GN Review -- Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword / Barry Deutsch

Okay, the tagline on this cover really sold me: "Yet another troll-fighting 11-year-old Orthodox Jewish girl."  Yeah, because there are a million of those in comics.  Or storytelling in general.

So we know the protagonist, at least, is a refreshing change of pace.

The rest of the story, it turns out, offers a diverse array of refreshing characters, situations, and themes, making Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword both entertaining in its execution and instructive in its assertion that imagination, bravery, and a willingness to follow your own path despite what others think are qualities that will serve a young girl well.

Mirka is an 11-year-old girl in Hereville, an isolated, Orthodox Jewish rural community, whose spunkiness and disregard for her village's norms make her instantly likable and worries her friends and family.  When she discovers a tall, strange-looking house in the forest, she and her friends encounter a large, mean-spirited pig who becomes a minor bane on Mirka after he sees her stealing a grape from his garden.  In outwitting the magical animal, she is presented with a quest from the pig's owner and is granted the option of pursuing a troll to win her own sword with which to fight evil.  Mirka must decide if the risk is worth the reward, and weigh it against her personal safety, the perceptions of her own strict community, and the memory of her deceased mother.

There's really no arguing that Hereville is a charming, unique and overall very heartwarming story.  The character is both engaging and an ideal target for conflict because of her unconventional nature in an Orthodox Jewish community, and her magical encounters add a generous dash of fantasy to a home life for which she otherwise exhibits little enthusiasm.  I had slight problems with some of the choices made in the story, particularly Mirka's decision to beat up her brother Zindel and threaten him when he tried to keep her from searching for the troll.  But this is overshadowed by the overall upbeat tone of the narrative, where her quest for self-discovery--and a sword--become her all-encompassing goal.

Barry Deutsch has also written some very amusing and memorable characters for this story.  My personal favorite was Fruma, Mirka's argumentative and wise stepmother, whose penchant for verbal sparring and discussion is notorious among the children.  The talking pig with whom Mirka gets into a sustained feud is also highly entertaining, as he is not only gruff and grumpy, but emerges as the major test of Mirka's willpower and grit.  Finally, there's the troll with whom Mirka duels, who is unconventional not only in appearance but also in speech and manner.  I won't spoil much about him, but I think he was a delight to read in this story as well.

As for the art, I was actually pleasantly surprised at how it struck me in some places.  It's mostly simple and cartoony in places, but at particular moments of strong emotion or surprise, the style changes, becoming more detailed and really making the reader take notice.  Of particular note are the moments when Mirka first sees the large house, and the fight between her and Zindel, when you can clearly see how intensely and viciously angry the siblings are at one another in the heat of the argument.  All in all, very good work here.

Overall, I found this to be a worthwhile and entertaining read, with a strong message about following your own path in the face of opposition from others.  Raina Telgemeier says that comics need more positive girl characters, and I not only agree with her, but also believe like her that this book is a prime example of that assertion.  Children of all ages should enjoy this, as well as those who like fantasy and folklore, strong girl characters, and stories about family.  Highly recommended.

GN Review -- Johnny Cash: I See a Darkness / Richard Kleist

Gritty.  Stark.  Full of dark, uncompromising energy.  These descriptions could all apply to the life of Johnny Cash, but they also lend themselves well to the graphic biography about him by Reinhard Kleist, Johnny Cash: I See a Darkness.

Narrating Cash’s life and musical career, chiefly the twelve-year period between his early recordings and the famous Folsom Prison concert, Kleist weaves a tale that, while already familiar to anyone with even a passing knowledge of Cashs’ life, easily grabs the reader’s interest.  With stunning black and white artwork and an unblinking portrayal of the hard life Cash lived, this is one book that definitely feels like a biography of the Man in Black.  While it may not pack the standard level of detail of his life that a traditional biography may include, the sequential art narration of this book makes for a stylistically superior document that justifies its place among any of the other “proper” Cash biographies out there.

Chronicling Cash’s early life as part of a farming family and moving into his early singing career, we see a number of events familiar to fans, from Cash’s interactions with other musicians of the era to his copious substance abuse.  His first failed marriage eventually gives way to his infatuation and eventual pairing with June Carter, who struggles valiantly (and often in vain) to break him of his wild habits.  We see his meeting of Glen Sherley at Folsom Prison, and Cash’s introspections on Sherley late in his life.

Only having the barest of familiarity with Johnny Cash’s songs and life, I mainly enjoyed this from a storytelling perspective.  This is a story of a man whose demons truly do scare him, and that fear often drives him to stupid actions, against the advice of even his closest friends and loved ones.  He seems to eventually gain some control over his feelings of hopelessness and loneliness with time and support, giving a feeling of hope towards the end of the narrative.

I also really enjoyed the visual depictions of some of Cash’s songs, which served as interesting segues throughout the narrative.  “A Boy Named Sue” was particularly recognizable and amusing, while “The Ballad of Ira Hayes” and “Ghost Riders In the Sky” were also noteworthy for their visual presentations.  I kept hoping to see “Ring of Fire,” but sadly was disappointed on that front.

Kleist’s artwork does an excellent job of supporting the narrative.  The grittiness and detail of the black and white pictures lends a definite air of noir to the biography, certainly appropriate when one considers the subject and the events portrayed in his life.  On top of that, Kleist doesn’t shy away from detailing the hard knocks Cash takes, from the vagaries of his drug abuse to the impact of his face hitting the steering wheel while on a particularly bad bender.  Even the lines in his face that come with age and neglect are stark and difficult to forget.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read.  Any fan of Johnny Cash will certainly enjoy the portrayal this biography offers, as will anyone who enjoys biographies in general.  It is well crafted, with an interesting narrative structure to which fans of the graphic novel will likely take a shine.  Highly recommended.