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A review by dipt_in_folly
Penny Dreadful Vol. 2: The Beauteous Evil by Chris King
1.0
Devoted 'Penny Dreadful' fan here. It's my favorite television show by far. Beautiful sets, amazing characters, superb acting, awesome setting, great plots, etc. The predecessor to this graphic novel, 'The Awaking', definitely did the television series justice. 'The Beauteous Evil', not so much. The drawings seem rushed and make it difficult to interpret what exactly is going on in each image. Surprising since the same artist illustrated 'The Awaking' and those were noticeably better. Maybe they were pressed for time with this one? Not sure. Besides the illustrations, I found 'Beauteous Evil' committed two egregious sins that I can't ignore.
*SPOILERS* .......
.......
Sin Number One:
Lily and Ethan. Um....first off...did Chris King forget all about Lily's personality and character development in the television show? She is fiercely independent and struggling to find herself in a world ruled by the patriarchy. She is reborn. The woman who loved Ethan (Brona) is for all intents and purposes, dead. She is no longer Brona. She is Lily. And I find it hard to believe that a woman who has been through all that Lily has would suddenly say to herself, "Oh guess what, I'm in love with Ethan."
.....Not to mention the fact that I ship Ethan and Vanessa together forever and anything that does not support that makes me bitter. Is Vanessa dead? Yes. Do I expect Ethan to live a life fighting paranormal foes and remaining devoted to her forever? Yes. Sorry not sorry.
Sin Number Two:
You. killed. Sir. Malcolm. I'm pretty pissed about it. You killed Vanessa in the show (which I'll obviously never recover from) and now you go and kill Sir Malcolm?! Why though?! I find him integral to the series, the lynch pin that brought all of the main players together, and you eliminate him?! No, thank you. As hard as it is to accept a 'Penny Dreadful' universe without Vanessa...it's impossible to accept one without Sir Malcolm. ....Plus I wanted him to be in a relationship with Cat, buuuuut I guess that's not happening now *angry face*.
There's no Vanessa, no Dorian, no Lyle, no Sir Malcolm, no Sembene, no creature. Who the heck are you leaving me with? Ethan, Lily, Victor, and Cat? Don't get me wrong, I think they're all great characters, but I feel like that lineup is a little lackluster.
In my opinion, if you're a devoted fan of the 'Penny Dreadful' show, I think you'll enjoy 'The Awaking', but won't be pleased by 'The Beauteous Evil'. I'm curious to see what other fans think.
*SPOILERS* .......
.......
Sin Number One:
Lily and Ethan. Um....first off...did Chris King forget all about Lily's personality and character development in the television show? She is fiercely independent and struggling to find herself in a world ruled by the patriarchy. She is reborn. The woman who loved Ethan (Brona) is for all intents and purposes, dead. She is no longer Brona. She is Lily. And I find it hard to believe that a woman who has been through all that Lily has would suddenly say to herself, "Oh guess what, I'm in love with Ethan."
.....Not to mention the fact that I ship Ethan and Vanessa together forever and anything that does not support that makes me bitter. Is Vanessa dead? Yes. Do I expect Ethan to live a life fighting paranormal foes and remaining devoted to her forever? Yes. Sorry not sorry.
Sin Number Two:
You. killed. Sir. Malcolm. I'm pretty pissed about it. You killed Vanessa in the show (which I'll obviously never recover from) and now you go and kill Sir Malcolm?! Why though?! I find him integral to the series, the lynch pin that brought all of the main players together, and you eliminate him?! No, thank you. As hard as it is to accept a 'Penny Dreadful' universe without Vanessa...it's impossible to accept one without Sir Malcolm. ....Plus I wanted him to be in a relationship with Cat, buuuuut I guess that's not happening now *angry face*.
There's no Vanessa, no Dorian, no Lyle, no Sir Malcolm, no Sembene, no creature. Who the heck are you leaving me with? Ethan, Lily, Victor, and Cat? Don't get me wrong, I think they're all great characters, but I feel like that lineup is a little lackluster.
In my opinion, if you're a devoted fan of the 'Penny Dreadful' show, I think you'll enjoy 'The Awaking', but won't be pleased by 'The Beauteous Evil'. I'm curious to see what other fans think.