Graphic Novel Review: ELFQUEST: THE DISCOVERY

The Wendy & Richard Pini creation ElfQuest has been around for over 35 years in one form or another and with ElfQuest: The Discovery the two have crafted a story that’s true to the heart of creation while also bringing it up to date for new readers.

Having read the ElfQuest series sporadically I know all the main characters but didn’t know much about all the newer characters. The Pini’s have crafted a world overwhelmed with characters which are all distinct and three-dimensional whether they appear in one scene or two or more scenes in the story. All the main characters are here in The Discovery from Cutter, the leader of the Wolf Pack of elves, Skywise, Timmain, the last of the High Ones, and the newly found elves the Wavedancers. Since this story is concerned less with the original elves, The Discovery is more about Cutter’s son Sunstream who has fallen in love with Brill, a Wavedancer whose tribe has hidden away from the outside world due to the cruelty placed upon them by humans. Cutter, whose life long journey is to unite all the elf tribes, sees this as a great opportunity to unite one of their brethren regardless of the fears. Brill is put in an awkward position as she and the rest of the Wavedancers are forced into hiding by her tribe’s former leader Surge.

The story may sound complicated at first of the Pini’s do a great job with streamlining the main story about two tribes who must overcome their differences in order to become one. It’s a similar story to the one the Pini’s have been telling for years but it’s also the driving force behind what makes the ElfQuest stories so interesting to read and universal to everyone. Regardless of how many characters are introduced (and believe me there are a lot) newer readers shouldn’t be put off as this is a great story (however brief).

GRAPHIC NOVEL REVIEW: CORALINE Adapted & Illustrated by P. Craig Russell

GRAPHIC NOVEL REVIEW: CORALINE Adapted & Illustrated by P. Craig Russell

Neil Gaiman’s glorious novel Coraline has been adapted & illustrated by Harvey and Eisner Award winner P. Craig Russell who goes out of his way to present a faithful adaptation to the celebrated fantasy novel.

Now a major motion picture Coraline (whether you read the original novel or the graphic novel) follows the exploits of a young girl Coraline who moves into a new house where her self absorbed parents want nothing more then for their child to find something to do with her time then to pester them when they are trying to work. Coraline is an adventurous young girl whose life is turned upside down when a door that opens to a bricked in apartment next door suddenly opens up to a wondrous new world inhabited by people claiming to be her Other Mother and her Other Father. Coraline finds this new world strange but wonderful even if her Other Mother & Father do have buttons for eyes and cats can speak.

When Coraline wants to leave to be with her real parents she realizes that her Other Mother has other plans and kidnaps her parents forcing young Coraline to stay in the other world. Now Coraline must find a way to save her real parents and out smart her Other Mother before she has buttons sewed where her eyes are.

Coraline is a story filled with signature Gaiman motifs of fantasy and adventure like many of his stories in Smoke & Mirrors not to mention his novels Stardust and Neverwhere. Russell does a great job at bringing Gaiman’s world to life on the page. His character designs are realistic yet retain all the visual flair of Gaiman’s prose. Since this is not a very dark story (say like Gaiman’s Sandman series) Russell uses a lot of light colors to his palette and doesn’t crowd the paneling with unneeded details (a testament to his reserved style with compliments the work perfectly).

Coming in at just 186 pages Coraline is a fast yet enjoyable read that will leave you wanting more (or at least wanting to read it again) and is perfect for reading to younger children for that slightly scary yet fantastic bed time story.

CITY OF EMBER: A Film That Should Have Had the Lights Turned OFF On It

Fantasy films have been on the rise since the success of THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy and studios have been buying up popular fantasy novels left and right so there is little wonder the Jeanne Duprau’s novel “The City of Ember” would be next up in line. What is surprising is the film adaptation of the novel CITY OF EMBER is such an uninspired, paint-by-numbers drab film with little heart and even less imagination. This is surprising considering that the screenplay is by Caroline Thompson, who helped bring to life EDWARD SCISORHANDS (1990), THE ADDAMS FAMILY (1991), THE SECRET GARDEN (1993), and THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993). Those films were fantastic fantasy films whereas this one is a muddled mess.

The film concerns the city of Ember, which was built underground 200 years prior in order to save humanity from the devastation from the world above. The original Builders of Ember set a timer on the city so that after 200 years the generations that knew nothing of the world above would have a blueprint on how to escape Ember when the time came, only the instructions which were passed down from mayor to mayor have been lost and the people of Ember know nothing of the world above.

Now the city of Ember is crumbling under old age and the fact that no one to fix anything that was built 200 years prior escapes them. As Ember falls apart under the threat of loosing the power that keeps the city’s light on draws near it is up to Doon and Lina (Harry Treadway and Saoirse Ronan, respectfully) to escape Ember using the instructions of the city’s original Builders in order to save the people they love.
At a production budget of approximately $38 million the film looks even cheaper then that with the bad CGI. The film has good production design as the city of Ember is crafted with great care and a distinctive look but besides the weak screenplay the great supporting cast is given little to nothing to do in the film, which includes Tim Robbins, Bill Murray, Toby Jones, and Martin Landau. The leads Treadway and Ronan actually do a good job in the mediocre film and will help younger audiences enjoy the film but this still won’t erase the fact that CITY OF EMBER just isn’t all that good of a film.