Bearskin: A Grimm Tale (Paperback)

~ Gareth Hinds (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"If you've read and loved BEARSKIN as I have, believe me, you've only seen the tip of the Iceberg. Gareth Hinds is a talent to be reckoned with. Don't let him out of your sight for a minute." -- Scott McCloud, author of Understanding Comics

"Take it from a lover of the fairy tale and sequential art, ignore the psychological and sociological mumbo-jumbo and just enjoy the work for what it is -- a well-told story with great art." -- Joseph Szadkowski, The Washington Times, 8/22/98

Product Description

This is a Graphic Novel adaptation of a Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale. It is the story of a discharged soldier who, homeless and destitute, agrees to a deal with the Devil. For seven years he must wear the pelt of a bear, and neither bathe, shave, cut his hair or nails, nor sleep in a bed. If he dies during the seven years, he will lose his soul, but if he survives he will be the wealthiest man in the world. 80 pp. b/w.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Thecomic Com (June 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1893131009
• ISBN-13: 978-1893131002
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 6.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,789,807 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful retelling of a classic story, December 10, 1998

By	[e-mail] (Waltham, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

The Bearskin story has always been one of my personal favorites, and this new retelling captures the story perfectly. The art is wonderfully expressive with an incredible display of shadows and emotions. I'm glad that this particular story was chosen, as it's often overlooked in favor of more famous stories. This book would make a great introduction to the story, and is equally exciting for those already familiar.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing New Talent, December 9, 1998

By A Customer

BEARSKIN is, simply, a fairy tale brought to life. The tale is told with marvelous economy and coherence: a wealth of subtle detail, not an element out of line, merged seamlessly and effortlessly with an archetypal storyline. The art is gorgeous and distinctive, with the kind of style that invites close examination and pits eagerness to see what happens next against the desire to pore over each page.

This is what fairy tales--and, more than that, storytelling--are meant to be. Absolutely worth a look. Comic book-adaptations of old stories are a dime a dozen, but this one is worth its weight in gold.

I can't wait to see more of Hinds' work. Fortunately I checked out his web page, and more is forthcoming (and some is available online).

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow!, October 3, 1998

By A Customer

This is an excellent and very entertaining retelling of the Brothers Grimm story "Bearskin." The art is ultra-clean, and very consistent throughout. The characters appear exaggerated to the point of being perfectly archetypal for the Grimm genre, and yet somehow it doesn't read as cliche'. Very enjoyable!

But what really amazes me is the quality of what appears to be this illustrator's first work. Perhaps this is just his first national release? In any case, it's a hell of a comic.

The bio in the inside cover points to both his web site (thecomic.com) which is also very good, and also to another book in the works (Beowulf). I can't wait! Mr. Hinds -- would you please finish it by next Christmas?

Bravo!