Graphic Novel Review: Gloomcookie, Vol. 1

Author: Serena Valentino
Illustrator: Ted Naifeh
Publication date: December 2006
Genre: Fantasy/Graphic Novel
Copy Provided by: Myself, I bought it. :)
Summary (via Amazon):

The long-awaited GloomCookie graphic novel contains issues 1-6 of this popular comic book series, as well as some other ninja-type surprises, never before seen sketches, Serena’s bad art, a cute Halloween story about The Monster entitled “Trick Or Treat”, special guest artists thingies (Ooooo! Wait till you see ‘em!), Lex’s vocabulary list and LOTS of other squishy stuff to make you happy. As always, wrapped in a gorgeous cover by Ted Naifeh.

The Gloomcookie comic book series is a goth soap opera set in the San Francisco club scene.

Plot: Mixed with bits of fairy tales here and there, this graphic novel mainly follows Lex, a girl who is in love with a boy who prefers an unreachable woman - the wicked queen figure of the club scene and only stays with Lex until she admits her love for him.

Add in her companion, a man who starts to grow close to Lex, but their love is a doomed love for it has repeatedly failed for generations and generations. A story which is discovered during a trip to New Orleans. Add in a carnival, a monster under the bed, and some seriously funny gothic club commentary and you've got a winner of a graphic novel.

Characters: I absolutely love Lex - she uses cute words like "oogie" and "squishy" and "yummy" and she is an incredibly good pouter. She's definitely a good fit for the damsel in distress role in this fairy tale. The other characters are equally as unique and though briefly introduced in the first volume, certainly leave a mark on your memory for the later volumes.

Graphics: Ted Naifeh is my favorite graphic novel artist. I love everything he's ever done and you'll probably see his name crop up A LOT on this blog. I'm sad that he only illustrates this first volume and his graphics are probably the reason that this is my favorite volume of the series. He has a unique way of drawing characters that just draws your eye and you can see the style across his novels. He really is a fantastic artist.

Similar Graphic Novels:
Courtney Crumrin series by Ted Naifeh
Kin by Holly Black and Ted Naifeh
Clubbing by Andi Watson
Life Sucks by Jessica Abel

Series Info:

There are five volumes in the series, each one drawn by a different illustrator. :)

Recommended for ages 16 and up. Some sexual content.