Customer Reviews

Once Upon a Time (Nightmares & Fairy Tales, Vol. 1)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

People familiar with Slave Labor Graphics usually think of the authors that write for it: Jhonen Vasquez, Roman Dirge, Evan Dorkin, the list goes on. Some of them turn out incredible works like "Johnny the Homicidal Maniac", and others turn out rubbish like "Outlook: Grim". I didn't know about SLG's hitandmiss record when I went into my comic book store and bought a handful of different titles. Most of them were disappointing, with the exception of a couple. "Nightmares and Fairy Tales" was the best one I picked up that day.

The series is written by Serena Valentino, the writer of the rather prolific "Gloomcookie". I've never read her other work, so I can't pretend I'm an expert, but in "Nightmares" she's extremely competent. As the title suggests, she takes fairy tales (most of which are already pretty nightmarish in their origins) and adds a little bit more oomph.

The thing that keeps the series from just being a bunch of random stories is the constant presence of a doll, named Annabelle (hence, Annabelle Speaks for the trade title). The doll serves as the connection between all the stories, whether as a character or a narrator. At first glance, I was worried that the doll technique would get irritating, but its done with a light enough touch that it doesn't feel forced. Illustrations are done by FSc (Zeet), and they are one of the main reasons I continue to read. There's definitely a Japanese influence in the artwork, and sometimes it works better than others, but it always looks good.

As for the stories, they're all pretty bittersweet. Some end happily (kinda), and others end on a real down note (notably the first storyline in the series (ish 1 and 2). For me, the best story was from issue number 5. In it, little Gwen has just moved to her new house with her less than appreciative parents. She is convinced that something is lurking in the walls, but her mom and dad refuse to take her seriously. The only time she feels safe are when she meets her next door neighbor (a kindly witch) and is talking to her doll (Annabelle, in the only instance where a human can actually hear her). Its a storyline that begs to be made into something larger. This trade consists of the first six issues of the comic, and at a price under eleven dollars, that's quite a bargain. If you're someone who's into fantasy, but who loathes "happily ever after", this is the collection for you.

Annabelle is a doll who seems to always be present when things go awry. Whether she is part of the cause or merely an unlucky bystander isn't quite known, but either way her luck seems to have run out long ago. "Nightmares & Fairytales" is a string of her memories, all of which seem to be morbid takes on various fairytales we all know and love. This particular collection includes the first six comics collected into one exquisitely done graphic novel at an unbeatable price.

The stories, though varied versions of well-known tales, manage nonetheless to be original and quite unique. No two tales are even remotely the same. With a cast of characters that includes lesbian vampires, evil-harboring nuns, and monsters in the closet/walls, Serena Valentino clearly puts her amazing imagination to work with an array of tales that never ceases to amaze, and never leaves the reader bored. I love the anime-style artwork tinged with a dark twist that can be, at times, rather graphic. Yet, the artist (FSC) accomplishes this without ever being too gruesome.

I definitely recommend this collection to fans of comics such as "Lenore," "Johnny the Homicidal Maniac," and "Squee." Though more morbid and certainly not as humorous as the aforementioned comics, Annabelle Speaks won't disappoint those with a taste for stories and artwork that dance on the darker side of life.

As Tommy Kovac says in the introduction: "Curl up in a big chair with this book, and if it's not raining outside, pretend that it is."

The true literary pioneers seem to manifest from small presses and blossom in independent bookstores. But there still is a certain haughty nautre to those successful, yet underrated, literary masterpieces. A reader of the avant-garde would probably never consider including graphic novels and comic books amongst the latter. But, they're still there: countless volumes of cult-classics and unconventional stories told through graphic novels. We overlook such groudbreaking artists like Neil Gaiman (THE SANDMAN series), Jhonen Vasquez (JOHNNY THE HOMICIDAL MANIAC), Allison Bechdel (the DYKES TO WATCH OUT FOR series), Edward Gorey (AMPHIGOREY, THE GASHLYCRUMB TINNIES) and Michelle Tea (RENT GIRL). Yet they are all prolific, artsy and fantastic storytellers. They deserve as much recognition as the break through small press heros.

If this group of artists and writers is to be recognized, then they should be considered their own private avant-garde and Serena Valentino's "NIGHTMARE AND FAIRY TALES" should be included amongst this list.

NIGHTMARES AND FAIRY TALES: ONCE UPON A TIME, combines the first several volumes of Ms. Valentino's underground comic book series, which masterfully blends horror with fantasy elements and placing it in a modern day setting.
The narrator comes into the form of a small demented looking doll, named Annabelle, who is almost magnetically drawn to murderous creatures of the dark and the unfortunate heroines who fall victim to them. As Annabelle states, it is unknown, even to herself, if she is the cause of all the death and despair that befalls her owners, or if she is merely an observer or chronicler to the events.

Her first tales involve an unfortunate young goth girl, invovled in a relationship with another girl who believes she's a vampire. When her friends start getting murdered, Annabelle can only whisper out warnings and watches her owner's downfall. She later retells more demented versions of Snow White and Cinderella, again, hinting that she had some stake in the creation of these horror-fairy tales themselves.

Like one of the previous reviewers, I was most drawn to the fifth story, featuring young Gwen, a polite and shy little girl who moves into a very spooky house. Her next door neighbor is an elderly woman, "Aunt Bea", who offers Annabelle as a gift on move-in day and promises that the strange doll will protect her. As Gwen slowly realizes that disgusting monsters lurk behind the cracks of her bedroom walls, we also learn that her parents are just as monstrous and physically abuse her. Annabelle offers consolence and protection from the monsters, but there's only so many things she can do. When Gwen's father locks her in the closet for a night, Gwen cries at that the monsters are coming to harm her and from next door, Aunt Bea pleads for Annabelle to protect her and kill the monsters. The next morning, Gwen's parents are found ripped apart by some unknown beast.

Certainly not a comic book for young children, NIGHTMARES AND FAIRY TALES is amazing and mystical. Written with wizdom and poisoned ink, it creates the more shadows than one is comfortable with, but sheds a little light for hope that the reader will survive until morning.

Before Disney changed things and made everyone think Fairy Tales are all about Bambis and fuzzy bunnies, Fairy Tales were dark, disturbing, and always had a meaning. Serena Valentino attempts to bring those fairy tales back to their dark roots, with art by FSc. And, for the most part, she succeeds. Each tale is dark and disturbing, and the each story is told with decieving simplicity. The dialogue is also simple; so simple that it feels juvenile, like something a high schooler might write during study hall (ok, perhaps that's a bit too severe...). Also, Valentino's original stories, such as the first story with the lesbian vampires, are simply not as strong as her own twists on such well known Fairy Tales as Cinderella and Snow White. And lastly, even though I feel FSc's art is strong and vivid, there are a few moments where the drawings are very sketchy, as if the artist simply forget to put the finishing touches on those frames. All in all though, Nightmares & Fairytales is more hit than miss, and is a good read for anyone in the mood for a dark comic.

I hope people don't just give me a negative review because I was not as impressed with this work as everyone else, so please keep that in mind!

I was intrigued by the premise of this book but I was not as impressed with the execution.

The first two sections dealing w/ vampires and the like were not as strong as the fairy tales towards the back. The drawings of the people were not varied enough for an all black and white comic and the story itself seemed overly dark, mabye trying a bit too hard?

The fairy tales are worth a purchase and read. They are a delightful twist and the darkness within them is more true to the way the original fairy tales were written. The best gem is actually the last fairy tale-Cinderella.

If you do enjoy dark stories you should certainly give this a read. If you are a lover of comics and something different than you will also find this quite appealing.

This came recommended to me, and I bought it without first reading any of Serena Valentino's other work. I have to say, I was pretty impressed. Spooky little stories, great illustrations, overall a great read! Everyone else I've passed it onto has liked it as well.

I read the first comic when it was first released, and I fell in love with the artwork almost immediately. The writing is very lovely, some of the stories--especially in volume 2--are brilliant, but it can also fall a little flat at times. But the art, however, is what draws me to this series over and over again. FSc is a fabulous artist, she incorporates a vague anime sensibility couples with swirling, magical images. The characters--especially Gwen--are adorable, the worlds are filled with beauty, and there is an overabundance of cuteness.

The front cover was what made me buy the book, but once I got it and started reading it, the story was good but the illustrations were hard to make out. Sometimes all I could guess of what was going on was a couple of think black lines and some text. The story is what you should really buy it for, with the all the darkly funny, twisted fairy tales, but if you're more into the illustrations, it'd be best to look elsewhere.

My boyfriend is a HUGE comic book fan and he's spent the better half of last year trying to persuade me to join him. I'm a very picky reader though so it seemed like I'd never find my niche. I stumbled on this at a comic book store and paged through it I liked it enough to buy it and here's my review:

The art is beautiful in a childish comic book sort of way. The stories are dark and often tragic but they are still charming and fun. Every chapter is a different fairy tale story and interestingly the perfect mixture of scary, tragic, and cute. I definately recommend it.

This is not a funny book. Er, not not-funny as in poor humor, but not funny as in it's not supposed to be a gut-buster. Not funny as in not bought to make you laugh, like Squee or Lenore would be. It is also drawn in a more manga-ish style than Dirge or Vasquez' stuff. It has some very cool stories, most are gorey spin-offs from fairy tales. It is told through the eyes of a little doll. Again, it's not supposed to be funny but it is fascinating. The drawings are sometimes vague and hard to follow, and the characters all look a bit too similar to easily disifer, the first few storues were a bit too confusing, and I had to carefully re-read certain part to get what was happening, but it's a good book. Definately worth figuring out.
The back also has trade art from Vasquez and Dirge, which I found a very pleasant suprise.