MARVEL COMICS
NOV200546 AVENGERS #41 $3.99
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NOV200549 AVENGERS #41 YU MARVEL VS ALIEN VAR $3.99
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OCT200718 CONAN CHRONICLES EPIC COLLECTION TP SONG OF BELIT $44.99
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OCT200708 DAWN OF X TP VOL 11 $17.99
OCT200698 ETERNALS TP COSMIC ORIGINS $17.99
OCT200704 IMMORTAL HULK TP VOL 08 KEEPER OF THE DOOR $15.99
NOV200495 IRON FIST HEART OF DRAGON #1 (OF 6) $3.99
NOV200496 IRON FIST HEART OF DRAGON #1 (OF 6) AJA VAR $3.99
NOV200499 IRON FIST HEART OF DRAGON #1 (OF 6) JACINTO MARVEL VS ALIEN $3.99
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OCT200715 X-MEN DAYS OF FUTURE PAST TP NEW PTG $19.99
Monday, January 18, 2021
Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for January 20, 2021
Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for January 20, 2021
NOV201705 ABANDONED SACRED BEASTS GN VOL 11 $10.95
AUG201327 ADVENTUREMAN #1 2ND PTG VAR TERRY & RACHEL DODSON SGN $39.99
NOV201157 AMERICAN RONIN #4 (OF 5) (MR) $3.99
NOV201073 ARCHIE JUMBO COMICS DIGEST #316 $7.99
NOV201070 ARCHIE MODERN CLASSICS TP VOL 03 $9.99
NOV201755 ASADORA GN VOL 01 $14.99
DEC201502 BABY SITTERS CLUB COLOR ED GN HC VOL 09 CLAUDIA & NEW GIRL ( $24.99
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NOV201763 BEASTARS GN VOL 10 $12.99
OCT201681 BELLE DEAD OF WINTER ONE SHOT CVR A VITORINO $5.99
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NOV201074 BETTY & VERONICA JUMBO COMICS DIGEST #290 $7.99
NOV201706 BLOOD ON TRACKS GN VOL 04 (MR) $12.95
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NOV201779 CHILDREN OF WHALES GN VOL 16 $12.99
NOV201786 CIRQUE DU FREAK MANGA OMNIBUS GN VOL 01 DARREN SHAN $24.00
OCT201888 CONDITIONS OF PARADISE AZURE DREAMS GN (RES) (MR) $13.99
NOV201642 COURIER LIBERTY & DEATH #1 (OF 3) CVR A VIGONTE $5.99
NOV201643 COURIER LIBERTY & DEATH #1 (OF 3) CVR B KHAMUNAKI $5.99
NOV201713 COYOTE GN VOL 03 (MR) $12.99
OCT201889 CUTIE & BEAST GN VOL 02 $12.99
NOV201549 CUTTING EDGE DEVILS MIRROR #1 (OF 2) CVR A TOLIBAO (MR) $5.99
NOV201550 CUTTING EDGE DEVILS MIRROR #1 (OF 2) CVR B ALBERTI (MR) $5.99
SEP201282 DARK WING #2 (OF 10) $2.99
NOV201764 DEAD DEMONS DEDEDEDE DESTRUCTION GN VOL 09 (MR) $14.99
NOV201186 DEADWORLD FROZEN OVER TP (MR) $14.99
OCT201890 DEMON GIRL NEXT DOOR GN VOL 01 $14.99
DEC201440 DF CROSSOVER #1 CGC GRADED $89.99
JUL191858 DF FLASH FORWARD #1 LOBELL SGN PLUS 1 $44.98
APR201812 DF WONDER WOMAN #750 COMICXPOSURE CHEW EXC $39.99
JUL201313 DRYAD TP VOL 01 (MR) $19.99
NOV201321 EC GEORGE EVANS SLIGHT CASE OF MURDER HC $35.00
NOV201482 ESSENTIAL JUDGE DREDD APOCALYPSE WAR TP $24.99
OCT201821 FIANCEE OF THE WIZARD GN VOL 02 $13.00
OCT201746 FIRE FORCE GN VOL 21 $10.99
AUG201402 FISHKILL #3 (OF 4) (MR) $3.99
DEC201126 FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDYS HC GN VOL 02 TWISTED ONES $24.99
NOV201778 FLY ME TO THE MOON GN VOL 03 $9.99
FEB201897 GEEKY FAB FIVE GN VOL 04 FOOD FIGHT FOR FIONA $7.99
FEB201898 GEEKY FAB FIVE HC VOL 04 FOOD FIGHT FOR FIONA $12.99
NOV201188 GREAT GATSBY GN ADAPTATION $14.99
NOV201189 GREAT GATSBY HC GN ADAPTATION $24.99
NOV200952 GUNG HO SEXY BEAST #1 CVR A DANIEL CLARKE (MR) $3.99
NOV200953 GUNG HO SEXY BEAST #1 CVR B HEIDSCHOTTER (MR) $3.99
NOV200954 GUNG HO SEXY BEAST #1 CVR C NIC KLEIN (MR) $3.99
NOV200955 GUNG HO SEXY BEAST #1 CVR D KUMMANT (MR) $3.99
NOV201765 HELLS PARADISE JIGOKURAKU GN VOL 06 (MR) $12.99
NOV201412 HOLLYWOOD TRASH #4 (OF 5) $3.99
NOV201481 HOPE TP VOL 02 HOPE UNDER FIRE $9.99
SEP201792 HOW NOT TO SUMMON DEMON LORD GN VOL 10 (MR) $12.99
NOV201760 HOW TO DRAW STAR WARS SC $14.99
NOV200992 I BREATHED A BODY #1 ANDY MACDONALD CVR $4.99
DEC201505 I SURVIVED HC GN VOL 03 NAZI INVASION 1944 $24.99
OCT201075 INFINITUM AFROFUTURIST TALE GN $27.99
NOV208072 IT EATS WHAT FEEDS IT #3 2ND PTG $3.99
NOV201714 JEALOUSY GN VOL 03 (MR) $12.99
OCT200991 KIDZ HC VOL 01 (MR) $24.99
NOV201490 LEGACY OF MANDRAKE THE MAGICIAN #4 (OF 4) $3.95
SEP201350 LEMONADE CODE GN $14.99
NOV201561 LIFE IS STRANGE PARTNERS IN TIME #4 CVR A LEONARDI (MR) $3.99
NOV201562 LIFE IS STRANGE PARTNERS IN TIME #4 CVR B GRALEY (MR) $3.99
NOV201563 LIFE IS STRANGE PARTNERS IN TIME #4 CVR C TSHIRT (MR) $3.99
NOV201873 MISFIT OF DEMON KING ACADEMY GN VOL 03 $10.99
NOV200997 MISKATONIC #3 $3.99
NOV201766 MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM THUNDERBOLT GN VOL 15 $14.99
NOV201684 ORIENT GN VOL 01 $10.99
OCT201903 OUR TEACHERS ARE DATING GN VOL 02 (MR) $12.99
SEP201311 PATIENCE & ESTHER GN $20.00
NOV201759 PERSONA 5 MANGA GN VOL 05 $9.99
NOV201478 PIZZA AND TACO YA GN VOL 02 BEST PARTY EVER $9.99
NOV201761 POKEMON SUN & MOON GN VOL 09 $4.99
NOV201802 RE ZERO SLIAW CHAPTER 4 GN VOL 01 $13.00
NOV201430 RICK & MORTY EVER AFTER #4 CVR A HELEN $3.99
NOV201431 RICK & MORTY EVER AFTER #4 CVR B STERN $3.99
SEP201360 RICK & MORTY TP VOL 12 $19.99
NOV201780 RIN-NE GN VOL 37 $9.99
NOV201644 ROBYN HOOD IRON MAIDEN #1 (OF 2) CVR A SALAZAR $5.99
NOV201645 ROBYN HOOD IRON MAIDEN #1 (OF 2) CVR B VITORINO $5.99
NOV201646 ROBYN HOOD IRON MAIDEN #1 (OF 2) CVR C CHATZOUDIS $5.99
SEP201618 SACHIS MONSTROUS APPETITE VOL 01 $12.99
SEP201289 SAVAGE CIRCUS #2 (OF 10) (MR) $2.99
NOV201702 SEVEN DEADLY SINS GN VOL 41 $10.99
DEC201383 SHE AT THE TOWER OF ALL THAT IS KNOWN HC $29.99
NOV201450 SISTERS GN VOL 07 LUCKY BRAT $9.99
NOV201479 SPIDER-MAN MAXIMUM VENOM SCREEN COMIX VOL 01 (RES) $14.99
NOV201777 SPLATOON MANGA GN VOL 11 $9.99
NOV201875 STRONGEST SAGE WITH THE WEAKEST CREST GN VOL 03 $10.99
NOV201349 TALES OF THE SS JUNKY STAR HC GN VOL 02 RAIDERS OF ORBITER 8 $19.99
NOV201419 TERMINAL PUNKS #3 (OF 5) $3.99
SEP201351 TO DRINK & TO EAT HC VOL 02 $24.99
OCT201675 VAN HELSING (LEGACY NUMBER) #50 CVR A VITORINO $7.99
OCT201676 VAN HELSING (LEGACY NUMBER) #50 CVR B BARRIONUEVO $7.99
OCT201677 VAN HELSING (LEGACY NUMBER) #50 CVR C KHAMUNAKI $7.99
OCT201678 VAN HELSING (LEGACY NUMBER) #50 CVR D METCALF $7.99
OCT201679 VAN HELSING (LEGACY NUMBER) #50 CVR E CHATZOUDIS $7.99
OCT201680 VAN HELSING (LEGACY NUMBER) #50 CVR F BLANK SKETCH $9.99
NOV201187 VIETNAM JOURNAL SERIES 2 TP VOL 03 $16.99
NOV201001 WE LIVE #4 $3.99
NOV201708 WEATHERING WITH YOU GN VOL 02 $12.95
AUG201311 WEB OF VENOM WRAITH #1 CATES SGN $49.99
JAN201742 WOLVERINE #1 FASCIMILE ED MILLER SGN $299.99
NOV201693 YAMADA KUN & SEVEN WITCHES GN VOL 20 PARTS 23 & 24 $16.99
NOV208075 YASMEEN #2 (OF 6) 2ND PTG $3.99
NOV201507 YASMEEN #6 (OF 6) $3.99
NOV201762 YO-KAI WATCH GN VOL 16 $9.99
OCT201089 ZORRO GALLEON OF DEAD #3 CVR A MARTINEZ (RES) $3.99
OCT201090 ZORRO GALLEON OF DEAD #3 CVR B PULP LTD ED (RES) $9.99
MAGAZINES
NOV201210 COMIC SHOP NEWS [90CT BUNDLE] #1744 $PI
JUL201383 JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE #424 $15.99
NOV201411 LOCUS #720 $8.99
JUL201457 STAR WARS MANDALORIAN ART COLL ED HC VOL 02 $19.99
BOOKS
NOV201192 DC SUPER PETS YR TP METROPOLIS MONKEY TROUBLE $5.95
NOV201635 NEIL GAIMAN NEVERWHERE SC $16.99
NOV201519 SCIENCE OF DOCTOR WHO SC $14.99
DEC201648 SHURI BLACK PANTHER NOVEL HC VOL 02 VANISHED $17.99
DC Comics from Lunar Distributors for January 19, 2021
Batman Catwoman #2 (Of 12)(Cover A Clay Mann), $4.99
Batman Catwoman #2 (Of 12)(Cover B Jim Lee & Scott Williams), AR
Batman Catwoman #2 (Of 12)(Cover C Travis Charest), AR
Batman The Dark Knight Detective Volume 4 TP, $29.99
Blackest Night Brightest Day Box Set, $299.99
DCeased Dead Planet #7 (Of 7 (Cover A David Finch), $3.99
DCeased Dead Planet #7 (Of 7 (Cover B Francesco Mattina Card Stock Variant), AR
DCeased Dead Planet #7 (Of 7 (Cover C Ben Oliver Movie Homage Card Stock Variant ), AR
Future State Catwoman #1 (Of 2)(Cover A Liam Sharp), $3.99
Future State Catwoman #1 (Of 2)(Cover B Stanley Artgerm Lau Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Immortal Wonder Woman #1 (Of 2)(Cover A Jen Bartel), $5.99
Future State Immortal Wonder Woman #1 (Of 2)(Cover B Peach Momoko Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Nightwing #1 (Of 2)(Cover A Yasmine Putri), $3.99
Future State Nightwing #1 (Of 2)(Cover B Nicola Scott Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Shazam #1 (Of 2)(Cover A Bernard Chang), $3.99
Future State Shazam #1 (Of 2)(Cover B Gerald Parel Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Superman Worlds Of War #1 (Of 2)(Cover A Mikel Janín), $7.99
Future State Superman Worlds Of War #1 (Of 2)(Cover B Riccardo Federici Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State The Next Batman #2 (Of 4)(Cover A Ladronn), $7.99
Future State The Next Batman #2 (Of 4)(Cover B Francesco Mattina Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State The Next Batman #2 (Of 4)(Cover C Doug Braithwaite Card Stock Variant), AR
Justice Society Of America The Demise Of Justice HC, $39.99
Legion Of Super-Heroes #12 (Cover A Ryan Sook), $3.99
Legion Of Super-Heroes #12 (Cover B Matt Taylor), AR
Looney Tunes #258 (Cover A Dave Alvarez), $2.99
Rorschach #4 (Of 12)(Cover A Jorge Fornes), $4.99
Rorschach #4 (Of 12)(Cover B Travis Charest), AR
Young Justice Volume 3 Warriors And Warlords TP, $19.99
Sunday, January 17, 2021
#IReadsYou Revew: AMERICAN MONSTER #1
AMERICAN MONSTER #1
AFTERSHOCK COMICS – @AfterShockComix
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
WRITER: Brian Azzarello
ARTIST: Juan Doe
COLORS: Juan Doe
LETTERS: Juan Doe
COVER: Juan Doe
VARIANT COVERS: Dave Johnson; Alexis Zuritt; Phil Hester
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (January 2016)
For mature readers
American Monster created by Brian Azzarello
Chapter 1: “American Monster”
American Monster is a new ongoing comic book series created and written by Brian Azzarello (DKIII: The Master Race) and drawn by Juan Doe. The series is set in a small Midwestern town beset by corrupt cops and violent rural gangs and focuses on a mysterious newcomer with mysterious intentions.
American Monster #1 opens at night in a palatial rural estate in the which the inhabitants are about to experience a home invasion. Meanwhile, a behemoth of a man gets off a bus, seeking food and lodging. His horribly scarred face spooks the locals, and his taciturn manner makes it difficult for the townsfolk to discover his identity and intentions.
The first time I read Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso's seminal crime comic book series, 100 Bullets (DC Comics/Vertigo), I was spellbound. It was a magical reading experience, and yes, I used the world “magical.” I read the first two trade paperback collections in one weekend, and I was practically desperate to find individual issues.
I wouldn't call my reading experience with American Monster #1 as magical. This first issue is intriguing and vague, as are so many first issue these days, whether it be for ongoing titles or miniseries. American Monster #1 is too dark and brutal to evoke feelings of a face sprinkled by fairy dust. But I want more American Monster real bad, daddy. I need my second-issue fix real soon.
Seriously, I think Juan Doe's clean drawing line and stylish, but matter-of-fact storytelling is perfect for bringing this ugly, taxi-to-the-dark-side story that Azzarello is spinning. This ain't no Dark Knight Bat-guano, fill-the-corporate-coffers comic book. American Monster promises the real Brian Azzarello, the dangerous storyteller who has just got off the bus in comic book town.
[This comic book also includes a preview of the comic book, “Strayer #1,” by writer Justin Jordan and artist Juan Gedeon.]
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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Saturday, January 16, 2021
#IReadsYou Book Review: TWILIGHT
LITTLE, BROWN AND COMPANY
AUTHOR: Stephenie Meyer
ISBN: 978-0-316-16017-9; hardcover (October 5, 2005)
544pp, B&W, $22.99 U.S., $28.99 CAN
Twilight is a 2005 young adult novel written by Stephenie Meyer. A vampire romance, Twilight focuses on a 17-year-old girl who falls in love with a 103-year-old vampire who looks like a 17-year-old boy. Twilight is the first in the four-book “Twilight series.” It was also adapted into the hit 2008 film, Twilight, which became the first entry in a five-film franchise.
When Isabella “Bella” Swan moves from Phoenix, Arizona to Forks, a small town in the Olympic Peninsula of northwest Washington state, she thinks that her life will be miserable until she graduates from high school. Forks is not unfamiliar to Bella, as she was born there. After her parents divorced and she followed her mother, Renée, to Phoenix, Bella often returned to Forks to spend summers with her father, Police Chief Charlie Swan. Now, however, because of her mother’s new marriage, Bella is moving in with her father full time.
Adjusting to her new school is not as much as a problem as Bella thought. In fact, the very things that made her unpopular in sunny Phoenix, makes her attractive to the high school kids in this remote rural area. Bella makes, or rather tolerates friends, but then she sees him, Edward Cullen. This pale-skinned Adonis, so beautiful and graceful that he seems supernatural, captures Bella’s attention and imagination. She can’t stop thinking about him, but he’s distant, even hostile towards her. Then, Edward saves Bella’s life in an act of bravery that is as shocking as it is impossible. What is Edward Cullen, and why does he make Bella feel so madly in love and out of sorts that she can’t seem to live without him?
THE LOWDOWN: Since its debut in October 2005, Twilight, the young adult (YA), fantasy, romance novel by author Stephenie Meyer, has been a favorite with teen female readers. Twilight spawned three follow ups (with the four books forming The Twilight Saga) and recently became a hit movie. I am of the mind that novels that are hugely popular and that also spawn a devoted following or fan base might actually be quite good, although many pop novels are really trash. Twilight, however, is a damn good read.
The books strength comes from two strong elements: strong characters (especially the leads) and a deeply seductive romance. Bella and Edward are strong individual characters, but as a pair, they are magic.
Bella comes across as a modern goth-type girl, more stubborn and individualistic than sullen, but she has a romantic’s heart and a generous spirit. She doesn’t dislike people so much as she prefers her solitude. Simply put, Edward is chivalrous. Loyal and brave, his protective way towards Bella may seem odd in this era of the independent woman. On the other hand, it is also easy to see why young women would be attracted to the character of Edward, especially in an era in which young men consider loutish, self-centered behavior to be cool.
How does an author bring the girl who loves solitude and the boy who seems to be a gentlemanly hero from a 19th century romance novel together? This is where the seductive nature of Meyer’s writing comes into play. Meyer builds so much of the text on dialogue, and all that talk gives the novel such warm colors. Even in the cold and damp setting of the evergreen forests of Washington, the way Meyer has Bella and Edward talk to each other brings a heat to the story that the reader feels. In his own way, Edward seduces Bella, and in turn, Bella seduces him in her own way. Their verbal play is searing, and although their conversations run for pages on end, it’s attractive the way real conversation was in the movies, Before Sunrise and Before Sunset.
The majority of the last act becomes a twister of suspense running on the razor’s edge. Still, the thrills exist in the context of this dangerous, but alluring romance that will have readers flipping pages.
POSSIBLE AUDIENCE: Readers who enjoy a well-written romantic novels, even a supernatural romance, will like Twilight.
A-
7.5 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
https://stepheniemeyer.com/
https://www.littlebrown.com/
https://twitter.com/littlebrown
https://www.facebook.com/littlebrownandcompany
https://www.instagram.com/littlebrown/?hl=en
The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.
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Friday, January 15, 2021
#IReadsYou Review: TRINITY SEVEN Volume 20
YEN PRESS
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
STORY: Kenji Saito
ART: Akinari Nao
TRANSLATION: Christine Dashiell
LETTERS: Anthony Quintessenza
ISBN: 978-1-9753-1041-7; paperback (April 2020); Rated “M” for “Mature”
164pp, B&W with some color, $13.00 U.S., $17.00 CAN
Trinity Seven is a fantasy and romantic-comedy manga series from writer Kenji Saito and artist Akinari Nao. It has been serialized in Fujimi Shobo's shonen manga magazine, Monthly Dragon Age, since 2010. Yen Press is publishing an English-language edition of the manga as a graphic novel series.
Trinity Seven focuses on Arata Kasuga. He is living an ordinary life with his cousin, Hijiri Kasuga, in a small town. Everything changes when the “Black Sun” appears and causes something called the “Breakdown Phenomenon” to happen. This “happening” destroys their small town and makes Hijiri vanish before Arata's very eyes. Determined to eradicate the Breakdown Phenomenon and get Hijiri back, Arata enrolls at Royal Biblia Academy, a secret school for mages. This new life is tough, but by Arata's side are seven beautiful girls. They are known as “Trinity Seven,” and each girl is a master of her own magical art.
As Trinity Seven, Vol. 20 (Chapters 87 to 91) opens, Arata and Hijiri are walking to school when the Black Sun appears. Now, Arata has to save his cousin again... or maybe, things are not what they seem. Arata is trapped in a powerful spell, the “Nostalgic Library,” and the allure of it may be too much for him to escape. Can Trinity Seven help the young “Demon Lord” candidate find the strength he needs to emerge from this dream and confront a powerful enemy?
The Trinity Seven manga is the latest Yen Press manga that is new to me. Although the series is deep, deep into the narrative, some Internet research will help the reader play catch-up – to an extent.
Trinity Seven Graphic Novel Volume 20 digs deep into the central premise of the series, and that is the fact that Arata Kasuga is really important. Much of the story here involves magical fantasy battle manga, but there is a lot of exposition and multiple levels of dream worlds to overcome. The ever versatile Christine Dashiell provides an informative and entertaining English translation, so readers simply need to go along with the story that writer Kenji Saito and artist Akinari Nao are telling.
The ending suggests that there are some big story events ahead. I have to admit that I am curious, although I had mixed feelings about Vol. 20.
6 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
https://yenpress.com/
https://twitter.com/yenpress
https://www.facebook.com/yenpress/
https://www.instagram.com/yenpress/
https://yenpress.tumblr.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/23045551-yen-press
The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.
--------------------------------
Wednesday, January 13, 2021
#IReadsYou Book Review: Roald Dahl's THE WITCHES
PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE/Puffin Books
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
AUTHOR: Roald Dahl
ILLUSTRATOR: Quentin Blake
ISBN: 978-1-9848-3716-5; hardcover with color dust jacket; 5.31 in x 7.75 in; (September 3, 2019)
224pp, B&W, $17.99 U.S.
Ages 8-12
The Witches is a 1983 children's dark fantasy novel written by the British author, the late Roald Dahl. The book was published with almost 100 full-page and spot illustrations by Quentin Blake (who illustrated many of Dahl's works). This review is based on a hardcover edition of The Witches published in September 2019 by Puffin Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
The Witches is narrated by an unnamed young British boy who recounts his and and his grandmother's experiences battling a society of child-hating witches. Some people are familiar with The Witches through two film adaptations, director Nicholas Roeg's 1990 adaptation, which starred Anjelica Huston, and the recently released 2020 film directed by Robert Zemeckis.
The Witches opens in Norway where we meet the story's narrator, an unnamed seven-year-old English boy whose parents were Norwegian immigrants to England. After his parents are killed in an accident, the boy goes to live in Norway with his grandmother, whom he calls “Grandmamma.” He has already previously spent much time with her, and he loves all her stories, especially the ones about horrific witches who seek to either kill human children or to transform them into animals. It turns out that Grandmamma is a retired witch hunter, and she tells the boy how to spot witches. They all look like ordinary women, but they are actually disguising their deformities, For instance, they have bald heads, have claws instead of fingers, and do not have toes, to name a few of their deformities.
The boy eventually returns to England with Grandmamma in tow, and while on holiday at the grand Hotel Magnificent in Bournemouth, England, the boy has his second experience with witches. While hiding in the hotel ballroom, the boy discovers that a meeting of the “Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children” (RSPCC) is really the annual gathering of all the witches in England. At that meeting, the boy sees something that almost no human has ever seen – the Grand High Witch, leader of all the world's witches. And nothing can prepare the boy for the Grand High Witch's diabolical plan to get rid of all the human children in England.
THE LOWDOWN: My experiences with Roald Dahl revolve around his 1964 children's novel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and the two film adaptations of it, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). I read the novel once, sometime after the release of the 2005 film, and I have seen both films a few times.
I remember when Nicholas Roeg's film adaptation of The Witches was originally released, and I planned to see it but never did. I have been putting off seeing the film ever since, but when I heard about Zemeckis' then-upcoming adaptation of The Witches, I chose the book as one of my Christmas 2019 gifts. After finally reading it, I wish that I had read The Witches a long time ago. I feel it could have been a formative reading experience for me when I was young.
That aside, it is a fantastic novel. I am amazed that Dahl could create such evocative and vivid prose in writing for children. Well, I guess that's why he is beloved by generations. From the moment he introduces the unnamed boy, Dahl transports readers into another world, one that is fantastical, but one in which the readers will want to believe.
I also love that Dahl makes both the boy and his grandmother, who is 86 in the book, both plucky and adventurous. The boy is not afraid of new things, and his child's sense of wonder and nosiness makes him not afraid to try new things and to go new places, as well as to try dangerous things and to go to dangerous places. The boy is one of those classic characters onto which the readers will graft themselves in order to follow him on an incredible and perilous journey. The witches of The Witches are unique and scary, but are also a little pathetic and funny, which is enough to make them creepy.
The best thing that I can say about Roald Dahl's The Witches is that when I got to the end of its 200 pages, I could have read another 200 pages. Also Quentin Blake's illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to the novel. I feel like the world of The Witches as my mind imagines it should look similar to the way Blake presents it.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Of course, fans of Roald Dahl should read and re-read The Witches, and fans of great children's literature will want to fight The Witches.
[This volume includes a 16-page from another Roald Dahl book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.]
10 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
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