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saidtheraina's review
4.0
Holy crap, why has it taken me this long to read this book?!?!
This is So. Cute. Portia is living her underwhelming life when she meets a monster in the woods behind her house. It is an ADORABLE monster. And it is hungry. So Portia feeds it.
Adventures follow.
I love Soo's cuddly, accessible drawing style. It doesn't surprise me that he thanks [a:Hope Larson|150820|Hope Larson|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1287590732p2/150820.jpg] and [a:Kazu Kibuishi|27372|Kazu Kibuishi|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1311988001p2/27372.jpg] in the Acknowledgments - his aesthetic seems closely related to both of theirs. Plus [b:Little Orphan Annie|547430|Little Orphan Annie 1935|Harold Gray|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175704468s/547430.jpg|534694] eyes. His color work is really nice. Mostly purple, with touches of a few other colors. The cuteness of that monster is out. of. control.
Soo does a really good job of telling a light story while not forgetting the darkness of the world. I won't be surprised if the whole thing is a giant metaphor, though that hasn't come to light yet. I appreciate that, like [b:Amelia Rules|476504|Amelia Rules! Volume 1 The Whole World's Crazy (Amelia Rules! #1)|Jimmy Gownley|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175088445s/476504.jpg|2094973], this takes on parental divorce head on.
It did slightly annoy me that it cuts off in the middle of an adventure. Talk about a cliff-hanger.
But this definitely belongs on any booklist of kids' graphic novels. It's a sweet, real story about sweet, real things. Like friendship.
And there's a really cute monster.
Or didn't I say that?
This is So. Cute. Portia is living her underwhelming life when she meets a monster in the woods behind her house. It is an ADORABLE monster. And it is hungry. So Portia feeds it.
Adventures follow.
I love Soo's cuddly, accessible drawing style. It doesn't surprise me that he thanks [a:Hope Larson|150820|Hope Larson|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1287590732p2/150820.jpg] and [a:Kazu Kibuishi|27372|Kazu Kibuishi|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1311988001p2/27372.jpg] in the Acknowledgments - his aesthetic seems closely related to both of theirs. Plus [b:Little Orphan Annie|547430|Little Orphan Annie 1935|Harold Gray|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175704468s/547430.jpg|534694] eyes. His color work is really nice. Mostly purple, with touches of a few other colors. The cuteness of that monster is out. of. control.
Soo does a really good job of telling a light story while not forgetting the darkness of the world. I won't be surprised if the whole thing is a giant metaphor, though that hasn't come to light yet. I appreciate that, like [b:Amelia Rules|476504|Amelia Rules! Volume 1 The Whole World's Crazy (Amelia Rules! #1)|Jimmy Gownley|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175088445s/476504.jpg|2094973], this takes on parental divorce head on.
It did slightly annoy me that it cuts off in the middle of an adventure. Talk about a cliff-hanger.
But this definitely belongs on any booklist of kids' graphic novels. It's a sweet, real story about sweet, real things. Like friendship.
And there's a really cute monster.
Or didn't I say that?
sasha_in_a_box's review
4.0
How adorable! I want a giant purple dinosaur now too. Especially because we can bond over tuna sandwiches, my favorite. Wonder if he'll like tomato sandwiches as much as I do?
I will most definitely like to read the follow-up comic book.
-I got a free ARC in exchange for an honest review-
I will most definitely like to read the follow-up comic book.
-I got a free ARC in exchange for an honest review-
librariandest's review
4.0
I had to take a star away for the cliff-hanger ending. That is not cool, Soo! We barely get going and it stops! I will say that this is an absolutley great beginning of a story. Jellaby, though mostly silent and strange, is such a lovable character. I just wanted to reach through the book and hug him. The two kid characters are both troubled, but not in totally obvious ways. I'm excited to read the next book to see how the story unfolds.
allmadhere106's review
3.0
Portia is kind of a loner kid who doesn't really know how to fit in with her peers or her family. One night, she hears some noises outside and she discovers Jellaby, a giant purple monster/dragon/dinosaur thing. She assumes that he's lost and she takes him in with the hopes that they will somehow find where he belongs.
I think part of why this didn't totally win me over was because I wasn't sure for the longest time whether or not Jellaby was supposed to be real or if he was a hallucination. (He's real, so you won't have to worry about it.) It also ended kind of abruptly and nothing was really explained. I think that this may be cleared up when I read the next installment, but this book wasn't so amazing on its own. The characters were cute though and I liked the occasional humor too, so it did have some perks.
I think part of why this didn't totally win me over was because I wasn't sure for the longest time whether or not Jellaby was supposed to be real or if he was a hallucination. (He's real, so you won't have to worry about it.) It also ended kind of abruptly and nothing was really explained. I think that this may be cleared up when I read the next installment, but this book wasn't so amazing on its own. The characters were cute though and I liked the occasional humor too, so it did have some perks.
allmadhere106's review against another edition
3.0
Portia, Jason, and Jellaby continue to look for the door to get Jellaby back home. The find a magician that says that he can help them, but is he really all that trustworthy?
I thought that I would get answers with this one but I didn't. It kind of just ended and left me disappointed for the lack of world-building and development. So many things weren't resolved in this book that I don't really know what to make of it besides the fact that Jellaby is adorable and that will probably be enough for some readers.
I thought that I would get answers with this one but I didn't. It kind of just ended and left me disappointed for the lack of world-building and development. So many things weren't resolved in this book that I don't really know what to make of it besides the fact that Jellaby is adorable and that will probably be enough for some readers.
missprint_'s review
4.0
I don’t think I mentioned this on the blog yet, but I spent the last two weeks writing two 20ish page papers about graphic novels. I can rattle off titles, a brief history of the term, benefits of the format, the difference between graphic novels and comics (trick question!), and even how to develop a graphic novel collection at your library. Having become one of those experts on graphic novels without reading any graphic novels, I decided to read Jellaby yesterday. I also decided to cross-post its review as this week’s CLW post and my inaugural graphic novel review. (I could have merged this with another category, but graphic novels/comics are so unique I thought they needed a different category.)
Having read Kean Soo’s Eisner nominated graphic novel Jellaby (2008) in a couple of hours, I can see why Lea over at Library Voice selected it as a reluctant reader pick. How cool is it for a child who dislikes reading to pick up a title and be able to read it in a few days?
This story does not, however, start with Jellaby. It starts with a ten-year-old girl. Portia does not like her new school. In fact, almost everything about school bores her. Even having the freedom to write her book report on “Reason and Emotion: Classical and Romantic Philosophies in Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia” doesn’t do much to challenge Portia let alone engage her. Liking school is even harder when no one in school seems especially fond of Portia. With the added problems of a missing father and a busy mother, it’s no wonder Portia seems less than happy.
When Portia hears something outside her window in the middle of the night, she isn’t sure what to expect. But being a resourceful child, Portia takes a flashlight and goes out to investigate.
She finds a large purple monster who tries to eat said flashlight. Instead of being scared, or running away, Portia invites the monster inside and makes him a tuna sandwich. Suddenly Portia has exactly what she needed: a friend.
Matters get more complicated when Portia’s classmate finds out about Jellaby and insinuates himself into Portia’s decision to help Jellaby find his home. Thus begins a journey that, I should warn you, will not finish in this volume.
The illustrations are drawn primarily with purple, lavender, and black (with yellow and orange accents). I was impressed with how much variety Soo was able to get so much variation from such a small palette. I also liked the configuration of this graphic novel. The panels flowed in a sensible way so that sequencing wasn’t a challenge (sometimes I have a hard time reading comic book panels in the correct order). The writing is also large enough to make it easy to read without eye strain.
My Mom doesn’t agree with me on this–I think the word repulsive might have been used–but I think Jellaby is adorable—possibly cuter than either Portia or Jason, though I don’t know that they had a chance when being compared to a lovable, large purple monster. The story here is complex, but clearly plotted out, with a lot of fun characters. Like many other graphic novels, this title is one that will likely appeal to readers of multiple ages from a variety of age levels, which as far as book recommending goes, isn’t too shabby.
This is Kean Soo’s first graphic novel–hopefully the first of many about Portia, Jason and of course Jellaby. Oh, and Jellaby started out as a web comic which you can find at The Secret Friend Society along with Hope Larson’s comic Salamander Dreams which is archived on the site.
Having read Kean Soo’s Eisner nominated graphic novel Jellaby (2008) in a couple of hours, I can see why Lea over at Library Voice selected it as a reluctant reader pick. How cool is it for a child who dislikes reading to pick up a title and be able to read it in a few days?
This story does not, however, start with Jellaby. It starts with a ten-year-old girl. Portia does not like her new school. In fact, almost everything about school bores her. Even having the freedom to write her book report on “Reason and Emotion: Classical and Romantic Philosophies in Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia” doesn’t do much to challenge Portia let alone engage her. Liking school is even harder when no one in school seems especially fond of Portia. With the added problems of a missing father and a busy mother, it’s no wonder Portia seems less than happy.
When Portia hears something outside her window in the middle of the night, she isn’t sure what to expect. But being a resourceful child, Portia takes a flashlight and goes out to investigate.
She finds a large purple monster who tries to eat said flashlight. Instead of being scared, or running away, Portia invites the monster inside and makes him a tuna sandwich. Suddenly Portia has exactly what she needed: a friend.
Matters get more complicated when Portia’s classmate finds out about Jellaby and insinuates himself into Portia’s decision to help Jellaby find his home. Thus begins a journey that, I should warn you, will not finish in this volume.
The illustrations are drawn primarily with purple, lavender, and black (with yellow and orange accents). I was impressed with how much variety Soo was able to get so much variation from such a small palette. I also liked the configuration of this graphic novel. The panels flowed in a sensible way so that sequencing wasn’t a challenge (sometimes I have a hard time reading comic book panels in the correct order). The writing is also large enough to make it easy to read without eye strain.
My Mom doesn’t agree with me on this–I think the word repulsive might have been used–but I think Jellaby is adorable—possibly cuter than either Portia or Jason, though I don’t know that they had a chance when being compared to a lovable, large purple monster. The story here is complex, but clearly plotted out, with a lot of fun characters. Like many other graphic novels, this title is one that will likely appeal to readers of multiple ages from a variety of age levels, which as far as book recommending goes, isn’t too shabby.
This is Kean Soo’s first graphic novel–hopefully the first of many about Portia, Jason and of course Jellaby. Oh, and Jellaby started out as a web comic which you can find at The Secret Friend Society along with Hope Larson’s comic Salamander Dreams which is archived on the site.
colleenaf's review
5.0
If you can get through this book without at least one audible "awwwww!" you surely are not human. (Jellaby shuffling super fast through the leaves gets me every time.) Such a perfect read for younger graphic novel'ers. I can't wait for the next one. Sir. Kean is someone to watch.
colleenaf's review against another edition
5.0
I've been waiting to get my hands on a copy of this for a long time. Yay Jellaby!