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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
So glad I finally read this!! Adrienne is amazing! I can't wait to read more of her adventures and quests to turn the idea of "princess" on its head!
So much fun! Turns the tale of the princess in the tower on its head. You first meet Princess Adrienne as a child being read the traditional tale of the blonde princess in the tower rescued by the handsome prince. Well, she is having none of it because none of it makes sense. Fast forward until she's 16 and voila, she's put in a tower (like her sisters) by her parents and a dragon is stationed outside. And then story truly begins..... This is the first in a series. I think I need them all.
The art is cute, the premise of the story is good, it's great to have a black princess saving herself, but that's really all that this has going for it. The points were forced, the dialogue is awkward, the characters were over the top caricatures. It just wasn't that enjoyable to read.
If this comic series hadn't been recommended to me by a middle school girl, I would definitely think this read was for high schoolers and up. There's some feminist lingo (critical theory terms and references) that I know will go over some kids' heads... but they will definitely get the overall message and the adventure. As I read dialogue in the comic I found them awkwardly heavy-handed or simplistic, but flipping through pages again I could see how kids might find them campy and enjoy it. It also reminds me of some of the Golden Age comics and their weird/redundant/humorous dialogue.
The art isn't perfectly consistent, but it is expressive and I think that's what's most important-- especially since one of the messages in this graphic novel is content over aesthetic!
Overall, it has great potential to be a cute conversation-starter for families who read together to talk about girls and gender roles.
The art isn't perfectly consistent, but it is expressive and I think that's what's most important-- especially since one of the messages in this graphic novel is content over aesthetic!
Overall, it has great potential to be a cute conversation-starter for families who read together to talk about girls and gender roles.
Cute and feminist revisioning of the typical "princess in a tower" story, with a headstrong Black protagonist and an engaging supporting cast. I loved the humor and the references to pop culture (esp with the "warrior women" armor gag). Definitely intended for a younger audience; I would say maybe 8-10? Any older and it would start to get obvious/preachy. But cute, for sure, and worth the read! I got the first volume at ECCC in 2018 (signed!), and the creators were fun and friendly also, which helps. :)
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Ooh, so good! Princess Adrienne is my favorite kind of princess and I loved her attitude towards everything-- so refreshing, funny, and honest. The side characters are all great, too, and I really enjoy the art style. I'm looking forward to reading more in the series!
This was a joy to read! I love Adrienne and I'm excited to see where this story goes. She's the sort of no-nonsense princess I could grow really attached to.
A princess realizes the whole princess-locked-in-a-tower story is dumb and decides to save herself (and her sisters). To do so, she enlists the help of the dragon who was supposed to be keeping her in the tower and then makes more friends along the way. The premise is great and Princess Adrienne is fantastic. It shouldn't have taken until the 2010s for someone to write this story but I'm glad it's finally here.
There are multiple times where the writer points out the silly stereotypes that exist around women in comics (like when she tries to buy women's armor and finds that it's all just bikinis). Sometimes the writing is clever but sometimes the stereotypes are quite obviously stated (in a reductio ad absurdum type of way though). The writing actually reminded me of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Young, kick-ass characters who win you over with their wit and surprising depth of knowledge. Plus, the lesser characters actually add to the story instead of just filling space.
The art style paired well with the story and reinforced to me that Princeless is well-suited for a younger audience. It gave off a vibe of My Little Pony, which I guess makes sense since Jeremy Whitley also wrote for My Little Pony. (I don't often admit it but yes, I know My Little Pony quite well. I had some strange roommates in college and, well, it's actually a pretty great show. Deal with it.)
With that being said, this story had the potential to be better. Some niggling issues:
-There were times where I felt the dialogue was forced and not completely natural. It wasn't awful but this is something I look at closely when I'm reading- especially in a short form story like a comic book. (I'm kind of an annoying person. I know.)
-The layout of speech bubbles was not always intuitive and I read out of order multiple times. Maybe that doesn't matter to you seasoned-comic-book-readers out there, but for someone like me who only started reading comics a year ago, the intuitiveness of speech bubbles is a big deal.
-I feel like there could've been more character and plot development. I know a comic book issue is only like 20-30 pages and people want action, but I thought the story was fun and I wanted it to dig a little deeper.
All-in-all, Princeless Book 1 was really good. I'm excited to read more!
There are multiple times where the writer points out the silly stereotypes that exist around women in comics (like when she tries to buy women's armor and finds that it's all just bikinis). Sometimes the writing is clever but sometimes the stereotypes are quite obviously stated (in a reductio ad absurdum type of way though). The writing actually reminded me of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Young, kick-ass characters who win you over with their wit and surprising depth of knowledge. Plus, the lesser characters actually add to the story instead of just filling space.
The art style paired well with the story and reinforced to me that Princeless is well-suited for a younger audience. It gave off a vibe of My Little Pony, which I guess makes sense since Jeremy Whitley also wrote for My Little Pony. (I don't often admit it but yes, I know My Little Pony quite well. I had some strange roommates in college and, well, it's actually a pretty great show. Deal with it.)
With that being said, this story had the potential to be better. Some niggling issues:
-There were times where I felt the dialogue was forced and not completely natural. It wasn't awful but this is something I look at closely when I'm reading- especially in a short form story like a comic book. (I'm kind of an annoying person. I know.)
-The layout of speech bubbles was not always intuitive and I read out of order multiple times. Maybe that doesn't matter to you seasoned-comic-book-readers out there, but for someone like me who only started reading comics a year ago, the intuitiveness of speech bubbles is a big deal.
-I feel like there could've been more character and plot development. I know a comic book issue is only like 20-30 pages and people want action, but I thought the story was fun and I wanted it to dig a little deeper.
All-in-all, Princeless Book 1 was really good. I'm excited to read more!