Been meaning to post about Cecil Castellucci’s new book The Year of the Beasts, with one of my favorite comics artists Nate Powell.
I’m in the midst of reading The Silence of Our Friends now.
The Year of the Beasts is an interesting sounding experiment in terms of formalism. Combining chapters in pure text alternating with ones in sequential art.
I’ve not read it yet but i’m excited to check it out. Both authors are very accomplished storytellers so if anyone is going to make that mix work. If you’ve read it let us know what you think in the comments! From what can be gleaned at a pass online a lot of people are liking it. Here’s a selection of linkage to drill down a little on the book with. They are getting a pretty good spread on Goodreads.com. Shelf-awareness.com says “Castellucci’s prose brims with wise observations about the all-consuming feelings of adolescence“. San Diego CityBeat posted “Powell’s loose, black and white illustrations bring this strange world to life in evocative fashion. But what’s most impressive about Castellucci’s storytelling is her manipulation of time and metaphor to create an ending that is poignant, powerful and unexpected”. Yareview.net posted a cool mutual interview about the creation of the book here. And comicsbeat.com listed it as one of The Hottest Graphic Novels of 2012!.
I was inspired/reminded to finally post about it when notice of her new short story Brother. Prince. Snake on Tor.com, which I extra like the posting of for it’s wonderful dragon illustration by Sam Burley.