upon his passing. She’s tormented at school by the popular girls. She’s grappling with her mother who has been seeing a medium who she knows is a fraud. Her mother is spending the little money they have left on trying to contact her dead husband. Daphne tries her best to expose the medium, only to earn the ire of them both. While all of this is going on, Daphne meets a supernatural entity, simply called Brother, who offers friendship and support to the sad girl. He also encourages Daphne to stand up for herself, inviting her to use his powers as a tool. This power becomes particularly useful when she discovers the utter betrayal committed by certain parties close to the family.

 

Daphne Byrne would be of interest to anyone who enjoys stories from this period. Something I noticed in the less favourable reviews out there regarded the setting, which also influenced some of the plot points such as the fraudulent medium. I loved the story and found Daphne to be an interesting character. The artwork helped in this. Jones has been drawing comics for a long time, and I recognized his work immediately from his work on Sandman. He lends an otherworldly quality to creatures and characters. At times Brother reminded me of a sinister Dream. Recommended.

Contains: blood, body horror, nudity, sex

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on January 30, 2021 by , Reply

Graphic Novel Review: Mary Shelley Presents: Tales of the Supernatural Vol. 1 by Nancy Holder, art by Amelia Woo

cover for Mary Shelley Presents Vol. 1

Mary Shelley Presents: Tales of the Supernatural Vol. 1 by Nancy Holder, art by Amelia Woo (available only through Kymera Press)

Kymera Press, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-9965558-0-7

Available: Hardcover, trade paperback

 

Mary Shelley Presents: Tales of the Supernatural #1 is the first in a series from Kymera Press adapting stories by Victorian-era women writers of supernatural fiction. With a foreword by Lisa Morton, who just published her own anthology of Victorian women’s supernatural fiction, followed by Isabelle Banks’ poem “Haunted”, this first volume adapts “The Old Nurse’s Tale” by Elizabeth Gaskell, “Man-Size in Marble” by Edith Nesbit, “The Case of Sir Alister Moeran” by Margaret Strickland, and “Monsieur Maurice” by Amelia B. Edwards.  Each story is preceded by a short introductory paragraph from the publisher and the author, Nancy Holder, and then introduced by a spectral Mary Shelley, accompanied by her Creature. These authors have written some wonderful, chilling stories , but they do get wordy for an impatient, modern audience. Holder’s adaptations slim the stories down while preserving the quality of the storytelling, and Amelia Woo’s gorgeous color illustrations are a perfect accompaniment. The brilliant ghosts, period clothes, and detail in darkened woods and cemeteries pull the reader right in. Each adaptation is followed by the full text of the story. As someone with poor eyesight I could have wished the text was a little larger, but some of the original stories are very long– it took skill and collaborative effort to be able to successfully adapt them.

This is a great way to introduce readers to some excellent women writers who, until very recently, had not received recognition for their supernatural fiction, as well as a treat for those of us already familiar with these authors, who would love to see them gain a larger audience.  I’m hoping we won’t have to wait too long for volume 2. Highly recommended for ages 12+.

 

 

Editor’s note: In the interests of full disclosure, I backed the Kickstarter for this book.

 

 

 

 

Posted on August 12, 2020 by , Reply

Graphic Novel Review: Hopeless, Maine (vol. 1) by Tom and Nimue Brown

cover image for Hopeless, Maine

Hopeless, Maine (vol. 1) by Tom and Nimue Brown   ( Amazon.com )

Sloth Comics, 2016

ISBN-13: 9781908830128

Available: Paperback

 

Hopeless, Maine tells the story of Salamandra, an orphan girl who is taken in to a home for orphans; strangely not many adults are around. Sal discovers the strange and sometimes nightmarish creatures on the island are things best to be avoided. She befriends another young girl, but no one else seems to be able to see her. Their friendship takes a dark turn when the young girl discovers Sal’s magical abilities. The girl also becomes jealous of other friendships that Sal tries to form. When Sal discovers the girl’s true nature, she must protect herself and a new friend, Owen, that she has made at the orphanage. They both want desperately to make their own ways and break the hold the island has over them. Sal finds out she may have family on the island and will do anything to know more about her kin and herself.

I like the dynamic between Sal and Owen, the headmaster’s son. Sal is outspoken, while Owen is more reserved and thoughtful, acting as almost a way to calm Sal when she gets her hackles up about something. She’s quite strong-willed, and Owen’s relaxed demeanor is a lovely complement to Sal’s headstrong ways. The artwork is rich and well executed. The character and creature designs are unique, and the colour palette that the artist chose is oppressive,  but that really brings out the glow of the candlelight and magic that is central to the story. It’s quite beautiful.

Hopeless, Maine contains a piece of poetry, two complete stories, a short story, and extra artwork. While the story and the artwork are wonderful, there are two major issues with the book. The size of the book is smaller than the typical loose comic or graphic novel size. A larger format would have helped both problems. First, it would be easier to read, especially the poetry at the beginning and short piece at the end. Frankly, I had to skip over them because the white text against the black background was far too small to be read comfortably. It’s definitely smaller than a ten-point font. Going with a larger format would also improve the text in the graphic novel portions of the book. Second, a larger format might have actually helped me appreciate the artwork more considering there are some subtleties to it that I had to squint in order to really pick up. Recommended if you have good eyesight.

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on July 21, 2020 by , Reply
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