BOOK REVIEW|| Once Upon a Time - Out of the Past

I love graphic novels; I especially love them when I find one that isn’t about superheroes, and the drama of their superhero lives, so I was very happy to find out that Marvel had created Graphic Novels based on one of my favourite TV shows, Once upon a Time.  My friend, Cat, who is one of the best gift givers ever found this copy in Amsterdam and bought it for me for me last year, however as I have been so busy I have only just gotten around to reading it.

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REVIEW || Through the Woods - Emily Carroll

Voted Graphic Novel of the Month by the Observer and on the New York Bestseller List for two weeks back in August 2014, Through the Woods is a compromised of five 'mysterious and chilling' stories, based on classic fairytales. Each story, combined with its remarkable illustrations, creates an eerie feeling, that can only be described as inspiring. Though some of the tales use a minimalistic approach to narrative, her syntax remains delightfully harrowing - but this could be due to her artistic abilities, and the way she has chosen to lay out each page; with most of the other graphic novels I have read emphasis has been drawn to the images, but Carroll has taken it a step further and has treated the words as if they are also images. No, not images. Art.

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Blue is The Warmest Colour - Graphic Novel Review.

I have been reading a lot of graphic novels recently, something that I have been meaning to do for a long time, but never got around to doing so. I wanted to start reading them when I was around fifteen, but never really found any that interested me - all I could find were the standard superhero, good versus evil bullshit, and at that point in my life, that is not what I was looking for. I love super heroes as much as the next person, but I wanted more substance, more passion, more life. Of course after browsing for about ten minutes, I gave up and returned to the Horror/Science Fiction/Fantasy sections, and never spoke of my failed attempt to branch out again.

It wasn't until a few years ago when I was reading up about the Cannes film festival that I had my interests in graphic novels peaked again. I came across the film 'Le Bleu est une Coleur Chaude' - Blue is the Warmest Colour, and discovered that it had been based on a French graphic novel. I was determined to read it, but as I do not know French, and I could not find a translated edition, I came to the conclusion that it just wasn't meant to be, and settled for watching the film - with subtitles.  I fell in love with the film, I thought it was brilliant, and it made me want to read the graphic novel even more. And then, as I do most things, I forgot about it. I became fixed on something else, and Blue faded to the back of mind.

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