Pascal Dizin

Grace: Based on the Jeff Buckley Story by Tiffanie DeBartolo is a 2019 First Second publication.

I have never read a standard biography about Jeff Buckley, and I can’t claim to be a rabid fan. But, of course, I am very familiar of his haunting version of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah”, and I knew he was the son of folk singer, Tim Buckley, and that Jeff died young in a freak accident. Beyond that, I couldn’t have told you much else.

I do read my fair share of music memoirs and show more biographies, but this is the first one I have read in a Graphic Novel format. The story pretty much sticks to the basics, so for diehard fans the book may not cover much new territory. However, even if the story is familiar to you, the outstanding illustrations truly bring out an amazing amount of depth and emotion you most likely would not experience in a standard text only biography.

The writing is a bit simplistic, but I’m thinking this book might be a learning tool as well, perhaps to entice YA readers as well as older fans.

Jeff’s life was cut short, and he was always a bit of an enigma, so this book certainly will give readers a little more insight into his life and the artist behind the music. I enjoyed the experience of reading this book, and learning more about Jeff, and of course it has inspired me to revisit Jeff’s music, hearing it from a new perspective now.

I recommend this one for anyone who loves music, biographies or Graphic Novels. show less

I've been seeing lots of good press for this graphic novel, so I was pleased when I got a chance to look at it. I really enjoyed it, but I'm not sure how well it would circulate in my library.

Evelyn Weiss is a lonely, neglected girl, sent to live with her bohemian aunt in New York while her father marries yet another wife. She consoles herself and passes the time by drawing comics about Zirconium Man and his sidekick Snapper, adventures she puts herself and her father into. When she makes show more friends with Tony, the building supervisor's son, they find themselves in the middle of a real adventure!

There's plenty of development in all the characters, as well as exciting action, codes, and history. Tony has misconceptions and prejudices against "rich girls" like Evelyn and her selfish, spoiled Aunt Lia. Lia gets a dose of reality and finally starts growing up when she has to take responsibility for Evelyn and think about someone else. Evelyn learns to think more about the consequences of her actions and get involved in the real world, instead of hiding in her daydreams.

The spy plot is good, not cliched or exaggerated. The fear and worry of subversive agents is perfectly captured, as well as the prejudices and concerns of the time.

Several reviewers have commented on the Herge-like quality of the art and it certainly has a Tintinish air. The text is readable, but there's plenty of action and plot crammed into every page.

But....I'm still not sure how many kids will want to read this. Will they know enough history to fit the story into its context? Will Evelyn's Zirconium Man daydreams put them off? I haven't yet met any younger kids (or older ones for that matter) who like the old, classic comic styles. On the other hand, we don't have many plain adventure comics, so maybe this would fill a niche....What do you think? Do you have readers who liked this one?

Verdict: I liked it, but I'm not sure how well it would circulate

ISBN: 978-1596432628; Published April 2010; Borrowed from the library. show less

While I enjoyed this one while I was reading, looking back, I'm a bit at a loss at saying exactly why now.

Evelyn draws comics to distract from the fact that her dad is marrying again and has sent her to stay with her artist aunt, who throws elaborate and somewhat skanky parties in her palatial apartment in New York City.

She makes friends with the son of the building's super, and together they investigate the suspicious actions of the doorman, who just might be spying for the Nazis!

I love the show more idea that Evelyn takes her love of superheroes - and her wish to be a hero - and draws herself into adventures, then takes some initiative in real life. The friendship between she and Tony is nice.

One of the major problems I had with this is the fact that these characters are eleven/twelve-ish, but there are several situations in which the adults in the story (peripheral for the most part) add a bit more sexuality than I was comfortable with. For example, the two kids catch a man and woman in bed together, and the morning after a big party, Evelyn's aunt tries to convince her male "friend" to stay for breakfast, and calls him the wrong name.

I feel like this is really for an older audience with an interest in nostalgia reading... show less

In this graphic novel, Evelyn is sent to stay with her aunt in New York City in the 1940's. Evelyn has a great imagination, and often imagines herself as a superhero, saving the world. But when she gets to NYC, she finds herself in the middle of a spy ring made up of Germans trying to steal the US' best weapon. This is a weird book - not in plot but in audience and tone. The kids are a little younger than the actual age this book was written for. They seem to be between 10 and 11, but this show more book does not seem like it's appropriate for 10 and 11 year olds, including some almost nudity and adultery. And the way the book is written - in a nostalgic style like an old comic book seems like it would be more appealing to young kids, but they would not have the historical context for this book. Very confusing - I don't know where I would feel comfortable putting this book. It's from First Second Press, who usually does very quality work, so the confusion in audience is even more surprising. show less