graphic novel – Page 2 – Aussie Reviews

Captain Congo and the Klondike Gold, by Ruth Starke ill Greg Holfield

Captain Congo and his loyal offsider, Pug are back! This time, they’re off to the remote reaches of the Canadian Klondike gold fields, to sort out what’s scaring the miners away. But first they have to get there. It’s wilder than the wild west and the locals are very suspicious of strangers. They’re also quite superstitious. There’re rumours about monsters and ghosts. There is danger and adventure for the duo as the landscape and treachery challenge their progress. But never fear, when Captain Congo and Pug are near, the goodies will win the day! (even if poor old Pug, in the best tradition of offsiders, is tossed, pummelled, terrified and trussed before the day is won). Endpapers show a map of the location of their adventures.

Captain Congo and the Klondike Gold is a third outing for Ruth Starke and Greg Holfield in this graphic novel series. The main characters are animals: Captain Congo a large (lowland?) gorilla, and Pug a small penguin. They move freely and unremarked in each adventure, a lovely relationship that has Captain Congo uttering Sherlock Holmes-like observations, and Pug always playing catch-up. The adventures are wonderfully wild and liberally sprinkled with humour. This series will attract a similar readership to Asterix and Tin Tin, and will be retained in the bookshelves long after other books have been outgrown. Reluctant readers will love the graphic novel format. Recommended for upper-primary, early-secondary and reluctant readers. And ahem grown-up fans of the graphic novel format.

Captain Congo and the Klondike Gold, Ruth Starke & Greg Holfield
Working Title Press 2011
ISBN: 9781921504273

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

This book is available in good bookstores, or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Scarygirl, by Nathan Jurevicius

Scarygirl does not know who she is or where she comes from, only that she has been abandoned on a remote beach. She needs to find answers in a world peopled with wild and wonderful characters.

Scarygirl is a wordless graphic novel which has spawned a website, toy range, prints, an online game and (in development) a movie since it was first published in 2004. This release, in a 128 page hardcover with hot pink cover, will appeal to fans of the Scarygirl, but will also introduce her to a new audience. Including a two part story broken in the middle by an interview with the artist, and with photos, sketches and screen shots, there is lots to be explored, discovered and digested, as well as simply enjoyed.

Nathan Jurevicius is an amazing artist, and Scarygirl is an amazing graphic novel.

Scarygirl, by Nathan Jurevicius
Allen & Unwin, 2009

The Silence, by Bruce Mutard

Choosy McBride is an art gallery manager and her partner, Dimitri, is an artist struggling to find meaning in his work. In the midst of a torrid summer, the opportunity to travel to Far North Queensland seems wonderful. Choosy is working, Dimitri is along for the ride. Choosy has to meet with Fred, an artist who hasn’t exhibited for 20 years but has agreed to a show in her Melbourne gallery. She hopes Dimitri will find inspiration, Dimitri is not sure. They are also on the track of an unknown artist whose work Choosy happens upon while assessing another collection. This compelling but unknown artist exhibits in a remote building called the ‘prayer house’ set high on a hill deep in the country. There is no curator, no staff at all. The paintings are stunning and apparently free to those who see them. Choosy and Dimitri are struggling in their relationship and nothing on the Queensland trip seems to make things easier.

The Silence is a black and white graphic novel set in black pages. The cover is black, white and orange, with the black a large block between the two main characters. Between them is an house full of art that each of them perceive differently. The story takes them on a physical journey but also highlights the emotional and philosophical distance between them. The Silence examines different perspectives on art, from the viewpoint of several stakeholders. The young emerging artist, the gallery manager, the older tired artist and the artist’s wife – each view art differently. The text is sparing – only direct speech – with the images carrying the bulk of the story. Emotion is conveyed in body language and facial expression, much as it would be in film. There is ample silence for the reader to bring their own experience to the reading. Recommended for lovers of art and artists.

The Silence, Bruce Mutard
Allen & Unwin 2009
ISBN: 9781741751761

This book can be purchased online at Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author
www.clairesaxby.com

Captain Congo and the Crocodile King, by Ruth Starke

‘If I’m not mistaken, a whiff of Africa on the breeze this morning, Pug.’
‘I thought it was grilled sardines.’
‘Not a cloud on the horizon.’
‘There is something on the horizon, Captain, look!’

Captain Congo and his offsider, Pug, are off on an African adventure, on behalf of ‘The Agency’. Their mission is to find a missing person, Professor Perky, last seen in Abyssinia. The pair set off, first boarding an African steamer. They are warned the cabin is a little rough. Pug is concerned about his bedding and the food, but Captain Congo takes it all in his stride. They arrive in Soddhu and search for clues and transport for the next stage of their journey. They discover the purpose of Perky’s expedition and set off into the jungle. After an unplanned swim with the crocodiles, they abandon their meandering and begin to search in earnest. It’s not long before they reach a village, and learn the fate of Professor Perky.

Captain Congo and the Crocodile King is a wonderfully exciting tale, in the style of the ‘grand adventure’ made popular by the Tin Tin series and also by the Asterix books. The main characters are clothed animals (gorilla and penguin), but the rest of the cast are human or animals-behaving-as-animals (particularly the mosquitoes. There is a delightfully wicked tongue-in-cheek quality to both the writing and the illustrations. Captain Congo is a wise and canny hero, while Pug does some of the ‘grunt’ work. He makes it clear that he’d prefer an adventure in a colder climate. Captain Congo and the Crocodile is a large format hardback, similar in size to Tin Tin books. Like these stories, ‘Captain Congo and the Crocodile King’ is sure to find a broad readership. The front cover features the heroes battling a very large crocodile and is sure to entice mid-primary readers. It would also suit less confident older readers. Recommended for those who enjoyed Tin Tin and Asterix, and for readers new to the genre.

Captain Congo and the Crocodile King, Ruth Starke ill Greg Holfeld
working title press 2008
ISBN: 9781876288914

The Secret Army – Operation Loki, by Sophie Masson

Nicky Flamel, a motorbike racing ace.
Andromeda Frost, a beautiful English socialite.
Otis Falcon, a young American ex-boxer.

Three teenagers from very diverse backgrounds find they have one thing in common – psychic abilities which have been triggered by recent accidents. Now they are on Archangel Island, where a secret institute has been set up to train such psychics to battle the Nazis in Germany and abroad. But Andromeda is not happy on the island and when she escapes she finds herself caught up in a lot of trouble – trouble which Nicky and Otis must help her out of.

The Secret Army is a graphic novel from the combined talents of renowned children’s author Sophie Masson and artist and animator Anthony Davis. Set in the time of Hitler’s Germany the book is set against the background of real events, with the fantasy element of the main plot making the history interesting and accessible to young readers.

The use of the graphic novel format, with narration, speech bubbles and black and white illustrations, adds an interest factor and again makes the story accessible to readers of a range of abilities.

Especially likely to appeal to teenage boys.

The Secret Army: Operation, by Sophie Masson, illustrated by Anthony Davis
ABC Books, 2006