More Graphic Novels – One great, two not so much

OK It’s not that two of them were bad, they weren’t bad. They just were not great. And with the number of really great graphic novels on the market right now – they have to be great or I’m easily bored.

First, Crogan’s Vengeance. I didn’t like the story very much. The drawings bored me. Ho hum. Liz said she thought it was kind of boring too but I suspect she liked it more than I did – possibly because some of her sister’s pirate fixation rubbed off on her so she kind of thinks anything pirate is cool. (The only reason not to get this for younger kids would be violence – it’s all black & white so there’s no gore – but pirates do kill each other….)

Next, Dreamer. Ugh. It’s nicely drawn – really nicely drawn. But I truly hate the story. I hate the flighty girl. I hate her bouncing around between her own time and the Revolutionary War. I hate the way the guys treat her and I hate the way she treats the guys. If you’ve got a boy crazy, romantic 14 year old in your life – maybe this is her kind of graphic novel.  Blech.

Thank goodness for the Secret Science Alliance! I didn’t expect to like this one. I don’t really like science and I tend to not like books about geeky nerdy kids who don’t fit in and are mistreated by the cool kids. This book – excellent. All of the normal things happen to the nerdy kid but the book doesn’t stop there. The storyline gets a twist – and the SSA is born. The drawings are fabulous. Liz kept stealing the book from me so she could look at the pictures.  At first, I didn’t understand WHY she was doing this but once I sat down with the book – I got it. I didn’t want to stop looking either. But, as soon as I finished it – the kid grabbed the book from me and took it up to her room to look at it all over again. (This is another graphic novel without a single hint of sex or drugs.)

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