Belle: Beast Hunter by Dave Franchini and Bong Dazo

Belle: Beast Hunter by Dave Franchini and Bong Dazo collects the first six issues into a nice graphic novel format. Belle hunts monsters, the things that hide in the dark. She inherited the job from her mother. It’s the family business, so to speak. With the help of Louis, whom she calls ‘Candlestick’, Belle tracks down and dispatches monsters before they cause too much havoc.

The play on names with those from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is amusing. Candlestick, alluding to Lumiere’s form, that’s just one. There are lots of hidden visual references too. Roses can be found in garmenting, actual flowers, carvings, and more. I’m not gonna give all of them away, but it made reading this extra fun. And Belle has a pretty complicated story. She’s not fluffy and innocent, but she’s not f***ed up over it all either. All through, she keeps up a chatter of sarcastic commentary. Her friend Mel is pretty cool, too. She ends up having an important part, and reminds me of Nuck,’s friend Hank in Grimm.

If you like Supernatural and Grimm, check this out!

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors for providing an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

 

 

Dark Metro by Tokyo Calen

Calen’s Dark Metro collection centres around, as the name suggests, a metro. Each chapter is a separate vignette with different characters, and unrelated stories. The only constant is Seiya, a mysterious man who serves as a guide to the underworld. And when the living stumble into his realm, by accident, or having been lead there by a dead person who wants, for whatever reason, to drag the living person with them in death, Seiya is the one who intercedes, shepherding the living back across the barrier to their own existence. Each story was tied to the Metro in one way or another. People’s paths cross via the Metro, some jump. Some hunt prey. Accidents happen. I like the attention to detail in each vignette. Chapter Three is a good example. This involves the spirit of a suicide jumper. Let’s just say, I’ve seen what a train victim looks like, and the art was spot on. Recommended!

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors for providing an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

 

Manga Classics: Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Manga Classics: Macbeth by William Shakespeare keeps the original text from the play, complementing it with gorgeous manga artwork. Macbeth is one of the Bard’s most famous dramas, and my personal favourite of his dramas. As much as I love both the play, and manga style artwork, this book didn’t resonate with me so much. It was good, don’t get me wrong. I think it just really messed my mind up to have the classic text with this quite modern artwork. However, if you’re a fan of the Manga Classics series, or of Macbeth, definitely check it out!

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Udon Entertainment for providing an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

 

 

Watersnakes by Tony Sandoval

DNF

Watersnakes by Tony Sandoval follows Mila, a young girl starting summer vacation. She makes a new friend, Agnes, who happens to be a ghost. Mila becomes obsessed with Agnes and her story, and they embark on a dangerous journey. Or do they? Much of this is comprised of fantasies or dream sequences. There’s a serious teeth motif going on, which really creeped me out. The story was very disjointed, and made no sense. I made it about a third of the way through before getting to annoyed to continue. It didn’t help that I really wasn’t a huge fan of the art style.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors for providing an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.