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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
Charming and beautifully illustrated, Colleen Doron's work is whimsical and captivating. This in combination with Gaiman's satirical prose in this short-story really crafted something special here. A noble knight whose great barrier is the persistence of integrity in a humble widow, salt of the earth meets the grandeur of the heavens in this charming embrace.
2023 Eisner Award winner - Best Adaptation from Another Medium
This short story is a sweet and lighthearted take on the tale of the Holy Grail. An elderly widow finds the Grail in a thrift store but soon finds herself badgered by Sir Galahad whose quest to find the Grail has brought him to her. He offers her all kinds of priceless items in exchange for it, but she is adamant about keeping it, after all, it looks so nice on her mantel. The main story is well illustrated with water colors, with some nicely rendered interludes reminiscent of old illuminated manuscripts. It's a feel-good graphic novel.
This short story is a sweet and lighthearted take on the tale of the Holy Grail. An elderly widow finds the Grail in a thrift store but soon finds herself badgered by Sir Galahad whose quest to find the Grail has brought him to her. He offers her all kinds of priceless items in exchange for it, but she is adamant about keeping it, after all, it looks so nice on her mantel. The main story is well illustrated with water colors, with some nicely rendered interludes reminiscent of old illuminated manuscripts. It's a feel-good graphic novel.
Gorgeous art, just fabulous. From the back of the book I see she hand-painted this, I can totally tell. I need to find everything else the illustrator has done. And oh look, "Snow, Glass, Apples" is one of them, which is also fantastic.
lighthearted
fast-paced
I read this for a paper I’m taking over the summer and you bet your sweet ass I’m counting this seventeen paged story towards my goodreads goal. Also, spoilers so soz.
Mrs Walker visited an Oxfam Shop on the pretence that she might find something to display in her home and came across a Holy Grail. She takes extra measures to ensure a careful hand in cleaning and refurbishing the Holy Grail before placing it on her mantlepiece between an image of her late husband and a Chinese basset hound. A knight arrives at her house the following day (in armour and on horseback because of course) and speaks of his quest to find the Sangrail, her Holy Grail. The story then shows the knight returning to Mrs Whitakers house with trophies from his adventures in the hopes she will accept one in exchange for the Sangrail.
I found the choice of protagonist interesting as the story focused on a hero’s quest but was told by an elderly woman occasionally involved in his mission. The knight follows many consistent elements heroes in stories often do:
-He is called to adventure in finding the Sangrail.
-He meets his mentor who guides him on his journey to find it (Marie, the volunteer in the shop).
-He crosses the threshold and makes his journey to Mrs Whitakers house.
-He is confronted by tests by Mrs Whitakers refusal and embarks on adventures to seek trophies to offer in exchange for the Sangrail.
-He approaches the inmost cave (which I know is a bit of a reach) into Mrs Whitakers boxroom.
-He endures the ordeal (which again, could be a bit of a reach) where his physical strength struggles through the dangerous bags and dust before conquering the box room and walking out with a cut on his cheek and a stiff arm.
-He then leaves with his reward and whisks his maiden off with him.
But unlike most fantasy/heroic adventure stories I’ve read (albeit a very small number), this doesn’t follow the hero. This isn’t his story, he plays a part in Mrs Whittaker’s story just like she does his.
Through the protagonist, we also see concepts and societal elements that were crucial in her time that we wouldn’t have seen if it were told by a knight in this time period. She met her husband during the war and speaks of the ARP dances she attended, how she listened to others speak of their children and spoke only of her niece as she never had any herself, and how she analysed other women’s appearance and took note of subtle and drastic changes in both older and younger woman. I really loved the choice of protagonist because it humanised the story to a more realistic and relatable perspective as not everyone is a hero embarking on dangerous or epic adventures, some of us just visit shops and seek adventures in books.
Mrs Walker visited an Oxfam Shop on the pretence that she might find something to display in her home and came across a Holy Grail. She takes extra measures to ensure a careful hand in cleaning and refurbishing the Holy Grail before placing it on her mantlepiece between an image of her late husband and a Chinese basset hound. A knight arrives at her house the following day (in armour and on horseback because of course) and speaks of his quest to find the Sangrail, her Holy Grail. The story then shows the knight returning to Mrs Whitakers house with trophies from his adventures in the hopes she will accept one in exchange for the Sangrail.
I found the choice of protagonist interesting as the story focused on a hero’s quest but was told by an elderly woman occasionally involved in his mission. The knight follows many consistent elements heroes in stories often do:
-He is called to adventure in finding the Sangrail.
-He meets his mentor who guides him on his journey to find it (Marie, the volunteer in the shop).
-He crosses the threshold and makes his journey to Mrs Whitakers house.
-He is confronted by tests by Mrs Whitakers refusal and embarks on adventures to seek trophies to offer in exchange for the Sangrail.
-He approaches the inmost cave (which I know is a bit of a reach) into Mrs Whitakers boxroom.
-He endures the ordeal (which again, could be a bit of a reach) where his physical strength struggles through the dangerous bags and dust before conquering the box room and walking out with a cut on his cheek and a stiff arm.
-He then leaves with his reward and whisks his maiden off with him.
But unlike most fantasy/heroic adventure stories I’ve read (albeit a very small number), this doesn’t follow the hero. This isn’t his story, he plays a part in Mrs Whittaker’s story just like she does his.
Through the protagonist, we also see concepts and societal elements that were crucial in her time that we wouldn’t have seen if it were told by a knight in this time period. She met her husband during the war and speaks of the ARP dances she attended, how she listened to others speak of their children and spoke only of her niece as she never had any herself, and how she analysed other women’s appearance and took note of subtle and drastic changes in both older and younger woman. I really loved the choice of protagonist because it humanised the story to a more realistic and relatable perspective as not everyone is a hero embarking on dangerous or epic adventures, some of us just visit shops and seek adventures in books.
Doran does an amazing job building a colorful rich manuscript that follows Gaiman's wonderful short story. Adored both in equal measures.
Very cute, humorous story. Lovely artwork. A delight!
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes