I mentioned this recently in my post about The White Cat, and as I remembered the story from my childhood, I had to go hunt down the actual book so I could look at the illustrations again. It just came in, and it's so pretty. I remember so many of the stories inside, and how they were just gently strange and odd - not all of them the usual ones that appear in collections.
A Book of Fairy Tales
illustrated by Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone
published by Playmore Inc in New York, and Dean & Son in London (hardcover, 1977)
Originally published as the following individual books:
Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales
Janet and Anne Grahame-Johnstone Gift Book of Fairy Tales
Gift Book of Fairy Tales
The White Cat
Stories included:
Little Red Riding Hood
Old Mother Goose Rhyme
Hop O' My Thumb
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
The Three Little Pigs
Rumpelstiltskin
Jack and the Beanstalk
The Frog Prince
The Princess and the Pea
The White Cat
Little Ida's Flowers
Ole Luckoie, or The Dustman
Thumbelina
The Top and the Ball
The Darning Needle
Blockhead Hans
Sleeping Beauty
Puss in Boots
Tom Thumb
Hansel and Gretel
Beauty and the Beast
Babes in the Wood
They're so pretty.
What I remembered:
Ole Luckoie (Sandman) who tells the boy seven stories for seven nights, and on the last night, shows off his beautiful brother Death on his beautiful horse, where the good hear lovely stories in front of him, and the bad hear terrible tales behind his back, shrouded in his cloak.
The Princess and the Pea, standing in the rain, all soaked and black-haired and beautifully drapey.
The White Cat sequence where the Cavalier-dressed rain-soaked Prince draggles his pathetic way through the woods, to the doorway with the bellpull "hanging by a chain of diamonds," and then enters (dripping) into a blazing gold corridor illuminated by ghostly hands in sconces holding torches. (Really makes me wonder if whoever did the Phantom of the Opera movie had seen this illustration)
The White Cat and her retinue riding on monkeys.
The little fairy page boy giving serious side-eye to the goblin page boy with the Wicked Fairy, while the Fairy curses the baby Sleeping Beauty.
Blockhead Hans riding a goat, throwing mud at a reporter, while the Princess claps in delight.
Serious waif-fu Gretel kicking ass and taking names.
A sinister and dramatic Rumplestiltskin dancing around his campfire.
Showing posts with label Sandman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sandman. Show all posts
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
The Sandman: The Dream Hunters (graphic novel), Neil Gaiman, P. Craig Russell
The Sandman: The Dream Hunters (graphic novel)
Neil Gaiman, illustrated by P. Craig Russell, colors by Lovern Kindzierski
Based on the illustrated novella by Neil Gaiman and Yoshitaka Amano
ISBN: 9781401224240
Read January 15, 2014
Snap judgement: it was nifty, but I still like the original better.
That said, there were a few individual places where I thought the story benefitted from the style of comic panels, or from specific artistic choices.
Firstly, the fox actually has green eyes! I wouldn't trade Amano's stylized faces for the world, but it was nice to see expressions and actual eyeballs on the monk and fox.
I loved the use of the red and white robe for the fox's human form. There were a few panels in particular that were just nicely done; when she jumps over the fire and changes, when she is teasing the onmyoji, and when the dreamland pair shifts from man and fox to a couple.
I loved that the use of Dream's white-on-black text made the Fox King's identity more obvious.
I liked that the onmyoji was fat and somewhat attractive, and the sequence showing his fears was very well done.
I LOVED the trio of weavers. Super-nasty and disturbing.
The sequence where the monk walked into Dreaming was very powerful in this version, because more of the landscape and events were pictured. The destruction of the geta, and the interactions with Cain and Abel in particular were haunting.
I also am glad that I read the original first, because I could see in my mind the text behind many of the image sequences (like the fox eating the frog), but it did make me aware of at least one minor alteration; the grandfather originally choked on a mochi and here that phrase was altered to an 'unripe peach.' Made me wonder why alter that, and not just change it to "rice cake" and for that matter, why that, and leave onmyoji or oni or tengu as they are?
As an aside, I find myself uncomfortably aware of my prudish American upbringing, where reading text about 'private' body parts is a-ok, but actually seeing them is somehow worse. I'm trying to get past that myself, but if a child wanted to read this story, I have to admit I'd rather they read the illustrated novella than looked at the graphic novel. Graphic indeed, I suppose.
Final verdict: if you are somehow prevented from owning both versions, then the original is still the best choice. I just can't express how perfect the artistic partnership is between those two masters of their media.
However, in the real world, where people have bookshelves full of The Sandman, this is a beautiful and haunting addition in it's own right, and does a lovely job of adapting the original to another medium without feeling like a copy, but without losing the soul of the story.
Neil Gaiman, illustrated by P. Craig Russell, colors by Lovern Kindzierski
Based on the illustrated novella by Neil Gaiman and Yoshitaka Amano
ISBN: 9781401224240
Read January 15, 2014
Snap judgement: it was nifty, but I still like the original better.
That said, there were a few individual places where I thought the story benefitted from the style of comic panels, or from specific artistic choices.
Firstly, the fox actually has green eyes! I wouldn't trade Amano's stylized faces for the world, but it was nice to see expressions and actual eyeballs on the monk and fox.
I loved the use of the red and white robe for the fox's human form. There were a few panels in particular that were just nicely done; when she jumps over the fire and changes, when she is teasing the onmyoji, and when the dreamland pair shifts from man and fox to a couple.
I loved that the use of Dream's white-on-black text made the Fox King's identity more obvious.
I liked that the onmyoji was fat and somewhat attractive, and the sequence showing his fears was very well done.
I LOVED the trio of weavers. Super-nasty and disturbing.
The sequence where the monk walked into Dreaming was very powerful in this version, because more of the landscape and events were pictured. The destruction of the geta, and the interactions with Cain and Abel in particular were haunting.
I also am glad that I read the original first, because I could see in my mind the text behind many of the image sequences (like the fox eating the frog), but it did make me aware of at least one minor alteration; the grandfather originally choked on a mochi and here that phrase was altered to an 'unripe peach.' Made me wonder why alter that, and not just change it to "rice cake" and for that matter, why that, and leave onmyoji or oni or tengu as they are?
As an aside, I find myself uncomfortably aware of my prudish American upbringing, where reading text about 'private' body parts is a-ok, but actually seeing them is somehow worse. I'm trying to get past that myself, but if a child wanted to read this story, I have to admit I'd rather they read the illustrated novella than looked at the graphic novel. Graphic indeed, I suppose.
Final verdict: if you are somehow prevented from owning both versions, then the original is still the best choice. I just can't express how perfect the artistic partnership is between those two masters of their media.
However, in the real world, where people have bookshelves full of The Sandman, this is a beautiful and haunting addition in it's own right, and does a lovely job of adapting the original to another medium without feeling like a copy, but without losing the soul of the story.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
The Sandman: The Dream Hunters, Neil Gaiman & Yoshitaka Amano
The Sandman: The Dream Hunters
Neil Gaiman, illustrated (lavishly) by Yoshitaka Amano
October 1999, Vertigo/DC
ISBN: 1563895730 (hardcover)
Re-read January 14, 2014
I devoured this when it first came out, the lush story, the breathtaking art, the unearthly beauty of the Dream King, the faux-historical background, the joy of having a familiar character inhabiting another world that I was passionate about.
Since then, I've browsed through it many times, sighing over the artistry, reading bits and snippets, but rarely the whole thing. Until today, when I finally got my hands on P. Craig Russell's graphic adaptation, and just had to compare the two. I've just finished the original again, and it's still breathtaking.
I wish I had better wordcraft to explain how the haunting fall and wash of the paintings makes my chest ache with that tug that is part awe in the face of beauty, and part sadness that life must move on and won't allow you to stay entranced forever. I wish I could craft a silver and jet net of words to provide a setting of suitable filigree to set this faceted, jeweled, exotic gothic fable into, but I can't.
Just read it, and look at it, and know that craftsmen do exist, and the craft is glorious and good.
Neil Gaiman, illustrated (lavishly) by Yoshitaka Amano
October 1999, Vertigo/DC
ISBN: 1563895730 (hardcover)
Re-read January 14, 2014
I devoured this when it first came out, the lush story, the breathtaking art, the unearthly beauty of the Dream King, the faux-historical background, the joy of having a familiar character inhabiting another world that I was passionate about.
Since then, I've browsed through it many times, sighing over the artistry, reading bits and snippets, but rarely the whole thing. Until today, when I finally got my hands on P. Craig Russell's graphic adaptation, and just had to compare the two. I've just finished the original again, and it's still breathtaking.
I wish I had better wordcraft to explain how the haunting fall and wash of the paintings makes my chest ache with that tug that is part awe in the face of beauty, and part sadness that life must move on and won't allow you to stay entranced forever. I wish I could craft a silver and jet net of words to provide a setting of suitable filigree to set this faceted, jeweled, exotic gothic fable into, but I can't.
Just read it, and look at it, and know that craftsmen do exist, and the craft is glorious and good.
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