The City on the Other Side by Mairghread Scott
2018; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 71; Issue: 8 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.2018.0294
ISSN1558-6766
Autores Tópico(s)Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies
ResumoReviewed by: The City on the Other Side by Mairghread Scott Kate Quealy-Gainer Scott, MairghreadThe City on the Other Side; illus. by Robin Robinson. First Second, 2018 224p Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-250-15255-8 $23.99 Paper ed. ISBN 978-1-62672-457-0 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 3-6 In this graphic novel, the Seelie and Unseelie fairies are at war, and the dreaded Prince Coscar is wreaking such destructive havoc that it has leaked into the mortal realm and caused the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Human girl Isabel knows nothing of this, only that her beloved city is in ruins and it seems as though neither her high society mother or artist father care for her sorrow or even Isabel herself. When a group of ragtag, bizarre-looking creatures stumble into her backyard and ask her help in finding the kidnapped Seelie Queen, she's therefore ready for the adventure. Off she goes into the faerie realm, with a toadstool-like fellow as her guide and a magic necklace as her protection. The quest setup is a standard one, but the messy motivations behind the actions of both the bad and the good guys bring nuance to the typical villain versus hero story. It's really Robinson's art that makes the book, though, especially her depiction of the faerie world that celebrates the realm's strange beauty and danger. Silhouettes and shadows are used to great effect, with the starkly black and white Prince Coscar particularly arresting; paneling is compelling but not cluttered, even in the larger scenes of the city. This will be a sure hit among Avatar: The Last Airbender readers, and it could also serve as a first-time foray into GNs for faerie fans. KQG Copyright © 2017 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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