Reviews of graphic novels and comic book collections every Tuesday and Thursday.


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We Are Seven by Batia Kolton
I was able to find two more books published by Actus Tragicus in our library. I'll review one today and the other later this week. We Are Seven (2001, Actus Tragicus) by Batia Kolton is probably my least favorite so far. Another issue in the Actus Box Series (I'm thinking our library got this series but none of the rest), it, like the others, is unique, but this time it didn't hold my interest.

Batia Kolton has a distinctive painted art style that she uses to adapt three lyrical pieces. The title pieces is a poem by William Wordsworth. Using earth-tones and giving the panels a flatness, Kolton illustrates the poem like a family album with pictures of the seven children in a family. At times, the pictures seem oddly emotionless and distant which accentuates the creepy aspects of the poem. I'm not sure if this was the intent though.

"Danny Boy," the Irish folk song, looks to be drawn on a strange canvas-like material. I wasn't sure how the illustrations (a bizarre mixture of people at work and play) meshed with the text. The final piece is "He's the Greatest Dancer," a pop song by Sister Sledge. It makes a bit more sense by actually showing dancing people (although with some odd sexual imagery)> Again, Kolton's art is two-dimensional and intentionally flat. Like "Danny Boy," these illustrations are on a noticeably textured material.

I don't mind when art is difficult, but it would have been nice to have a clue on where Kolton was going with these pieces. They are pretty to look at, but as a graphic narrative, I don't think they get their message across.

We Are Seven 2 stars (out of 5)
posted by Sean McGurr at 8:57 AM