Kibuishi creating a new children's classic
http://firefox.org/news/articles/1091/1/Kibuishi-creating-a-new-children039s-classic/Page1.html
Dan Rafter
Dan Rafter is a freelance writer and editor. He's also the author of GEARZ, a new comicbook mini-series to be published in early 2008 by BlueWater Comics.
By Dan Rafter
Published on 01/20/2008
With his new grahic novel Amulet: The Stonekeeper, writer/artist Kazu Kibuishi has created an instant children's classic. The best news? This is only the first book in a planned series of Amulet adventures.
A graphic novel for young and old
What writer/artist Kazu Kibuishi accomplishes with Amulet: The Stonekeeper, the first in a planned series of graphic-novel adventures, is no easy task: He creates a fantasy story written for children that will appeal, too, to their parents.
At least that's what I found. I purchased the book, published by Scholastic, for my 9-year-old son. He, as expected, gobbled the story up, laughing out loud at some scenes, falling into engrossed silence at others.
What I didn't expect was what happened next: Amulet sucked me in, too.
The book concerns the adventurs of Emily and her younger brother Navin after their mother is kidnapped by a strange, tentacled creature. The children have to rescue their mother with a little help from a dying great grandfather and, of course, a powerful magic amulet.
The story may not seem revolutionary, but it is a beguiling tale. It helps that the heroes -- young Emily and Navin -- are not only likeable, but realistic. It also helps that Kibuishi's art is colorful, clean and magical. Full-page splashes showcase hidden rooms, mysterious lands and strange creatures.
Amulet is just the latest graphic novel I've discovered that appeals just as much to myself as it does to my son. I'm grateful to creators like Kabuishi. They give us alternatives to the endless string of repackaged D.C. and Marvel comics that the Big Two tout as graphic novels. A graphic novel isn't simply five or six 22-page comics slapped into one book. A true graphic novel is an original work, an original story, one that can only be told with the unique combination of words and art that graphic novels provide.
So next time you're looking for adventure, pick up Amulet. You won't be dissapointed.
At least that's what I found. I purchased the book, published by Scholastic, for my 9-year-old son. He, as expected, gobbled the story up, laughing out loud at some scenes, falling into engrossed silence at others.
What I didn't expect was what happened next: Amulet sucked me in, too.
The book concerns the adventurs of Emily and her younger brother Navin after their mother is kidnapped by a strange, tentacled creature. The children have to rescue their mother with a little help from a dying great grandfather and, of course, a powerful magic amulet.
The story may not seem revolutionary, but it is a beguiling tale. It helps that the heroes -- young Emily and Navin -- are not only likeable, but realistic. It also helps that Kibuishi's art is colorful, clean and magical. Full-page splashes showcase hidden rooms, mysterious lands and strange creatures.
Amulet is just the latest graphic novel I've discovered that appeals just as much to myself as it does to my son. I'm grateful to creators like Kabuishi. They give us alternatives to the endless string of repackaged D.C. and Marvel comics that the Big Two tout as graphic novels. A graphic novel isn't simply five or six 22-page comics slapped into one book. A true graphic novel is an original work, an original story, one that can only be told with the unique combination of words and art that graphic novels provide.
So next time you're looking for adventure, pick up Amulet. You won't be dissapointed.