Franco (3)

Buy it for the artwork.

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Edelweiss.)

One night, the ghost of a young girl appears in a swamp; only the animals are able to see - and communicate with - her. While the residents of the swamp have a strict policy against interfering in the affairs of humans, an owl named Aldus breaks with tradition and attempts to help the ghost girl find out who she is, where she comes from, and - most importantly - why her soul continues to hang show more around. As it turns out, the girl's fate is entwined with the owl's own, as their journey takes them to a whimsical little cottage where both spent their youths.

The story in The Ghost, The Owl is pretty simple; bare-bones, even. It's enough to keep the action moving forward, but not much else. For example, I really wanted to learn more about Jessica, and the angry and entitled man pursuing her. This subplot feels like the outline of a fairy tale - the beautiful, kind young maiden and the evil, boorish lord/prince/king/baron - calling out for more depth and complexity.

But the artwork? To say that it's breathtaking feels grossly inadequate. The style, the colors, the lines and angles - it's simply enchanting. The owls in particular call to mind the Great Owl from The Secret of NIMH - a childhood favorite - and the dark tone and assorted swamp creatures are evocative of The Dark Crystal and The Labyrinth. The fire scenes - with red licks of flame and black swirls of smoke - are especially beautiful. Many of the pages struck me speechless, and the eyes of the owl and the crow - burnt amber and fiery red - will haunt me.

Honestly, this is one of the most gorgeous books I've ever picked up.

http://www.easyvegan.info/2018/05/08/the-ghost-the-owl-by-franco-and-sara-richar... show less

''She's not a real girl. She's a ghost.''
''Then why can we see her?''
''We can see them. It's humans who can't.''

Sometimes we discover little gems out of nowhere. We, obsessed readers as we are, have experienced this countless times. It is one of the greatest joys of reading. So, three nights ago as I was waiting for the L.A.Clippers game to start, I started browsing Edelweiss and the title ''The Ghost, The Owl'' caught my eye. Yes, well, obviously. Ghosts, owls....This had my name written show more all over. The only thing that made me hesitate was the fact that comics don't seem particularly appealing to me but the few times I've tried my luck with the genre haven't disappointed me. This beautiful work was no exception.

''...people don't voluntarily help others.''

The ghost of a young girl comes in a swamp. She can't remember anything from her time among the living and a young owl decides to help her discover the reason that caused her death. Naturally, they come across pure, kind-hearted people and despicable human beings who want to destroy everything and everyone that resist their vile advances. The decision of the owl is a violation of the law that forbids any kind of intervention in the lives of the humans and thus, an unusual, beautiful journey begins.

I was surprised by how poignant the plot of this comic was. Fellowship, hope, loss, the chance to survive, to defeat the evils in our life, to start again. The notion that, sometimes, you have to cross certain boundaries and ignore restrictions, otherwise you will lose yourself. I was moved and impressed by the beautiful illustrations by Sara Richard. I think they were extremely vivid- almost too vivid- and the dialogue was quite satisfying. There was a modern Gothic touch that brought the whole effort together and created a thoughtful, skillfully artistic comic.

Irrelevant Point n.1 : I was so impressed by this that I felt confident enough to try my luck with another comic titled ''The Lost Path'', a story set in a strange forest. Bring all the Gothic comics to this metalhead.🤘🤘🤘

Irrelevant Point n.2 : This is the review where I disclose my favourite NBA team. Utterly useless information but I feel talkative today.🏀🏀

Many thanks to Action Lab Entertainment and Edelweiss for the ARC in exchange of an honest review. show less

Aw Yeah Titans let's get our parallel Earth selves happening in this volume--Speedy is Quickly! Kid Flash is Flash Kid! Wonder Girl is Girl of Wonder! Plus let's not forget the all Shazam special :)

I've said it before and I mean it, these might be technically for little kids, but they are so freaking hilarious. Art Baltazar and Franco take some of the stupidest plot devices from past and present DC stories and rationalize them in a kid friendly way. I love it.

This cute, colorful anthology is my kind of superhero story. My favorite part is the little inside jokes about character evolution. For example, at one point Robin becomes Nightwing and people keep telling him his new disco costume is cool. Like, that casual joke could never happen in a serious, intense superhero comic, but it can in this one!

I would recommend this to people my age or younger. This would be best enjoyed by those who have an affinity for superheroes but also aren't sticklers show more to the rules set by canon.

When I was in High School, I read the paper version of these comics and the magic isn't lost in e-book. If I could learn how to draw any of the characters, I think I would choose Stargirl because her color scheme makes me happy. Plus, she's happy all the time. This is a wholesome book and it is worth the read. show less