Every so often a book comes along that crosses boundaries, and this graphic novel should appeal to the young, the old, girls, boys, and, unless a true snob, it should even appeal to those who don't usually like comix. Unlike some, I've been reading science fiction, horror, adventure, and mystery stories for over forty years, so the mixing of the western, fantasy, and fairy-tale genres didn't bother me, it just enhanced the story.
This review may contain spoilers, but everything important happens within the first twenty pages anyway, so this review shouldn't spoil much. This modern retelling of an old fairy tale is reset in an alternate universe of our old American west. The story starts off with the Hales painting an idyllic picture, literally and figuratively, of the young redheaded Rapunzel and her life in Mother Gothel's huge hacienda where everybody is nice to her. However, she is also having troublesome dreams of being part of a family that she barely remembers.
Unfortunately, Rapunzel is just an average girl and she rebels against being cloistered in Gothel's hacienda. In an act of rebellion on her twelfth birthday, Rapunzel escapes from Mother Gothel's place and discovers what Mother Gothel's kingdom is really like and who her real mother is.
This angers Gothel and Rapunzel is then taken by the thuggish Brute to Gothel's swamps and is placed in a tree hollow where she stays until she is sixteen. At that time Rapunzel is given a choice by Gothel to either be an obedient girl or stay in the tree. Rapunzel denies Gothel, and is punished by being abandoned forever, and left in the tree. During her stay in the tree, Rapunzel's hair has grown ridiculously long and she has learned how to use her (braided) hair like either a rope or a whip along with keeping herself in really good physical shape.
After being abandoned, Rapunzel uses her hair to escape her prison, and then starts on her way back to Mother Gothel's hacienda to rescue her mother. Along the way, she teams-up with (rescues) a young drifter named Jack and his pet goose and in a rocky partnership decide to continue Rapunzel's quest, in which they meet, and beat, villains, kidnappers, backstabbers, and wild beasts, all the while being hunted by Brute.
The novel is episodic, with the episodes dealing with Rapunzel and Jack saving a starving village from wild dogs, and the one with them saving a community of river small-people from a huge river monster being particularly good. Love that giant snake. Through trials and tribulations Rapunzel and Jack end up at Mother Gothel's hacienda during a celebration and the big showdown begins.
All things being fair though, this is a young girl's book, and Jack is always subservient to Rapunzel, usually because she's a real tuff girl, a kind of young female Indiana Jones. However, in the end, both Rapunzel and Jack are written well, as is Mother Gothel as a villain. Despite being episodic, the story flows well, and while not too violent, it doesn't scrimp with the action, and there are things buried in the story that will appeal to older readers.
Nathan Hale's artwork is at times plain, and at times detailed, and always distinctive, Hale's artwork, like the story also flows nicely, and never gets in the way of the story, and there are some splash pages that are just beautifully rendered. This adventure quest is filled with action, likable characters, magic, fantasy, self-sacrifice, humor, heroism, and loyal friendship. While this fast-paced adventure graphic novel may be aimed at young girls, most boys should enjoy it also, and it never talks down to, or patronizes its audience. I've already read it several times, and this may be one of the best family oriented books of the year. But then, I'm not a father, just a lover of good stories, and this review is from that viewpoint, and I hope this review helps.
