July 2023 MBR The Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf

The Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf

Beauty
Hubert, author
Kerascoet, illustrator
NBM Publishing
160 Broadway, Ste. 700, East Wing, New York, NY 10038
www.nbmpub.com
9781681123158, $19.99, PB, 152pp

https://www.amazon.com/Beauty-Hubert/dp/1681123150

Synopsis: When the repulsively ugly Coddie unintentionally saves a fairy, Coddie wishes for beauty, but she does not understand the poisonous nature of the fairy who grants the wish. The village folk no longer see Coddie as repulsive and stinking of fish. They now perceive her as magnetically beautiful - which does not help her. The villagers plot to gang rape her, and when she attempts to escape, her mother is killed.

A young local lord rescues Coddie, but her ultimate destiny may be far greater - or perhaps far more terrible - than anyone ever imagined. No one is truly safe in the wake of Coddie's preternatural beauty; not her loved ones, not her country, not even her enemies.

Critique: A dark, caustic, and violent fairy tale for adults, Beauty an engrossing take on the nature and corrupting power of beauty and our obsession with it. A highly recommended pick for personal reading lists and community/academic library Graphic Novel collections, "Beauty", by the late author Hubert and artist/illustrator Kerascoet, is now available for the legions of Hubert fans in a paperback edition and in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

Editorial Note #1: Hubert started at first making a reputation for himself as a colorist but soon turned to scriptwriting where he established himself as a leading voice in graphic novels for an adult audience. Hubert thus spoke of anorexia, gender, or even homosexuality in tales and stories that have become as essential as Miss Pas Touche or Beauty (both from NBM), drawn by the duo Kerascoet. He passed away on February 12, 2020.

Editorial Note #2: Kerascoet (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerasco%C3%ABt) is the joint pen name of the French illustrators, comics and animation artists Marie Pommepuy (born 1978) and her husband Sebastien Cosset (born 1975).

Darkly She Goes
Hubert, author
Vincent Mallie, illustrator
NBM Publishing
160 Broadway, Ste. 700, East Wing, New York, NY 10038
www.nbmpub.com
9781681123134, $29.99, HC, 160pp

https://www.amazon.com/Darkly-She-Goes-Hubert/dp/1681123134

Synopsis: Once upon a time there was a fallen knight, who believed that saving a princess would allow him to atone for his crimes. Once upon a time there was a dark princess, who believed that it was up to her to atone for the crimes of her parents.

Banished for a fault that forever taints his reputation, Arzhur wanders from tavern to field of battle in search of the next contract which will fill his purse. One night, three mysterious old women offer him to regain honor and fortune if he frees the daughter of a neighboring king, held captive in the ruins of an abandoned castle.

But Islen is not the damsel in distress that he expected to save...

Critique: Enhanced on every page by the museum quality art of Vincent Mallie, author Humbert's graphic novel, "Darkly She Goes" reveals the weight of a family legacy in the form of a compelling fairytale with a message about facing one's inner demons. "Darkly She Goes" is a riveting ode to redemption that pits free will against fate, and brought vividly and memorably to life by the collaboration of two true masters of the fantasy genre. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community and academic library Graphic Novel collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Darkly She Goes" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

Editorial Note #1: Hubert started at first making a reputation for himself as a colorist but soon turned to scriptwriting where he established himself as a leading voice in graphic novels for an adult audience. Hubert thus spoke of anorexia, gender, or even homosexuality in tales and stories that have become as essential as Miss Pas Touche or Beauty (both from NBM), drawn by the duo Kerascoet. He passed away on February 12, 2020.

Editorial Note #2: Vincent Mallie (http://vincentmallie.com) was born in Paris in 1973. He graduated in graphic arts in Paris. Since 1998 he has been a comic artist collaborating with many top French authors in the field and working on a number of bestselling novels and series. Renowned for the aesthetics of his semi-realistic line, the efficiency of his layouts and his gift for fabulous natural compositions, Vincent started collaborating with the late Hubert (Beauty, Miss Don't Touch Me) on Darkly She Goes, which gave him the opportunity to offer an epic and seductive drawing, in a feminist tale as powerful as it is striking.

Satan's Kingdom
Robert Sergel
Secret Acres
PO 710, Cooperstown, NY 13326
https://www.facebook.com/secretacres
9798985586312, $19.95, PB, 148pp

https://www.amazon.com/Satans-Kingdom-Robert-Sergel/dp/B0BT1KMFKG

Synopsis: Robert Sergel's Best American Comics selection and Ignatz Award nominated series, Eschew, captures those awkward, private, hilarious moments of our past with the publication of "Satan's Kingdom", a new collection that illustrated and documents that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. "Satan's Kingdom" tours America's haunted history of spite houses and bad babysitters. Readers will meet Napoleon in New Jersey, and find themselves somewhere between Desolation Bay and Satan's Kingdom.

Critique: Distinctively illustrated with author/illustrator Robert Sergel's black/white artwork, "Satan's Kingdom" is a memorable and entertaining read from beginning to end. This trade paperback edition of "Satan's Kingdom" published by Secret Acres is highly recommended for personal, community, and academic library Contemporary Graphic Novel collections.

Editorial Note: Robert Sergel (http://www.robertsergel.com) has a degree in Photo & Imaging from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. In the mid-2000's he was a member of the Transplant web comic collective. He is the author of the graphic novel, Bald Knobber, and draws the Ignatz-nominated comic series Eschew, a Best American Comics selection. SPACE: An Eschew Collection was published by Secret Acres and counted on Paste Magazine's best comics of the year.

Shadow Hills
Sean Ford
Secret Acres
PO 710, Cooperstown, NY 13326
https://www.facebook.com/secretacres
9798985586343, $23.95, PB, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Hills-Sean-Ford/dp/B0BT16Z9SS

Synopsis: Environmental disturbances and a mysterious epidemic wreak havoc on the remote, struggling town of Shadow Hills. The rivalrous townsfolk race to find a cure and uncover the source of the threat before it destroys the entire community. Their search for answers leads them into the depths of a long buried past.

Critique: "Shadow Hills" is the long-awaited follow-up to Sean Ford's perennial favorite graphic novel, "Only Skin". A decade in the making, Shadow Hills collects all ten serialized chapters and brings the highly acclaimed series to a new, stunning conclusion. Of special appeal to readers with an interest in dystopian and mystery fiction, "Shadow Hills" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, college, and university library Graphic Novel collections.

Editorial Note: Sean Ford is a founding editor of the Best American Comics notable comic anthology, Sundays. He graduated from the Center for Cartoon Studies in 2008. His comics and illustrations have appeared in the Alternative Comics anthology series, Alternative Comics are Dead, online at Slate and Narratively, and in Verso Books titles. His design work includes books by authors Malcolm Gladwell, James Patterson, Dan Simmons, Joshua Ferris, Anita Shreve and others. (https://www.cartoonstudies.org/tag/secret-acres)

Destroyer Duck: Graphite Edition
Jack Kirby & Steve Gerber
TwoMorrows Publishing
10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614
www.twomorrows.com
9781605491172, $31.95

https://www.amazon.com/Destroyer-Duck-Graphite-Steve-Gerber/dp/1605491179

Destroyer Duck: Graphite Edition is a revealing and satirical survey of the legal battle writer Steve Gerber found himself in against Marvel Comics over the ownership of his creation Howard the Duck. He tapped artist Jack Kirby to contribute to a benefit comic called Destroyer Duck, and thus a five-issue biting attack was created which is reproduced here, relettered from Kirby's pencil art and featuring examples contrasting Alfredo Alcala's inking style over Kirby's on original issues, Gerber's scripts and plots, and more. Authoritative collections on comic book history need this survey, which covers the hidden jabs in Destroyer Duck and reproduces Kirby's pencil art in a black and white celebration of both art and efforts to foster creative license and freedom. Definitive comic book history collectors and libraries should consider this a mainstay of historic import.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

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Midwest Book Review