Product Description

Annabelle is a rag doll who has been the cherished companion of countless girls and women. She doesn't know who made her or where she came from, or even if she is "real." But she does know the stories of those who have owned her, the beauties and beasts whose lives she has been part of, and she wants to share them. These are stories of ghostly love and hate, and fairy tales that aren't quite as you remember them -- each one haunting, terrifying and, of course, beautiful.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #156764 in Books
• Published on: 2005-07-06
• Released on: 2005-07-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Comic
• 24 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781593620189
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Booklist
Here are five stories of girls and women viewed through the eyes of their rag doll, Annabelle. Some are variations on more familiar tales. Little Red Riding Hood's wolf is transformed into a romantic hero who saves a girl from abusive parents, and "Beauty and the Beast" becomes the story of the forbidden love between two women. Elsewhere, we meet Paige, a 1920s flapper who falls in love with a ghostly stranger, and Catherine, who is driven insane by the ghost of her husband's first wife. Valentino's storytelling has a lilting gothic tone, and her heroines are beautiful and fragile. FSc's art is a delicate take on the Ameri-manga style, in which he balances cute with a sort of impressionism to keep the appropriate mood. A spooky recommendation for goth-subculture readers, especially. Tina Coleman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Sequels...
I'll get straight to the point. Nightmares and Fairytales "Beautiful Beasts" may only be better than the first book, "Once Upon A Time" when it comes to the title. Simply, there is a feeling that the stories don't really belong as a separate volume-it's more like the author took the best of all the stories and put it in the first book and then bumped off the rest to second. Reading it through, I felt like Sereno Valentino gave up on writing clever dialogue and fascinating plotlines, and instead relied on mildly surprising conclusions after spiels of stuff just chugging along. The Fairytales didn't seem to depart from the originals enough, the original stories weren't as compelling as the story of Dominque and Morgan.

Then there's the artwork- beautiful, of course. Just like the first book. And therein lies the problem. Though FsC's style itself is shockingly unique, the best thing about it in the first book was that there were subtle differences depending on the story being told. (Notably, Snow White) There isn't much of that here, beautiful as the drawings are. And the charming details in the background (like chubby bunnies cluttering the panels) seem to have dissappeared altogether. The artwork reminds you of the first book too much, but because the costumes and varied beauties delighted me in the first book, in the second they aren't a novelty anymore.

But enough about comparisons. Because judging by itself, Beautiful Beasts is a wonderful book. The best story could be the one about the flapper, and the time period grabs you through Fsc's clothing design and Valentino's slang.(Same for "A Woman Possessed", which could be in the 60's) The artwork lives as a hybrid of horror and cuteness, which probably is a good way to describe the stories. They're definitely worth reading, as you'll never be bored; they even give you some puzzles to decide for yourself. Monsters, beauties,spirits and magic abound in these stories and they beckon to you like a plea. I didn't mean to discourage anyone from reading the book, as it is an excellent one-it might just be better to read this one first before "Once upon a time" so you don't get a anticlimatic feeling.(There isn't a chronological order to the stories, with the exception of Gwen, and it might be fun to regard her first story as a prequel) I very much encourage buying this book, because it is completely worth it, though not as great as the first.

Applause
I am much more fond of this book than the first. I found the Domonique story of the first book to be sketchy. Lots of piecework, almost as if pages were missing-with all of the nightmare and none of the fairytale promised. I do like the other tales in the first collection, but overall I feel that Beautiful Beasts is when our good author truly got into the swing of things, with the tales being fanciful and unexpected, heartwarming...but...well...beastly! The stories flowed well, without even a hint of being forced, were well written, well illustrated, and both nightmare- and fairytale-like. Overall the book also has a much better theme than the last and I fully commend Serena and FSc on a job well done, a book both great and beautiful like the beasts inside.

Decently done.
As a fan of some of Valentino's other works (Gloom Cookie, N&FT 1) I was happy to get my hands on this second volume. The artwork is gorgeous & the storylines are well done. I agree with another review when she said that the stories weren't as well done in this volume as they were in previous volumes, but it doesn't diminish the entertainment value of the book. It's still highly rereadable & it's one of the books that's survived several spring cleanings of my comic/manga collection.

I'd pretty much recommend this to just about any fan of off-beat or indie comics. Some people (action fans, mostly) may not get as involved in the series, though, since there's a huge lack of action & buxom girls to drool over.