Victoria Francés

''The light faded and the forest became darker and darker. The chill wind blew through the branches, which seemed to bend towards the bay like threatening claws. Every sound further convinced Sasha that he was not alone. A shiver ran down his spine as he noticed a mound of dead leaves in the middle of the path rustling, slowly moving.''

Paris, 1920s. A beautiful young boy finds himself alone in the City of Light. When he tires of spending his days in the dirty alleys and the cemetery of show more Paris, he heads to the forest. And there awaits a surprise. A feline with green eyes becomes his companion. Together they come across the Misty Circus and Ludovico Dragomir, a circus that comes and goes, a home for abandoned children. Sasha and Josh find their shelter. During a mysterious Samhain night, their steps lead them to the spells of a young blind witch.

''The wind began to whine, driving rattling, dry autumn leaves inside the tent. When darkness seemed to envelop the forest completely, an even eerier, more mysterious sound made Sasha and the cat shudder.
That sound grew louder and louder. The two friends decided to take a peek outside, putting out their heads through the gap between the curtains that formed the walls of the circus tent. A ghostly silhouette in the distance appeared to advance through the woods, into the clearing, and towards the circus.''

The well-known Spanish artist Victoria Francés is famous for her unique style that balances the romantic, the whimsical and the dark Gothic aesthetic. In Misty Circus, she has created a beautiful, bittersweet and deeply touching tales of a child gifted with a special talent that helps him overcome his sorrow. It is a tale of the deep friendship between a human being and an animal, a story about hope and second chances, about friendship and finding your way through misfortune.

Incredibly beautiful, atmospheric artwork takes us into the heart of a mysterious forest, in a time when magic is still alive, a time when witches and magicians can help us escape a bleak reality.
The last word belongs to one of the most beautiful moments in Opera.

'Vesti la giubba,
E la faccia in farina.
La gente paga, e rider vuole qua.
E se Arlecchin t'invola Colombina,
Ridi, Pagliaccio, e ognun applaudir!
Tramuta in lazzi lo spasmo ed il pianto;
In una smorfia il singhiozzo il dolor,
Ah! Ridi, Pagliaccio,
Sul tuo amore infranto!
Ridi del duol, che ti avvelena il cor!''

('' Put on your costume
and powder your face.
The audience pays and wants to laught,
And if Harlequin
steals Colombina from you,
laugh, Pagliaccio...
and everyone will applaud!
Turn into jest,
your anguish and your sorrow
into a grimace
your sobs and your grief!
Laugh, clown,
at your broken love!
Laugh at the pain
which poisons your heart!'')

From Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/ show less

I got an eGalley of this book to review through NetGalley(dot)com. Thanks to Dark Horse and NetGalley for giving me a chance to review this book. This book was full of absolutely stunning illustrations paired with a gothic and sweet story.

The story is about a young boy named Sasha who has been abandoned by his parents. He ventures into the woods and befriends a black cat. Together they stumble upon the Misty Circus. As part of the Misty Circus they go on a number of adventures.

The show more illustrations throughout this book are absolutely stunning and beautiful. They all have a very beautiful gothic, sweet, and melancholy tone to them which matches the story perfectly. I really enjoyed looking at these beautiful and somewhat odd pictures.

The story is simple, sweet, and magical. The story has a gothic flare to it with deep dark woods and witches. The Misty Circus is a magical place. This book features two smaller stories. The first is about Sasha finding the Misty Circus. The second is about Sasha journeying to a land full of witches and befriending a lonely young witch. The story has a heavy French overtone to it, the poems are in French (with translation to English) and the pictures have a French flare to them.

These are stories that would be appropriate for all ages. Younger children might be a bit scared at the idea of Sasha’s father abandoning him and also maybe a bit scared of the witches.

Overall I really really enjoyed this book. It has beautiful pictures and a gothically sweet story. Sasha is a young boy that is a bit different and finds his place in life at the Misty Circus. The friendship between him and his cat is touching as well. I highly recommend this to those who love fantasy graphic novels; although this is more of a picture book than a true graphic novel. show less

Interesting art style. Read it in about 20 minutes while standing in the aisle at Forbidden Planet. The androgynous look of the boy (which is specifically stated in the text, if it wasn't obvious from the illustrations) was a little odd and felt unnecessary in terms of furthering the plot. The only reason I kept reading it really was because I wanted to know what happened to the talking cat, Josh LeChat (how unoriginal a name...)

When I decided to read the Misty Circus I wasn’t really sure what I was getting into. In a lot of ways it looked like the sort of gothic style that has made Tim Burton’s movies and stories so popular. Granted, I should probably admit to you all and be up front and honest by saying that I do not like Tim Burton for the most part. But I like a few things he’s done and I actually really liked his book of poems and stories, The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories. So I figured show more I would give the Misty Circus a go.

The book was originally published in Spanish in Spain in two parts beginning with Misty Circus 1: Sasha, El Pequeno Pierrot in 2009. A year later it was joined by the second chapther, Misty circus 2: la noche de las brujas. The Misty Circus book being released here in the United States is a combination of the two being released together. Unfortunately they are also the last installments in the Misty Circus story. Nothing new has been published related to the books since 2010.

Which is sad, really, especially if you’re Victoria Francés’s style of artwork. You just don’t see a whole lot of this sort of gothic illustration in the mainstream market. It’s not generally my favorite but I did think that the illustrations were beautifully done. You don’t see books this good looking very often and it makes sense that it’s a company like Dark Horse publishing it.

The story follows a young orphan boy named Sasha who comes from a family of entertainers in Paris. When his parents die he is sent away to an orphanage but he runs away at the first chance he gets. While on the run in the woods alone and lost he finds a cat named Josh DeChat and the two of them become fast friends. After a while they come across a circus tent for the Misty Circus where they are met by a stoic ringleader and introduced to a magical world that neither of them could have ever imagined.

Honestly, the writing is a little awkward.

I’m not sure if this is meant to be a gothic cildren’s story or just a story for anyone to read. But the word choices – even for an adult – are a little strange. ‘Androgynous’ in any sort of comic or illustrated story just seems a bit out of place most days. And it seems to end a bit abruptly. After meeting their new friend in the second chapter there seems like there is so much more story to be told. I don’t know if Victoria Francés intended to write more or not but the Mystic Circus is something that could be expanded upon so much that I feel like I am actually quite sad that it didn’t go on further.

But considering this is all of the Misty Circus we get for now you should certainly give it a look. show less