![]() Kim salvages a lot of what is wrong with Meyer’s story and writing sheerly by way of visual distraction. Twilight is foremost a slow, restrained romance, not an action-packed thriller, so there are pages and pages of Bella’s wounded and longing gaze (it alternates) or Edward’s fierce sideways glare and smile (this also alternates to more comedic effect). To her credit, Kim composes some dynamic layouts for such repeatedly banal and saccharine scenes. One oversteps the border of protection and concealed violence to the point of suffocation, while the other ‘irrevocably’ lusts in obsession over that which she cannot have-the ultimate forbidden fruit. ![]() Underlying the innocent and restrained art is one creepy relationship, involving two individuals leading a life of destructive co-dependency. Kim’s disarmingly gorgeous renditions of people are dazzling, but even she can’t redeem the disturbing nature of the original story. Maybe he's born with it, maybe it's Glitterine It’s a lot more subtle than the movie’s version. I very much enjoyed the moment when Edward revealed his true self to Bella. Then of course there is the infamous meadow scene, awash in lush gold, blue and green hues. (Click on the images to see the full size.) And the eyes, those dazzling pools of liquid gold… The town of Forks is appropriately dreary in neutral greys, while Bella’s dream sequences are pitch black with splashes of vivid reds and greens. The illustrations are rendered almost entirely in black and white-a thoughtful decision in this case: colour is sparsely applied to great effect, accentuating mood and tone. This is a very good thing given that the dialogue and monologues, no matter how condensed, remain painfully silly. Occasionally I was bothered by how similar some characters looked to each other it was a bit confusing, but Kim’s practice in character design shows-no one has looked more uniformly beautiful. Hey, I’m not going to complain that Bella and Edward look far more aesthetically pleasing than their live action counterparts. As I pledge no allegiance to any of them and only have a fuzzy recollection of their descriptions, I take no issue with how they look. Korean artist Young Kim takes on the gargantuan task of adapting and visualising Twilight’s characters and locations. So far, so good-at least the print production values are on par with a typical graphic novel. It holds nicely in the hand, weighty but comfortable enough to flick through, and stands well on a bookshelf. The book itself is quite beautiful: black hardcover binding, smooth glossy jacket with the title printed in silver foil, a compelling illustration of Bella, her face looking longingly at what is Edward, who appears on the second volume. What most stands out is how much better the story lends itself to the shoujo manga (girls comics) format than it ever has in prose or on film. ![]() It reminds me of the story’s immediate appeal to impressionable readers, but it also reminds me exactly why I eventually abandoned the series. Yet, despite the frequent jibes I make at the popular YA book, this first volume of the graphic novel is mostly successful. Unfortunately, no fast-food serving of Twilight could possibly make me hungry for more. Often poor and hurried productions, they’re an easy marketing tactic to gain revenue on the side and to appease the voracious and loyal consumer. For the disinclined readers among us, comics can be a great alternative to absorb a self-contained story without sifting through the boring bits, like watching the film version in one sitting. These days, comic book adaptations serve as extended editions in a sea of franchise fodder. When Kat offered the comic for me to review, who was I to refuse the chance to return to all the loltastic awfulness that encompasses Twilight? It’s not every day that one book, whose very premise was born out of a dream- so its creator, Stephenie Meyer, says-can reduce the time-honoured traits of popular culture’s great vampires to glittering giftwrap in the sunlight. ![]() You can read more of her writing at Evening Hour.Īh, Twilight, the stuff that dreams are made on. Jen, graphic designer extraordinaire and pop culture aficionado, generously agreed to do a guest review of this graphic novel. Young Kim’s renditions of the characters are disarmingly gorgeous, but even they can’t redeem Stephenie Meyer’s story of destructive co-dependency. Twilight lends itself to the shoujo manga format much better than in prose or in film. By Stephenie Meyer and Young Kim (Twilight Saga)
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