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A review by kikiandarrowsfishshelf
Jim Henson's The Storyteller by Roger Langridge
3.0
Disclaimer: Read via Netgalley.
I loved the Storyteller television show. Who wouldn’t? Jim Henson and fairy tales, awesome. This collection of graphic retold tales does follow the format of the lovely television show. The stales told in the comic are new and were not adapted in the series. The artwork is stunning, in particular with “The Crane Wife” which is the best done story of the lot.
Yet, the book is lacking something. Maybe it’s because I’ve read “Once Upon A Time Machine” which did it better. Maybe because I’m too old for this graphic novel. Maybe because despite the careful recreation of the frames – the Storyteller and his dog – it lacks the charm of the series.
It’s not a bad collection, though I wish there had been at least one story with a girl character who was not a wife or who didn’t daydream. I particularly liked the retelling of Puss in Boots. The twist in the story was well done and the artwork was stunning. In some ways Liu’s retelling is more fulfilling than the original. The artwork not only is worthy of framing, but harkens back to French painting. The same is true of “The Crane Wife” by Katie Cook which has the most stunning and heartbreaking panel of the whole volume. Like the Puss story, the style in the Crane Wife is hearkens to Japan.
Interspersed between the stories are sayings reflecting on the power of stories. The book also features one tale told by the dog and another where the Storyteller himself takes a more central role than framer. Both the Storyteller and the Dog in all the stories will be recognized by the reader. John Hurt lives in comic form.
This is worth getting for children and for fans of the series. It is worth reading for the Crane and Puss stories.
I loved the Storyteller television show. Who wouldn’t? Jim Henson and fairy tales, awesome. This collection of graphic retold tales does follow the format of the lovely television show. The stales told in the comic are new and were not adapted in the series. The artwork is stunning, in particular with “The Crane Wife” which is the best done story of the lot.
Yet, the book is lacking something. Maybe it’s because I’ve read “Once Upon A Time Machine” which did it better. Maybe because I’m too old for this graphic novel. Maybe because despite the careful recreation of the frames – the Storyteller and his dog – it lacks the charm of the series.
It’s not a bad collection, though I wish there had been at least one story with a girl character who was not a wife or who didn’t daydream. I particularly liked the retelling of Puss in Boots. The twist in the story was well done and the artwork was stunning. In some ways Liu’s retelling is more fulfilling than the original. The artwork not only is worthy of framing, but harkens back to French painting. The same is true of “The Crane Wife” by Katie Cook which has the most stunning and heartbreaking panel of the whole volume. Like the Puss story, the style in the Crane Wife is hearkens to Japan.
Interspersed between the stories are sayings reflecting on the power of stories. The book also features one tale told by the dog and another where the Storyteller himself takes a more central role than framer. Both the Storyteller and the Dog in all the stories will be recognized by the reader. John Hurt lives in comic form.
This is worth getting for children and for fans of the series. It is worth reading for the Crane and Puss stories.