Customer Reviews

Scary Godmother HC

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I have never really been a fan of Jill Thompson. I didn't like her work on The Sandman, and her cutsey version of The Endless didn't appeal to me either. When I first saw her "Scary Godmother" books, I barely gave them a glance because the name Jill Thompson was just not a draw for me.

But I do love Halloween, and when Dark Horse put out a collected version of "Scary Godmother" I figured I would give it a shot at last.

I am officially a convert. "Scary Godmother" is a perfect work. Jill Thompson's art is so mind-blowingly beautiful that I was studying each page in detail wondering how she achieved such magnificent colors. Seriously, this is some of the best painted art work I have ever seen in a comic. The balance of her cutesty style with the Halloween theme mixes just right, with dancing skeletons, looming vampires and a pack of rambunctious kids all jumbled together in pages that burst with energy and fun. This is the kind of book I wish I had grown up on as a kid, and has a place in every home that loves Halloween fun.

This hardcover edition collects the previously released Scary Godmother, The Revenge of Jimmy, The Mystery Date, The Boo Flu and "Tea for Orson." The stories follow Hannah Marie, a little girl who is afraid of Halloween until she meets the Scary Godmother who shows her just how much fun ghosts and ghouls can be. After their initial meeting, Hannah Marie and her friends look forward to Scary Godmother's visits every year just like the kids in the Rankin-Bass cartoon look forward to the return of Frosty the Snowman.

The stories are a mix of comic-book style with word balloons, and a more traditional children's book style with illustrated text. If you are a fan of the Halloween genre Thompson gives you some nods here and there, with the Grinch's smile showing up. This is not Tim Burton's Halloween-town, which I appreciated because I have seen too many derivative works from Burton's classic. Aside from the purposeful references, this is all Thompson's creativity at work.

Included in the back are a few pages of Thompson's sketches and ideas for the series, including her animation studies she did for the Scary Godmother animated specials. It was cool that Dark Horse let her include work she did for Sirius Comics including a series of Halloween Cards that Thompson produced.

This is not a complete collection. Thompson has done more "Scary Godmother" comics including Ghoul's Out for Summer, "Halloween Spooktakular" Wild About Harry, and Spooktacular Stories. Hopefully, Dark Horse has a follow-up volume in the works, and I know it will have a place at my house come Halloween.

Scarey Godmother is a wonderful story about chldren on Halloween and how brothers can be a pain in the neck. But, little sisters win out and shows you how you can make friends no matter where you are.

We've had Jill Thompson's Scary Godmother and Magic Trixie books for years. Two kids have enjoyed them, starting from when they were too young to read (and Dad too tired to make it through a whole book at bedtime and needing the "to be continued" bookmark for the next night). Recently, my daughter, who has begun reading on her own, pulled Magic Trixie back off the shelf again. She's working her way through the series again, enjoying them all over.

The art is rich and vibrant, with many things to discover on subsequent re-reads. The stories are compelling, delightful, and full of details and asides that seem like private jokes between the author and you. The characters leap off the page. Jill is a master of capturing kid expressions. And she's a master at keeping adults entertained while the kids are captivated. It's so interesting watching my kids enjoy one aspect of these books--like the cool magic stuff--and then years later find something else, like identifying with how the characters feel in the various otherworldly (yet emotionally familiar) situations.

If you have kids, and maybe even if you don't, you'll find these books being enjoyed for years and years.

And that's just good value!

Buy the whole series. You won't be disappointed.

I bought this for my kids and they love it! The book is big with great pictures so that everyone can see! It's great to have a hardcover book it makes it more durable against messes :)

I just started getting into comic books and found this and fell in love with it. I adore Scary Godmother. The stories are cute and funny. They are not anything deep, but definitely enjoyable. I recommend this to anyone who, like me, enjoys an good (not twilight-esque) twist on things like witches, vampires, werewolves, etc.