Review: SNOW GLASS APPLES HC

The most enduring fairytales are infinitely mutable. They can be adapted, refigured, and revised over and over again. Neil Gaiman is a master at adaptation. Over the years, he has culled the best of mythology from across the globe and throughout history. He distills. He transforms. At times he is magical in his wordsmithing abilities. These skills are on full display in SNOW, GLASS, APPLES, a subtle and powerful inversion of the Snow White mythology. Out this week from Dark Horse comics, SNOW, GLASS, APPLES inverts the fairytale so that Snow White is a powerful evil figure in her own story.

Gaiman“s script and dialogue are nearly perfect. Note well. This graphic novel is for mature readers with a few NSFW scenes. But Gaiman“s script isn“t the story. The story is Collen Doran“s alluring artwork. Each page, every panel is like a fine art painting. The images in SNOW, GLASS, APPLES resonate. The aura of Doran“s art will stay with readers well beyond the initial encounter. Doran“s articulation of the figures in this book ”“ the queen, the king, the prince, the stepdaughter/princess, the dwarves, the forest people, the gypsies ”“ is exact. Each line feels like it has been soaked in the essence of every/any fairy tale you have ever heard. She infuses our sense of what a fairytale looks like into every piece of this book“s visuals.

It“s hard to overstate the impact of the art in SNOW, GLASS, APPLES. It will win awards. And it should. But more importantly Doran“s work will inspire people to pick up the pencil, pen and paintbrush. She is gracious in her acknowledgement of her influences and collaborators. But what she achieves here visually is all her own. And the comic book and graphic novel worlds are all the better for it. Gaiman and Doran make an unmatchable pair in this corner of the literary universe. Gaiman shines when he is tapping into human mythology to tell dark stories. And Doran shines any time she picks up a pencil.

The best-case scenario for readers is to read SNOW, GLASS, APPLES without thinking too much about the more familiar versions of the Snow White tale. The readers“ experience will be sharper ”“ more focused if this version is engaged on its own terms. The most poignant passages are subtle. The contrast in skin complexions, an undying heart, or the mysterious scars on the king“s body become powerful signifiers in SNOW, GLASS, APPLES. And then, a single snowflake on the pale cheek of a princess will haunt you forever. 5/5!

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

(W) Neil Gaiman, Colleen Doran (A/CA) Colleen Doran