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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I thought I'd challenge myself by picking up a graphic novel this month, which definitely is not my usual genre. I think it's safe to say that despite my determination, I'm not the intended audience for this. I'm not entirely sure what I just read — there didn't seem to be much resolution. The art style was striking and well done.
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Violence
Moderate: Cannibalism
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a weird and wonderful comic. This darkly comic fairy tale brings to life the unsettling world of childhood imagination, reminding us that the whimsical and the disturbing are two sides of the same coin. Here are childlike sprites whose play inevitably ends in gruesome violence, and an enchanted woodland populated by charming mice in tailcoats but also predators and grubs. And of course, there's a (somewhat understated) darkness at the center of this book—the sprites have tumbled out into reality because the young girl who dreamed them up lies dead in the woods.
I feel like many comics of this kind excel at atmosphere but fall short on plot, but Beautiful Darkness acquits itself well on both counts, with a pleasing, if unsettling, fairy tale arc. And the artwork is perfect—vivid, expressive, and with plenty of nods to Victorian children's book illustrators.
Recommended to fans of gothic comics and weird fantasy, and a readalike for Emily Carroll's Through the Woods.
I feel like many comics of this kind excel at atmosphere but fall short on plot, but Beautiful Darkness acquits itself well on both counts, with a pleasing, if unsettling, fairy tale arc. And the artwork is perfect—vivid, expressive, and with plenty of nods to Victorian children's book illustrators.
Recommended to fans of gothic comics and weird fantasy, and a readalike for Emily Carroll's Through the Woods.
So when I read this originally I didn't put a star rating, no review, just quietly slid it onto my shelf, but I still remember it with near-perfect clarity. How do I feel about it? No idea, but it's SO stuck in my brain and will be for a while, I think.
Super dark, disturbing, and strangely beautiful. A great anti-fairy tale!
This graphic novel lives up to it's name. Vehlmann populates the fairy tale landscape with doll like characters full of the cruelty of children. Death and murder are shrugged off for more important things, like tea parties. The beautiful watercolor illustrations distract from the horrible and grotesque stories they portray. Many mysteries are left for the reader to puzzle over, unspoken and unsolved. This book made me feel uncomfortable and i enjoyed it immensely. I would recommend it to anyone who loves fairy tales or horror.