Book Review: The Nixie of the Mill-Pond and Other European Stories by Kel McDonald et al.

The Nixie of the Mill-Pond and Other European Stories: A Cautionary Fables and Fairytales Book edited by Kel McDonald and Kate Ashwin with art and writing by various artists

Yet another set of regional tales is given graphical treatment (see here for Asian stories and here for African stories and here for Oceana stories). These tales are from Europe, so many of them are familiar, like Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and the Pied Piper. This edition has fewer, longer stories. The art varies from story to story and all styles work well. The stories I was unfamiliar with were my favorites, probably just for the surprise endings. Fairy tales not told by Disney often have unpredictable endings, i.e. not always happy endings. Also, I guess I knew Puss in Boots was a character from fables but clearly didn't know anything about how much of a trickster he is. This book is another big delight. I am looking forward to the American fables and fairytales.

Highly recommended.

Book Review: The Night Marchers and Other Oceanian Stories by K. McDonald et al.

The Night Marchers and Other Oceanian Stories: A Cautionary Fables and Fairytales Book written and drawn by Kel McDonald and many others

Another set of regional tales is given graphical treatment (see here for Asian stories and here for African stories). This volume represent Oceana, though it's mostly Hawaii and the Philippines representing. As folk tales and legends, a lot of the same ground is covered as in other areas of the world--why certain animals behave the way they do, how people deal with the dead (who often still interact with the living), the uneasy relationship between humans and animals (often transforming into each other), the rewards for persevering in good actions, and the punishments for embracing vices like greed or power-mongering. 

The art and storytelling varies widely, with some simple stories featuring little dialog and simple drawings. Other stories are more complicated or more elaborate. The variety is refreshing and keeps things interesting. I liked the shark tales the most since I find sharks fascinating (and they don't appear in other mythologies). Volcano deities are cool too.

One of the story's text is written in Baybayin, an old Tagalog script. At the end of the story, a two-page primer teaches how to pronounce the script. That would be cool, except the words are Filipino, so readers still need to know Filipino to comprehend the text. Even without the words, I understood a turtle gets its shell and a lizard gets its comeuppance. 

Recommended.

Book Review: Tamamo the Fox Maiden and Other Asian Stories by G. L. Yang et al.

Tamamo the Fox Maiden and Other Asian Stories: A Cautionary Fables and Fairytales Book written and illustrated by Gene Luen Yang and many others

In a delightful collection, tales from all over Asia (Turkey to Japan) are gathered and retold in graphic format. The stories deal with ancient times and medieval times and modern times. As with much folklore, animals, animal spirits, and people who transform into animals or animal spirits fill these tales with wonder and oddness. Tricksters pull off magical results with their cleverness, sometimes with actual magic. Occasionally bits of horror show up, often as a comeuppance for evil doers. Some characters do have tragic fates. The book has a bit of everything.

The collection has a wide variety of stories (twenty-one in all) and art styles. They are all delightful and well worth experiencing.

Highly recommended.

Book Review: The Girl Who Married a Skull and Other African Stories by F. E. Hicks et al.

The Girl Who Married a Skull and Other African Stories: A Cautionary Fables and Fairytales Book written and illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks and many others

This anthology of fifteen stories draws inspiration from all over the continent of Africa, from the jungles to the plains to ancient Egypt. Like most folk and fairy tales, the stories have a strong sense of good and evil and emphasize the triumph of virtues like kindness, honesty, and bravery in what are often the most adverse circumstances you can imagine. Some tales explain natural phenomena like thunder always following after lightening or turtles living in water or hyenas being the least popular animals in the animal kingdom. The characters are sometimes normal humans, sometimes gods, sometimes anthropomorphized animals. Sometimes they are all mixed together in one story. The tales have a lot of whimsy and imagination. They are a delight to read

The art in these comics is quite varied. Each creator has their own style of drawing. I was surprised I liked them all--usually there's one or two in an anthology like this that don't work well. The styles all suit their stories and look good in the black and white format of the book. I will definitely be looking for more of this series in the future.

Highly recommended.