Mini Reviews: Graphic Novels – Taproot, Ninety-Nine Righteous Men, The Little Red Wolf

 
 

In Taproot, a ghost must decide if his existence is worth giving up to save the human he loves. In Ninety-Nine Righteous Men, two priests try to help a friend who’s been possessed while dealing with their own complicated history. In The Little Red Wolf, a little wolf strays from the path and finds out first hand why he was warned to stay away from the humans. Enjoy my mini reviews for these three graphic novels!


Taproot by Keezy Young

Graphic Novel Review: Taproot by Keezy Young | reading, books, graphic novel reviews, fantasy, lgbtqia, ghosts
Title: Taproot
Author: Keezy Young
Publisher: Lion Forge
Pages: 128
Rating: 3 stars
 
Review:

*I received an ecopy of this book via NetGalley. This has not influenced my review.*

This was a cute little paranormal LGBT graphic novel with POC characters about (as the tagline says) a gardener and a ghost. It wasn't that long, and a lot of pages didn't have that much going on, so there wasn't much chance for a lot of story depth or character development, but I still thought the romance was sweet, and I still said awwww a couple times. And it's an entirely clean romance, perfectly appropriate for younger readers even though the characters seemed to be in their late teens/early twenties. There was also a lot of pretty plant life in the artwork. And I appreciated that, physically speaking, the characters were just like normal, real kinda people, not too stereotypically "perfect" looking, if that makes any sense. If you want something quick and light with a cute romance, I think you'll enjoy this.

 
 

Ninety-Nine Righteous Men by K.M. Claude

Graphic Novel Review - Ninety-Nine Righteous Men by K.M. Claude-Book Cover
Title: Ninety-Nine Righteous Men
Author: K.M. Claude
Pages: 120
Rating: 4 stars
 
Review:

I've reread this and am rewriting my review because I feel like I appreciated the story a bit more this time. (It's not exactly a mini review anymore, but oh well.)

The first time I read this, I said, "The relationship between Daniel and Adam was complex and added some emotion, even though the story didn't delve too deep into that or their backstory since it was a pretty short. I think that's why this is hard for me to review though---I definitely liked this, but I would've liked it more if it had been longer and delved deeper." And I still agree. I would've liked it even more had it done that. However, even as it was, I felt what was between them. I felt the pain and the longing and, possibly, the love.

Their whole relationship really was just so full of emotion and hurt and anger and angst and regret and occasionally some sweetness that only made the rest more painful. The author/artist really nailed the wonderful and heartbreaking facial expressions that portrayed those emotions too.

As for what happened between the two... *SPOILER* I saw the author mention in a comment someone left on the webcomic that, as the reader, we have no way of knowing what truly happened between them. Maybe Adam did pressure and take advantage of Danny. Maybe they were both a bit tipsy but not completely addled and decided consensually to have sex, and then Danny regretted it, so he decided to blame Adam rather than take responsibility himself. Maybe it was a bit of both. The author also noted, in the scene when Adam confesses (I hope he does not mind me quoting him here, but I feel like it's helpful for anyone who didn't see this comment on the webcomic): "I also think that in terms of Adam's character, his using the word 'rape' is a way, his way, of acknowledging that he did, in some way, hurt Daniel -- an acknowledgment he initially refused to give altogether. Whether that word is the correct word for what really happened or not, well, that's up to the reader." *END SPOILER* So it's really not a black and white situation, and it's not meant to be.

I really liked Adam though. He was a snarky little shit, and he made a mistake (whatever actually happened, he clearly made some sort of mistake, even if it was just how he handled things with Danny after), but he was there when Danny needed him, even though I think he was also hurt by what happened between them. He still cared for him and worried about him. And he wanted to fix his mistakes.

Also, I did not appreciate the first time how fucked up the whole *SPOILER* "Danny fucking a demon-possessed person" thing was. Because yeah. It was still Caleb's body. So Danny kind of was taking advantage of him while he was in this altered state or whatever. And I think, for the most part, Danny really didn't want to do it and felt dirty and depraved and disgusted but thought it really was the only way to keep Caleb safe and save him. But I can't help but wonder if another small part of Danny enjoyed it and maybe was even a little bit happy to have an excuse to break his vows. Of course, that's just me speculating, not something I've seen the author canonically state. *END SPOILER*

The ending was... let's call it bittersweet. But it was also poetic, in a way. Albeit a dark way. *MAJOR SPOILER* From the beginning, there was this theme about how Heaven will rejoice more for one sinner who has repented than for 99 righteous men. By doing what he did, Adam showed that he truly was repentant, which is cause for Heaven to rejoice. But by doing what he did, he also ended up in Hell for eternity. Also, both times, when I finished reading, I just went to the artist's site and looked at various different drawings of Adam while being sad that he was dead. *END SPOILER*

The artwork was great. Black and white, but clear, easy to see what was what, drawn with a unique style, and nice to look at. Also, the demon had a really cool design.

One last thing, while there's not exactly romance, there is some sex and nudity.

Also trigger warning for mentions of situations and on-page depictions of things that could be potentially considered rape.

So yeah. Overall, the story was good, the art was nice to look at, the religious aspects and morally gray areas were interesting, the relationship between Daniel and Adam was complex and angsty, and this was a dark, mild-horror webcomic that I really enjoyed!

*Note: This review is based on the webcomic. Other formats may have differences I am not aware of.*

*I've read this book multiple times. This review was written after my 2nd read.*

*Rating: 3.5 Stars // 1st Read Date: 2017 // Format: Webcomic*
*Rating: 4 Stars // 2nd Read Date: 2021 // Format: Webcomic*

 
 

The Little Red Wolf by Amélie Fléchais

Title: The Little Red Wolf
Publisher: Lion Forge
Pages: 80
Rating: 3 stars
 
Review:

*I received an ecopy of this book via NetGalley. This has not influenced my review.*

I'm not quite sure what to call this since I saw it listed as a graphic novel, but it actually seemed more like a picture book, except it seemed kind of dark for children. Then again, I know nothing about children, so don't take my word on that. It did have a clear message in it about how there are two sides to every story, plus some other lessons if you want to look even deeper. Also, although there was a small story, the art seemed to be the focus. It looked kind of like watercolor (I'm not sure that it was, but that's the best comparison I can make with my limited knowledge of artistic mediums), and it was very fantastical and creepy, definitely matching the dark vibe of the story. But regardless of how this book would be classified, I couldn't resist trying this little twist on Little Red Riding Hood, and seeing a little girl depicted as the villain only added to the creepiness. The little wolf was adorable though, and I felt bad for the poor, little thing. I would say you might enjoy this if you like dark fairy tales and fantastical, creepy, watercolor-esque art.

 
 
 
 

Talk to me!

Have you read any of these graphic novels?
Do you like cute, clean, romantic stories?
Have you ever enjoyed a book/GN but really wanted it to be longer?
Do you like dark fairy tales?

 
 
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Your Thoughts

 

24 thoughts on “Mini Reviews: Graphic Novels – Taproot, Ninety-Nine Righteous Men, The Little Red Wolf

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  1. Barb (boxermommyreads)

    Loved your thoughts and while they all sound interesting, Little Red Wolf is probably one I will try to seek out. I never request graphic novels because I despise reading them on my Kindle or tablet. Have to have physical ones. Glad these seemed worth your time. Have a wonderful weekend Kristin!

  2. Greg

    I am so not on with GN’s right now, I haven’t read one in months? Although there’s a new Runaways series that just started, I need to get it. I like that the girl is the villain in Little Red Wolf! Although I’m kinda hoping the wolf makes it? Now I’m wondering…

    1. Kristen Burns

      Lol get with the program! Go read some GNs! 😛 Yeah, the whole wolf as the protag and little girl as the villain was too intriguing for me to resist, even if it did turn out to be kind of an odd little book.

  3. Let's Get Beyond Tolerance

    I LOVE graphic novels and Ninety-Nine Righteous Men sounds great. I do wish some graphic novels were longer – it can be difficult to get to know characters when the book is written with such little dialogue, etc.

    1. Kristen Burns

      I love GNs too! But yeah, it’s harder to get to know the characters as it is w/ GNs most of time since only a little happens on each page, so it’s disappointing when they’re just not long enough.

  4. ioana @dragonwaffles

    I am so picky when it comes to graphic novels haha! If I don’t like the art style then I’m probably not going to like the story. Taproot sounds lovely -I’ve tried getting it on Netgalley as well but the illustrations don’t show up for some weird reason. Just speech baubles. Unhappy endings make me really sad (well…obviously) so I tend to avoid them if I can!

    1. Kristen Burns

      With PDFs, which is how graphic novels seem to come from NG, I think you need to read them on the computer. Or maybe you could send to your kindle as a PDF. But they don’t convert right to any other type of file, so I just read them on the computer. But yeah, I need to like or at least be able to handle the art style for GNs. If I really don’t like it, then I won’t read it, so it’s always risky requesting ones from NG that I haven’t seen any art from. I figured people might like a warning about the unhappy ending!

  5. Karen

    I just starting to dabble in GN’s. IT’s taking me a bit to get a handle on how to follow the dialogue but I’m catching on!

    I love the cover art for The Little Red Wolf and Ninety Nine Men sounds interesting.

    For What It’s Worth

    1. Kristen Burns

      Oh yeah, I remember you asking for a recs a while back. Glad you’re getting the hang of them! It depends on the comic too. Some authors are better at showing the flow of dialogue whereas I’ve read some that were more confusing.

  6. La La in the Library

    I read a “for children” graphic story titled Lint Boy (which I loved) and although it wasn’t really dark, like you found The Little Red Wolf, I did feel it would have been better appreciated by teens and recommended it as a novelty gift for YA age readers. I think the popularity of graphic novels has spurred a graphic market for MG and picture book titles.

    I love the artwork on the cover of Ninety-Nine Righteous Men. I am going to add it to Goodreads. 🙂

    1. Kristen Burns

      Oh I remember seeing Lint Boy and it actually looked good and the artwork seemed kind of Burton-esque if I recall correctly. It makes sense though to have GNs for kids and teens, you know? It’d just be nice if pubs could kind of clarify the age of the GN.

      The art in 99RM is really good!

  7. Becky @ A Fool's Ingenuity

    Some interesting graphic novels here, I have to say I rarely take a chance on reads and I’m even less of a risk taker when it comes to comics and graphic novels. If they aren’t familiar names or recommended to me by others I won’t read them. The Little Red Wolf sounds like it has some interesting artwork to it and that is one of my favourite things when it comes to a graphic novel, I appreciate the artwork over a story sometimes so even if The Little Red Wolf is more of a picture book I’m totally ok with that if it’s pretty.

    1. Kristen Burns

      I can understand being hesitant to actually spend money on a GN without seeing the artwork, if that’s what you’re talking about. The artwork makes such a difference in how enjoyable the GN is.

  8. Evelina

    I’ve heard nice things about Taproot, and that’s great it’s clean romance, I’m such a kid when it comes to romance, I just dread sexual content in books 😀 I didn’t request it when it was available though, for whatever reason, but it sounds nice 🙂

    1. Kristen Burns

      I don’t mind explicit GNs, but it’s nice to find some clean ones too since I know lots of people don’t like sex in books 🙂 It was a sweet, little story!

  9. Olivia Roach

    It sounds like all of these were good, but not deep enough which could have made them all better. I really like the sound of Taproot having such good representation. Personally, I love my cute clean romances, and also my dark fairytales. I’m slowly coming to terms that I like ANY romance as long as the tropes aren’t annoying.

    1. Kristen Burns

      That pretty much sums it up lol. I like both explicit and clean romances, so I think it’s nice to find cute clean ones sometimes 🙂 Gives people variety to choose from! And I did like the rep in Taproot. Yay, you’re becoming a romance fan 😉 I feel the same, I like romance as long as it doesn’t have certain tropes I dislike.

  10. Dani @ Perspective of a Writer

    I feel like graphic novels very seldom satisfy with length… it kind of is the point of the medium… to leave the reader wanting more! I thought about the two netgalley graphic novels but decided on two others instead but your review left me kicking myself as I love watercolor art and the vegetation drawings sound incredible! ♥️ compelling Kristen!

    1. Kristen Burns

      If it’s a series, I can accept that. But these were all just one time standalone things, so not getting enough depth is disappointing :-/ Aww sorry you skipped over these novels! I’ve had that same regret over NG books I didn’t request, so I feel your pain. Thank you <3