Coraline: Graphic Novel

From Goodreads:    When Coraline steps through a door in her family's new house, she finds another house, strangely similar to her own (only better). At first, things seem marvelous. The food is better than at home, and the toy box is filled with fluttering wind-up angels and dinosaur skulls that crawl and rattle their teeth.

But there's another mother there and another father, and they want her to stay and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go. Coraline will have to fight with all her wit and all the tools she can find if she is to save herself and return to her ordinary life.

This beloved tale has now become a visual feast. Acclaimed artist P. Craig Russell brings Neil Gaiman's enchanting nationally bestselling children's book Coraline to new life in this gorgeously illustrated graphic novel adaptation.

My Thoughts:

-    This wasn't my favorite adaptation of Coraline, but it was okay.

-    I didn't care for the art style very much. It didn't capture the mood and story.

-    I liked the original much better. The pictures in the original book are more satisfying.

-    The story is still really fun and creeptastic.

Coraline

Goodreads Synopsis:    Coraline lives with her preoccupied parents in part of a huge old house--a house so huge that other people live in it, too... round, old former actresses Miss Spink and Miss Forcible and their aging Highland terriers ("We trod the boards, luvvy") and the mustachioed old man under the roof ("'The reason you cannot see the mouse circus,' said the man upstairs, 'is that the mice are not yet ready and rehearsed.'") Coraline contents herself for weeks with exploring the vast garden and grounds. But with a little rain she becomes bored--so bored that she begins to count everything blue (153), the windows (21), and the doors (14). And it is the 14th door that--sometimes blocked with a wall of bricks--opens up for Coraline into an entirely alternate universe. Now, if you're thinking fondly of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe or Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, you're on the wrong track. Neil Gaiman's Coraline is far darker, far stranger, playing on our deepest fears. And, like Roald Dahl's work, it is delicious.

My Thoughts:

-    I read this a long time ago, and I don't remember how much I liked it, but I loved it this time through!

-    The story and characters are awesome. I love Coraline's journey and how she grows throughout the book. The side characters are all great. The other mother is perfectly creepy. I also love the cat.

-    The illustrations were so creeptastic. I loved them!

-    Neil Gaiman is SO imaginative. I would love to see him and Tim Burton create an original movie together. The story and style would be mind boggling.

-    Very fun quick read! 

The Graveyard Book Graphic Novel: Volume 2

Goodreads Says:    The second volume of a glorious two-volume, four-color graphic novel adaptation of Neil Gaiman's #1 New York Times bestselling and Newbery and Carnegie Medal-winning novel The Graveyard Book, adapted by P. Craig Russell and illustrated by an extraordinary team of renowned artists.

Inventive, chilling, and filled with wonder, Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book reaches new heights in this stunning adaptation. Artists Kevin Nowlan, P. Craig Russell, Galen Showman, Scott Hampton, and David Lafuente lend their own signature styles to create an imaginatively diverse and yet cohesive interpretation of Neil Gaiman's luminous novel.

Volume Two includes chapter six to the end of the book.

My Thoughts:

-    I think more books should be adapted into graphic novels. This was so much fun! It is a great way to experience books in a new way.

-    I liked the first volume more than the 2nd, but I liked the first half of the original better as well.

-    I think I might enjoy the graphic novel more than the original. The artists did a great job illustrating the book.

-    The different illustrators worked out a lot better in this one. It was more consistent. 

-    I loved the illustrations! Great portrayal of everything! 

-    I love the bitter sweet ending to this tale. Bod has to grow up and live his own life, but I feel sad about everything he has to leave.

-    Even though I knew what was coming, it was still exciting to see/read some of the scenes. 

-    Wonderful adaptation! Every fan of The Graveyard Book should check these out!

First Volume:

(cover is linked)

The Graveyard Book Graphic Novel: Volume 1

From Goodreads:    It Takes a Graveyard to Raise a Child.

Nobody Owens, known as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completelynormal if he didn't live in a graveyard, being raised by ghosts, with a guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor the dead.

There are adventures in the graveyard for a boy—an ancient Indigo Man, a gateway to the abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible Sleer. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, he will be in danger from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family.

Each chapter in this adaptation by P. Craig Russell is illustrated by a different luminary from the comic book world, showcasing a variety of styles from a breadth of talent. Together, they bring Neil Gaiman's award-winning, nationally bestselling novel The Graveyard Book to new life in this gorgeously illustrated two-volume graphic novel adaptation.

Volume One contains Chapter One through the Interlude, while Volume Two includes Chapter Six to the end.

My Thoughts:

-    I love the illustrations! Brilliant! I loved seeing the variety of styles from the different artists.

-    On the flip side, I wish there had only been one or two illustrators for consistency. 

-    Galen Showman was my favorite artist. I liked his version of Silas the best.

-    This was a great adaptation of the book! It was wonderful to see the characters. I loved how they portrayed everything. I pictured Scarlett a little different, but other than that, everything was how I imagined. 

-    I highly recommend this to everyone who enjoyed The Graveyard Book! 

-    I can't wait to read the 2nd half!

The Graveyard Book:

(click on cover to see my thoughts)

Stardust

Goodreads Bit:    Hopelessly crossed in love, a boy of half-fairy parentage leaves his mundane Victorian-English village on a quest for a fallen star in the magical realm. The star proves to be an attractive woman with a hot temper, who plunges with our hero into adventures featuring witches, the lion and the unicorn, plotting elf-lords, ships that sail the sky, magical transformations, curses whose effects rebound, binding conditions with hidden loopholes and all the rest.







My Thoughts:

-    I never say this, but I think I might actually enjoy the movie more than I did the book.

-    This was pretty dry, and there wasn't a lot of emotion.

-    There was a pretty descriptive sex scene at the beginning. 

-    There was also an f-bomb.

-    The whole book felt like someone was telling me a story. It was like someone talking at you and not with you. I like to "feel" something and go on the journey with the characters. 

-    I liked some of the characters, but I just didn't connect to any of them.

-    It was a fun story, but I wanted a little more out of it.

The Graveyard Book

Goodreads Bit:    After the grisly murder of his entire family, a toddler wanders into a graveyard where the ghosts and other supernatural residents agree to raise him as one of their own.

Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family . . . 

Beloved master storyteller Neil Gaiman returns with a luminous new novel for the audience that embraced his New York Times bestselling modern classic Coraline. Magical, terrifying, and filled with breathtaking adventures, The Graveyard Book is sure to enthrall readers of all ages.

My Thoughts:

-    I've read this a few times, and I just figured out the cover!!  It's a face!  It's Bod's face on a headstone!  

-    This is a great graveyard book. It is a little dark, not too scary, with a little mystery, and lots of fun characters.

-    The story is a gripper from the beginning. A few parts are a little slow, but most of it is really good. 

-    I loved the cool illustrations done at the beginning/end of each chapter. 

-    I thought the ending was perfect, and the climax of the story was awesome! 

-    I usually hate stories that have a ton of characters, but Gaiman did a really good job keeping all of his characters from getting confusing. 

-    I thought Bod's character was very thoughtful and curious, and I think a lot of boys are like him. 

-    I loved Silas. He was a good friend and guardian with a bunch of wisdom he chose not to share. You could tell he really cared for Bod, but there was a certain mystery to him that was very fun. I would love to read about about Silas and the guardians. 

-    Jack was a great villain. He was one to fear, but you knew he could be beat. 

-    Overall this is a satisfying read!