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Review: Jim Henson’s Storytellers – Ghosts (#2 of 4)

Nemesis

Jim Henson’s Storytellers is an interesting concept from Boom Studios where a new writer/artist is brought in each month to tell and illustrate a themed tale for the title.  This month’s tale, while set in India,  seems to draw heavily on the Malaysian vampiric ghost myth of the penanggalan which I first encountered in a Hellboy short by Mike Mignola.  So sit back, relax and let’s talk about this second installment in Jim Henson’s Storytellers.

This month’s issue entitled “Envy and Ash” is written and drawn by Jennifer Rostowsky, a digital artist who is making her comic book debut with this issue.  The story is relatively straightforward but presented with a twist, as a dog owner gives his dog a lecture on the perils of desperation in the form of a tale.  The tale in question is the story of Molika, a rich and indolent girl whose love is spurned.  Desperate to regain her lost love she turns to magical remedies and in her desperation makes a mistake that dooms her to an unlife of longing and unhappiness.  As I stated previously, Rostowsky seems to draw heavily on the myth of the penanggalan, a vampiric entity that is most often represented as a floating head with stomach and viscera hanging underneath as it floats through the air preying on its victims.  This is hardly surprising as I’ve come to learn that Rostowsky is of Cambodian heritage and may be familiar with this myth in that way.  I digress.  Rostowsky’s writing style is pleasant and straightforward with the prologue and epilogue involving the dog and its owner a nice respite from the tale of despair and punishment sandwiched in between.  The ghost tale itself most closely resembles a parable or fable and is written in a that style, a warning in story form.  For a first effort the writing is very good and while there is a distinct lack of dialogue in the story proper, it is mainly exposition, Rostowsky’s work shows promise and she has a knack for drawing in the reader.

Rostowsky also does all of the art in the book.  Her line work is solid if unspectacular, with her design and character work being decidedly simple but effective.  Her background as a digital artist is apparent in her art and reflects both positively and negatively in the book.  While her art is clean, precise and straightforward; it lacks a complexity and sense of depth.  Much of that is due to an almost complete lack of inking which renders her artwork sterile and lacking substance at times.  That said, the art is still beautiful and enjoyable to look at if not standard comic fare.  The color also lacks a certain dynamism with minimal shading and a color palette heavily tinted in warm colors that dominate and at times overtake the underlying artwork.  All in all, I would rate the artwork as fair but with definite room for improvement.

This book was enjoyable and for a first effort quite an achievement.  I look forward to seeing more work by Rostowsky and I can wholeheartedly recommend this book for the writing along…and of course the use of a weird, wonderful and macabre vampire myth from Southeast Asia.

Writing – 4 of 5 Stars
Lines – 4 of 5 Stars
Color – 3 of 5 Stars
Ink – 1 of 5 Stars

Overall Score – 3 of 5 Stars

Writer – Jennifer Rostowsky
Art – Jennifer Rostowsky
Letters – Jim Campbell
Publisher – Boom Studios

Author Profile

Nemesis
Nemesis is a poet, writer and author of the upcoming novel The Long Game. He is a writer of science fiction and supernatural thrillers. Besides novels and short stories he writes for UK based ASAP Comics developing new stories for Level 8 and OPSEC. Nem is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and tries to bring those experiences into his writing.

He lives and works out of his home in Riverside, California with his wife and three children. When not writing he enjoys reviewing comic books and graphic novels for ComicCrusaders.com and living the Southern California life with his family.
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