Bubbles & Gondola

I liked it. The art is fetching–old-timey and charming, with nice clear lines. (I am borderline graphically illiterate, and I have a hard time with muddy lines.) Really, it is beautiful to look at. The conceit, that Solitude appears to the loner protagonist as a blue bird, is intriguing and interesting. I enjoyed it for that, and because I could identify with the poor little mouse who just wanted to be left alone to write. Sadly, as a story, it did what many stories in graphic format seem to do–it faded away at the end with no discernible meaning. What started off so strong and clear ended up ... well, if the pictures had done what the story itself did, the colors would have run together and the lines would have gotten all fuzzy. This is not a complaint about the book itself. I see that sort of thing in many recent books and I suspect that much of the problem lies with me.

I enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it to anybody who likes good art serving a good story. Perhaps you will be better adept at finding meaning in the ending that I.