Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
August 2023. Graphic novel fictionalized account of an author’s childhood, unfortunately marketed as something else which made it pretty disappointing for me.
“Secret Passages, narrated by the adult author, begins with the death of her (male) "cosmic twin." From there it launches into a rollicking ride of childhood antics, set in 1985 small-town Quebec”
It starts by talking about how she watched her cosmic twin for 30 years and knows everything about him, and how there are a bunch of parallel universes, then we don’t see him or his universe for the entire graphic novel. He’s in 1 panel near the end.
It’s all her fun but challenging experience of first grade as a neurodivergent child, with tons of meandering immature children interactions. Which, nothing wrong with that, it was nice to see her internal narrative when she was experiencing and trying to make sense of new things and build relationships, as well as a lot of authentic kids being kids moments.
But… not parallel universe cosmic twin adventures.
Looking it up later I saw it’s an ongoing patreon and presumably more volumes will come out someday. But this was disappointing, getting an interesting premise and then none of that actually happening. It’d be like if the back cover of The Fellowship of the Ring describes the whole trilogy, but then the book was just Bilbo’s birthday party and then it ended. Expectation Vs reality did not match up in the way it’s presented.
Borrowed from the library, glad I borrowed since it wasn’t what I expected. Gave it 3 stars, wish it was marketed/described differently.
“Secret Passages: 1985-1986” by Axelle Lenoir.
“Secret Passages, narrated by the adult author, begins with the death of her (male) "cosmic twin." From there it launches into a rollicking ride of childhood antics, set in 1985 small-town Quebec”
It starts by talking about how she watched her cosmic twin for 30 years and knows everything about him, and how there are a bunch of parallel universes, then we don’t see him or his universe for the entire graphic novel. He’s in 1 panel near the end.
It’s all her fun but challenging experience of first grade as a neurodivergent child, with tons of meandering immature children interactions. Which, nothing wrong with that, it was nice to see her internal narrative when she was experiencing and trying to make sense of new things and build relationships, as well as a lot of authentic kids being kids moments.
But… not parallel universe cosmic twin adventures.
Looking it up later I saw it’s an ongoing patreon and presumably more volumes will come out someday. But this was disappointing, getting an interesting premise and then none of that actually happening. It’d be like if the back cover of The Fellowship of the Ring describes the whole trilogy, but then the book was just Bilbo’s birthday party and then it ended. Expectation Vs reality did not match up in the way it’s presented.
Borrowed from the library, glad I borrowed since it wasn’t what I expected. Gave it 3 stars, wish it was marketed/described differently.
“Secret Passages: 1985-1986” by Axelle Lenoir.
The first part of a well-drawn, very slow-moving, graphic novel memoir. It's the first collected part of an ongoing series, not a standalone, which I didn't realize going in. I really enjoyed the art, the humor, the stark differences between the affects of adult and child Axelle, the family relationships, and particularly loved the youngest brother. I think people who are already familiar with this author and their works might have more well-founded expectations and a better response to this, I'm not sure. Going in completely cold, it's quite slow, and since I don't know anything it's unclear what I'm meant to guess is real, metaphorical, or completely fictional—and since it turns out to be just the earliest intro, it's hard to tell yet if such a distinction is even important.
emotional
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
Lovely, insightful piece from Noir, a beautiful autobiography, just wishes there was like 10 more pages to make it feel a little more complete
dark
funny
medium-paced
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
3.5 stars.
I love the dynamic and expressive artwork in Axelle Lenoir’s story of her life. Or, at least one year in her life when she was six-years old.
I thought this story would move more quickly than it does, but I still enjoyed the near constant arguments and musings of young Axelle and her brothers David and Tonio about the Transformers, Anne of Green Gables, G.I. Joe, and various other properties the kids viewed in cartoons.
Young Axelle is a handful, tormenting her parents and her teacher, slamming the faces of her classmates with balls during dodgeball, staring at the trees in a nearby wooded area near home, hating school, and interjecting her adult self into scenes to comment on younger Axelle and the family dynamic.
Tonio was an absolute scene stealer EVERY panel he was in, particularly when mentioning his invisible friend, Asméöth, and the entity’s bloodthirsty or disturbing desires.
Thank you to Netgalley and to IDW Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my review.
I love the dynamic and expressive artwork in Axelle Lenoir’s story of her life. Or, at least one year in her life when she was six-years old.
I thought this story would move more quickly than it does, but I still enjoyed the near constant arguments and musings of young Axelle and her brothers David and Tonio about the Transformers, Anne of Green Gables, G.I. Joe, and various other properties the kids viewed in cartoons.
Young Axelle is a handful, tormenting her parents and her teacher, slamming the faces of her classmates with balls during dodgeball, staring at the trees in a nearby wooded area near home, hating school, and interjecting her adult self into scenes to comment on younger Axelle and the family dynamic.
Tonio was an absolute scene stealer EVERY panel he was in, particularly when mentioning his invisible friend, Asméöth, and the entity’s bloodthirsty or disturbing desires.
Thank you to Netgalley and to IDW Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my review.
adventurous
funny
reflective
fast-paced
This book is slightly odd in that the intro and some themes are fairly adult, but the style and bulk of the book are more child-like. I enjoyed it overall, it just felt slightly at odds with itself
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
The book reminded me a lot of my childhood growing up in the 1980s and 90s, but that was the most enjoyable part of the book for me.
The plot is unfocused and the author humorously acknowledges it multiple times throughout the story. It's really just a memoir about a kid who doesn't quite fit in during their elementary school years -- narrated by the jaded adult she has grown into.
I think the readers who'll enjoy this graphic novel most will be millennials and kids who feel out-of-place.
The plot is unfocused and the author humorously acknowledges it multiple times throughout the story. It's really just a memoir about a kid who doesn't quite fit in during their elementary school years -- narrated by the jaded adult she has grown into.
I think the readers who'll enjoy this graphic novel most will be millennials and kids who feel out-of-place.
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
tense
Doesn't really do what it says it will in the description??
Like the twin stuff, the first thing it mentioned, is only really shown briefly at the end?
I can't tell if this is a sequel thing or what?
Still a good read, just not really what I expected.
Like the twin stuff, the first thing it mentioned, is only really shown briefly at the end?
I can't tell if this is a sequel thing or what?
Still a good read, just not really what I expected.