Showing posts with label children's storybooks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children's storybooks. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Book Review - The Mask: School Spirits by Rick Geary

I never saw The Mask movie until nearly two decades after it came out, but I watched the cartoon every Saturday and thought it was great.

The Mask: School Spirits
 by Rick Geary is a story of The Mask disguised as a children's storybook appropriate for all ages (even adults will enjoy it)It is available in Hardcover and is one of three volumes.

The Good


The Art. Rick Geary isn't the best artist, but he perfectly captures the look and feel of The Mask and his zany adventures.

Fun This story isn't the most original, but it sure is a lot of fun.

Characters. The characters will remind you of people you've met and probably went to school with. While they aren't super original or fully fleshed out, they are developed enough that you get into the story

The Bad

Obvious. From the plot to the concept to the twists, this is not the cleverest nor the most original story I've read. Everything I saw coming from the beginning, and nothing surprised me.

What I Would Like to Have Seen


I wish the story had been more clever and The Mask had done more zany things that would have been fun to read about and look at.

Overall


The Mask: School Spirits by Rick Geary is a graphic novel disguised as a children's storybook from Dark Horse Comics. It's a lot of fun with solid art and a solid story that is appropriate for all ages. Even adults will find something to like in it. It's not the most original story, and the twist at the end is very obvious. The Mask also isn't as zany and one would like. But it's still an enjoyable read. I give this book 4 out of 5 eReaders.


   

Friday, November 30, 2018

Book Review - Gen 13: A Christmas Caper

Back in college I saw a small ad in the back of a WildStorm comic where writer and artist Tom McWeeney described the wonder and magic of Christmas specials (like Santa Claus is Coming to Town, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and other) growing up before the days of home video and cable television. They were only shown once a year so you had to check the TV Guide carefully and plan accordingly, or you would miss it and have to wait a whole other year. It reminded me of

Gen 13: A Christmas Caper by Tom McWeeney, Richard Friend, Jeromy Cox, and Todd Klein is a full-color 48-page Prestige Format comic bookIt is available in print. I don't know why this isn't available digitally. It's a CLASSIC!!

The Good


Concept. The concept is Gen13 as small children used to lure Santa Claus to a black-ops base to punish him for the coal he delivered to a certain Director of IO. The purpose of the comic was to capture the magic of the classic Christmas specials from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. The writer/artist said he wanted to create something that would be classic, that readers would pull out and read every year, because it just wouldn't be Christmas without it. He succeeded. This book perfectly captures the feeling of those Christmas Classics.

Art. The art is beautiful. It looks very modern while incorporating elements of classic children's storybooks.

Writing. The writing is part classic poetry and part modern prose. There's humor, angst, fear, cheerfulness, romance, danger, and excitement. Even after nearly 20 years, it's still as fun and enjoyable as ever.

The Bad

Ummm...

What I Would Like to Have Seen


Tom McWeeney do more specials.

Overall


Gen 13: A Christmas Caper by Tom McWeeney, Richard Friend, Jeromy Cox, and Todd Klein is Christmas classic I pull out and read every year. It just wouldn't be Christmas without it. The writing, the art, and the overall presentation is as good as it gets. This is a true classic. I give this book 5 out of 5 eReaders.


    

Thursday, April 19, 2018

Book Review - Denslow's Illustrated Classics Volume 2: ABC Book, Humpty Dumpty, Jack and the Bean-stalk, Old Mother Hubbard, One Ring Circus, & Tom Thumb

I am a huge fan of the golden age of children's illustrated books, also known as toy books or gift books. The age began with Edward Leer and ended with WW Denslow and included such notable artists as Ernest Shepard (Winnie the Pooh), Walter Crane, Edmund Dulac, Arthur Rackham, Howard Pyle, Caldecott, and so many more.

Denslow's Illustrated Classics Volume 2 is a collection of 6 classic children's storybooks by W.W. Denslow, the artist of The Wizard of Oz. It is available as one of those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good


Art. W.W. Denslow is a master artist. He took the best of design and illustration from Walter Crane and added his own touch. The drawings are fun, lively, and convey emotion.

Reproduction. The quality of reproductions is excellent. The illustrations are clear and the colors are mostly vibrant and correct.

The Bad


This is a print-on-demand title, so the colors are slightly different than if they had been printed on a traditional press, but the illustrations still look great.

What I Would Like to Have Seen


I've got nothing.

Overall


Denslow's Illustrated Classics Volume 2 by W.W. Denslow is pure perfection. The illustrations are big and clear with nice colors. This is a print-on-demand title, so the colors are slightly different than if they had been printed on a traditional press, but the illustrations still look great. I give this book a solid 5 out of 5 eReaders.