Just Lasso the Nearest Tree

Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale, and illustrated by Nathan Hale.

What happened?
Rapunzel has always been curious about life outside her walled castle, where she lives with her mother Gothel. So on her twelfth birthday, she sneaks out for a look. Turns out that Gothel kidnapped her from her birth parents because they stole some measly leaves, and Gothel is also a sorceress wrecking the farming of anyone who doesn't pay her taxes.

Confronting her "mother" with this, Rapunzel is quickly thrown into a lonely tower. For four years Rapunzel can only wonder if she will ever get out, until her hair grows long enough to lasso around the nearest tree. Having escaped from the tower, Rapunzel vows to find her real mom, and hopefully take Gothel down in the process.

What did I like or not like?

The Wild West setting was a visually interesting place to tell the story, and having Rapunzel's hair work like twenty feet of rope (or whips depending on the situation) was also a fun idea. Adding some action to this story, Rapunzel and her partner, Jack, fight off bandits, giant sea serpants, and eventually take the fight to Gothel herself. Along the way, Rapunzel deals with selfishness, doing what's right, and sticking up for the little guy. This graphic novel had plenty of the elements of the classic tale, but told them with an interesting new twist.

A Criminal Mastermind Full of Bad Luck

A Book Blurt on Calamity Jack, written by Shannon and Dean Hale and illustrated by Nathan Hale.

Why did I read it?

I try to diversify Book Blurt by reading graphic novels, fantasy, sci-fi, chick flicks, and realistic fiction. A graphic novel that is getting a lot of attention right now is Rapunzel’s Revenge, and this is a graphic novel written by the same people (and this one was on the shelf at my library hehe).

What happened?

Jack considers himself a criminal mastermind, with too much bad luck. He does some small gigs and makes a little bit of money, but each one has unexpected side effects. Just before Jack walks away from criminality for good, his mother is threatened by Blunderboar, a literal giant of a crime boss. Trying to help his mom out, Jack plans on stealing from Blunderboar, but once again the unexpected side effects show up again, and Jack is running for his life. Away from his home, Jack runs into Rapunzel (which I think might have something to do with Rapunzel’s Revenge), and he decides to return home. While Jack was away, Blunderboar has taken control of the entire city, and giant ants demolish buildings and kill citizens. Jack and Rapunzel try to find a way to save the city, and Jack’s mom from the fist of Blunderboar.

What did I like or not like?

This retelling of Jack and the beanstalk is a lot of fun, and very imaginative. The illustrations are fantastic, and the make-believe world of giants, pixies, and jabberwoks is brought to life beautifully. Throw in a criminal mastermind who can’t quite decide if he wants to be a criminal, and you have an entertaining book to read.