Review: Good Vs. Evil

Deceivingly slim and simple, these little comics can be read, understood, and enjoyed in multiple ways.

Alien Snow

Dahl, Michael. Illustrated by Pares, Roberta
Ages 7 and up
Capstone Press, August 2011, hc  978-1-4342-2090-5 pbk 9781434234445
$22.65/$4.95, 48 pp.

The Awakening

Lemke, Donald. Illustrated by Claudia Medeiros
Ages 7 and up
Capstone Press, August 2011, hc 978-1-4342-2089-9 pbk 9781434234438
$22.65/$4.95, 48 pp.

In Alien Snow, a young boy enters a shop as he spies something in the window.  When he approaches the shopkeeper, he is mesmerized by a snow globe that in turn sucks him inside. The young boy must now fight to escape.

In The Awakening, a young girl spies an old tape. When she plays it, she awakens an old monster that comes up from beneath and attacks people all around and rips people to shreds. She must escape with her life.

Both stories are mostly wordless, focusing more heavily on pictures. Each story is told from both points of view, the blue (good) parallel to the red (evil). Readers can read both at once or read one and go back to the beginning and read the other. Each method of reading will bring a different level of comprehension and enjoyment.

These comics are an English teacher’s dream, because they cleverly teach point of view.

The artwork is clear and crisp. The coloring at times threw me off. It works for the idea of separating the points of view but somehow threw me off the artwork. It watered it down and left out some of the detail. It could have been stronger.

Given the inexpensive paperback price, this is worth picking up, and for those who work in schools, it’s an excellent addition. You will find many uses for this in the classroom.

This review is based on a complimentary copy supplied by the publisher. All images copyright ©Capstone Press.

Filed under: Graphic Novels, Reviews