A review by bluestjuice
Hansel & Gretel by Neil Gaiman

3.0

More or less a graphic novel, this slim volume juxtaposes a series of black-and-white illustrations by Lorenzo Mattotti with the classic Grimm's tale of Hansel and Gretel, re-told (but not much changed) by Neil Gaiman. For readers familiar with Gaiman's breadth of work it seems guaranteed to be something of a disappointment: it's savage and creepy, treading unflinchingly into the dark psychological realm where fairy tales originate, but it isn't really terribly original. It is like the sketch of something that could have been worked up into a more complete, more detailed picture, but the bits that are unique to this telling are only brief snippets and don't develop the story in a substantial way. Much of the artwork is very attractive and it's definitely all ominous, and it's a good, disturbing story! I just didn't think there was enough here to make this version very special.