4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The story itself can be magical, even if the image reproduction occasionally breaks the spell, November 23, 2009
This review is from: The Color of Earth (Paperback)
Although Dong Hwa Kim's protagonist in The Color of Earth, the first book of a nostalgic Korean manhwa trilogy,is a sweet-faced young girl, it's emphatically not for children. Behind the timeless provincialism of its rural Korean setting and the subtly allusive illustrations is a Freudian-laced tale of a young woman's coming of age and sexual awakening. So while the chapter about Ehwa's first menstruation is a common theme in children's literature, her discovery that all women have a secret "persimmon" between their legs might make even some adult readers vaguely uncomfortable.
Oddly, a short essay at the end of the volume calls this work "feminist." Alas, the essayist seems to have an impoverished notion of the word. A female protagonist alone does not make it feminist, and it seems doubtful that anyone in the West would consider, for example, a beautiful widowed mother and proprietress of a tavern who just smiles like a benevolent angel whenever her regulars make vulgar, sexist remarks about her a particularly liberating turn.
Fortunately, none of it is to be taken literally. Make no mistake: The Color of Earth is a folktale in sequential art form, resonating with the cross-cultural power of myth. This explains why Ehwa's maturation is so stereotyped, her romantic (but platonic) relationships with the young monk and later on with the rich kid seems so stilted and ritualistic. The painter's courtship of her mother is even more ritualized still, the strengthening bonds between them symbolized by the growing number of paintbrushes he leaves behind to be hung up with pride of place on Ehwa and her mother's wall. The characters are more archetypes than three-dimensional constructions and meant to be so.
This deliberate flatness goes for Kim's artwork as well. The style is at once nearly his own and evocative of the Korean peninsula's long artistic tradition, particularly in the use of simple but deliberate lines and expansive empty space when drawing panels with people as subjects, while conversely devoting tremendous effort and detail to panels with plant life or scenery. Intriguingly, some of the angles of the characters in their beautiful hanbok are strongly reminiscent of Goguryeo tomb paintings.
If there is any unequivocal criticism to level at First Second's maiden voyage into the realm of Korean manhwa, it is that, from the standpoint of production values, the publisher has gotten off to a bit of a rocky start. Although the book itself is a lovely, high-quality trade paperback featuring French flaps and rough-cut pages, the monochrome image reproduction of the interior pages ranges from troublingly pixilated to unacceptably blurry. Lines ought to be totally crisp to the naked eye, the gray tones exquisite, and they are not. The degree to which these issues will bother readers will certainly vary depending upon the person, but it may be enough to discourage some graphic novel connoisseurs from purchasing altogether. Fortunately, these problems are all resolvable, and I hold out hope that First Second will soon do so for subsequent releases. In the meantime, though, I recommend giving the first installment of Kim's trilogy a chance regardless: The story itself can be magical, even if the image reproduction occasionally breaks the spell.
-- Casey Brienza
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A pubescent tale can indeed be magical, January 25, 2011
It's quite interesting that the author of this graphic novel is a man, for this is a pure girl book through and through. Apparently written in memory of his mother's experiences growing up in Korea this expresses the wonder and mystery of adolescence for women.
Kim's stunning illustrations create a timeless Eastern world where a mother and daughter live as the best of friends. The mother is a hard-working widow who does her best to guide her little daughter through pre-pubescent growing up while exploring new romance for herself. Her daughter explores the strange world of the human body and first love crushes.
It's a thought-based story that relies more on the tenderness of growing up and its characters rather than on a solid plot. The writing is thoughtful, prone to wandering poetry that may amaze some and annoy others as it compares the natural world to the female experience.
It's a sweet, likable, and rather magical tale that is easy to get lost in due to the musing dialogue and fabulous illlustrations. Very much focused on sex and love and growing up, this might strike some as too graphic. But if one can get into its focus, it's quite enjoyable.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Mother Daughter Book Club.com, August 13, 2009
This review is from: The Color of Earth (Paperback)
The Color of Earth is the first in a trilogy of graphic novels about a young girl named Ehwa and her widowed mother who owns a tavern in a small Korean village. The story takes place in a time before that country was geographically split by war.
Author Kim Dong Hwa creates beautiful images that work with the narrative to tell this story of two generations of women. While the story may seem simple as it follows Ehwa from young girl to young adult, it is filled with rich symbolism that you will want to savor as you read. Flowers symbolize many things in the story, and the characters are often associating flowers with someone they love. Also, you get the sense that young Ehwa is beginning to bloom just as the flowers do.
As Ehwa grows, she is confused by the changes in her body, and the information she gets from friends about those changes only confuses her more. Mother and daughter don't talk about the changes before they occur, but Ehwa does turn to her mother to answer the questions she has. The narrative provides an interesting way to bring up topics like boys having wet dreams and girls starting their periods. The words are simple, but combined with the images they are powerful. While this book is targeted to a young adult audience and these concepts won't be new to most readers, it can be a jumping off point for further discussion.
I recommend The Color of Earth for mother-daughter book clubs with girls who are 13 or older. In addition to talking about maturing bodies, other points to discuss include first love, Buddhist monks, and life in a small village.
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