3 stars
| A good adaptation of The Graveyard Book with some cool illustration styles. Each chapter is illustrated by a different artist. I especially enjoyed Jill Thompson‘s section. Volume 1 contains the first five chapters and interlude. It ends at a good stopping point to set up the next book. The real issue I had with this book is that the shifting art styles were a bit disruptive for me. You spend the whole first chapter picturing Bod a certain way and then by chapter three you question what is going on in the world. The drastically different styles made the book read as different stories rather than one continue account of Bod’s journey. I think it would have been better to only have one art style, but that’s just my personal preference. Also, while I’ve read the novel and know how Bod ends up in the graveyard, the opening pages were still a bit rough. They made a decision to show the open wounds, a decision I feel may turn some readers off to the book. A more subtle approach may have worked better. I was actually really surprised the opening scene was depicted in such a way. Anyway, aside from those things, I thought this was a good book. I thought they did a great job of representing Silas especially. The stories were interesting and presented in a way that contributes well to the original material. Despite my distaste for the use of multiple illustration styles, I’m still planning on reading the second volume. Goodreads |