Title: The Ghost, The OwlAuthor: Franco, Sara Richard
First Published: April 25, 2018
Publisher: Action Lab
Pages: 53
Genre: Children's, Fantasy
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Rating:
Synopsis:
On a cool evening on the swamp, a figure appears dancing across the water. A human figure, but far from a human form. A Ghost, a young girl spirit that seems to have lost its way. A good Samaritan owl decides to help against the wishes of his animal brethren. What mysteries does the ghost girl hold the secrets to and what will happen when she and the owl unlock them together? Will they find out what happened to her? Will she find her way to where she needs to be? What will happen to the animals in the swamp and surrounding forest? An adventure with the most unlikely of pairs, The Ghost, the Owl.
Buy the Book: AmazonReview
What a marvelous little graphic novel this is! I was expecting a simple ghost story when I picked up The Ghost, The Owl but what I got was a surprisingly dark tale about man and nature. The story is told from the point of view of the owl, who decides to help a lonely ghost.
The highlight of this graphic novel, of course, is the gorgeous artwork. Every page is extremely detailed and begs to be admired, I spent a lot of time marveling at how beautifully the story is illustrated. I loved the mix between very realistically drawn animals while the world and the non-animal characters were very whimsical, every page had a dream-like feel to it. The color palette was wonderful, brilliant earthy colors that were a feast for the senses.
I wish the same amount of detail could have gone into the story itself, which wasn’t bad, but it was pretty simple and not all that detailed. While there is a major conflict it’s sort of glossed over, you get just enough to get the gist of the story but the world was so interesting I would’ve really loved if there was more to it. It’s an extremely fast read that can be done within fifteen minutes and most of that time will likely be spent looking at the pictures than reading any of the dialogue.
Even so, the graphic novel is definitely an experience and one that I can comfortably recommend for all ages, though it may be a tiny bit scary for younger readers. Even if it won’t go down as the most memorable graphic novel out there, I do feel it’s worth it for the art alone.
Quote
“Helping is what is necessary. It shouldn’t matter whom or what you are helping.”
About the Authors
About Franco
Franco Aureliani, known professionally as Franco, is an American comic book writer/artist, best known for writing the DC Comics series Tiny Titans, for which he won two Eisner Awards in 2009 and 2011. Tiny Titans also won a Harvey award in 2011. He was also nominated for another Harvey in 2013 for another project from DC Comics, Superman Family Adventures. He and longtime writing partner and friend, Art Baltazar, won their third Eisner in 2014 for the Dark Horse Comics children’s series Itty Bitty Hellboy. He also teaches art at Carmel High School.
About Sara Richard
Lady Sara Richard is an Eisner and Ringo Award-nominated artist living in New Hampshire. She is the illustrator of Greek Mythology: The Gods, Goddess, and Heroes Handbook (Simon & Schuster), The Ghost, The Owl (Action Lab Entertainment), and The Royal Book of Oz (Clover Press). She has also illustrated over 100 comic covers for publishers such as IDW, Marvel, DC Comics, ONI Press and has had her artwork in the pages of British Vogue, Vanity Fair, WIRED, and the World of Interiors. Sara is a member of the New Hampshire Old Gravestone Association and volunteers her time as half of The Graveside Ladies, a mother/daughter team of gravestone preservers and recorders. She has spoken at the Salem Daughters of Darkness Festival on her conservation work and #deathpositivity outreach via her webcomic, The Wicklow Skulls. Sara is the 10th Great Granddaughter of Margaret Scott, a victim of the Salem Witch Trials and the 26th Great Granddaughter of Elenor of Aquitaine. As a history and genealogy enthusiast, Sara studies and collects antique funerary artifacts in the hopes to open her own Memento Mori micro museum someday and maybe care for a stray ghost or two. Her Ladyship title comes from owning two small conservation plots in Scotland, a place that greatly influences her artwork and symbolizes her interest in conservation work.
Discover more from Radical Dreamer
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
