Scan barcode
A review by saidtheraina
Eternal: Zachary's Story by Cynthia Leitich Smith
1.0
I was doing this thing for a while where I was getting five kid/teen comics for free in the mail, which I then professionally reviewed for a database of book reviews. I didn't get to pick the books, and I got a wide variety of comics. This is one of those titles.
This just so happens to be also a GN spin-off/adaptation of a book I've actually read (years ago), giving me a better informed perspective on the world, plot, and concept.
This was my diplomatic review:
Getting to see a story from the vantage point of the hunk you drooled over should be awesome, right? Maybe not. This graphic novel depicts the same story as Smith’s book Eternal -- but this time, from the perspective of Miranda’s Guardian Angel, Zachary. Both books describe events in which Zachary saves Miranda from danger by revealing himself, then is banished from Heaven and eventually finds himself back in her service after she’s become a vampire. It’s an intriguing premise, but seeing things from Zachary’s perspective does not enrich the story, especially because this uses the graphic novel form. It is difficult to depict the inner thoughts of characters well in an illustrated format, and attempting to tell the story of an angel in this way makes things even more difficult. The illustrations do the story no favors, either. Doyle’s drawings are awkward and stiff. The characters are drawn inconsistently, and it is not always possible to tell the secondary characters apart when you have not retained their names. This couldn’t possibly thrill even the most rabid of fans.
I loved [b:Tantalize|353016|Tantalize (Tantalize, #1)|Cynthia Leitich Smith|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424202318s/353016.jpg|343231] by Smith, and love her professional, scholarly work, so I'm bummed I hated this so much. But GNs that are mere adaptations always start out at a deficit for me.
This just so happens to be also a GN spin-off/adaptation of a book I've actually read (years ago), giving me a better informed perspective on the world, plot, and concept.
This was my diplomatic review:
Getting to see a story from the vantage point of the hunk you drooled over should be awesome, right? Maybe not. This graphic novel depicts the same story as Smith’s book Eternal -- but this time, from the perspective of Miranda’s Guardian Angel, Zachary. Both books describe events in which Zachary saves Miranda from danger by revealing himself, then is banished from Heaven and eventually finds himself back in her service after she’s become a vampire. It’s an intriguing premise, but seeing things from Zachary’s perspective does not enrich the story, especially because this uses the graphic novel form. It is difficult to depict the inner thoughts of characters well in an illustrated format, and attempting to tell the story of an angel in this way makes things even more difficult. The illustrations do the story no favors, either. Doyle’s drawings are awkward and stiff. The characters are drawn inconsistently, and it is not always possible to tell the secondary characters apart when you have not retained their names. This couldn’t possibly thrill even the most rabid of fans.
I loved [b:Tantalize|353016|Tantalize (Tantalize, #1)|Cynthia Leitich Smith|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424202318s/353016.jpg|343231] by Smith, and love her professional, scholarly work, so I'm bummed I hated this so much. But GNs that are mere adaptations always start out at a deficit for me.