Customer Reviews

Suburban Glamour

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

 

 

Warren Ellis has flagged up McKelvie as one to watch and I totally agree.

His very sleek, very modern art really grew on me, as did the lead character, Astrid. She's one of the more believable and empathetic angsty/teen/suburban heroines - a bit kooky, a bit misfit, but still very cool in her own way. Think 'Juno' more than 'Buffy'.

Although the story was good, it was mostly focused around Astrid and her friends - the inevitable conflict was a bit thin. I found myself a lot less concerned about sinister fairies than I was about that sleazy jock who tried to spike Astrid's drink.

McKelvie does a great job capturing the moment in this - I'm pretty curious to see if it seems dated in a few years, but somehow doubt it will.

Astrid is emo. Astrid is a changeling. Astrid is sad. Astrid has imaginary friends. Astrid's imaginary friends are made real because of a place called Faerie. (If you've read The Iron King many of the same characters apply here. See: Oberon, Maeve, Titania)

It's hard to find graphic novels that cater exclusively to girls especially since the Minx comic line ended. Though to be fair there is a large amount of YA fiction that we enjoy more than boys. There were plenty of cliches in here and if you hate it when someone calls themselves emo, that is in here too. I loved the art style though very realistic in a comic book way. It was a fun story and I like how I got to revisit some of the characters from The Iron King. I just found out that there are more in this series and I will probably read those if I can get my hands on them for cheap (or free). I think if you enjoyed any of the Minx titles you'll enjoy this one too.

First Line:
"BRR BRR BRR BRR BRR BRR BRR BRR BRR BRR BRR BRR BRR"

Favorite Line:
"Bring me flesh and bring me blood."

I purchased this based on the style of artwork Jamie Mckelvie creates. I just love the clean lines and distinct characters. The story just makes it that much better, I always enjoy fantastical stories set in the modern day, so this was definitely my cup of tea. I was also impressed by the fact that Jamie Mckelvie not just illustrated the story but wrote it. This type of work is so encouraging to me as an illustration student considering a career in comics.

Purchased this along with Phonogram, to sample mcklevie's work.
Phonogram I liked, this - meh. the style is too sterile, including the picture of a slap that is anything but energetic and rejecting.
the story... well, it's the story of a teenage girl who finds out that she is a fairy princess. It might be excellent reading material for teenagers, but to me - meh.