Review - Boneyard Volume 1 by Richard Moore


Synopsis

Michael Paris has inherited a plot in the remote town of Raven Hollow. As he arrives, he gets to find out what a doozie that is. He’s basically inherited a cemetery that the villagers want razed! Why? It’s haunted with apparently frightening creatures putting a curse on the whole town! But when Paris actually gets to meet some of the denizens of his inherited headache, it turns out that they ain’t all that bad (the vamp, in fact, is quite cute) and maybe the evil is not where it may seem… Spoofs all the clichés of the horror genre!

 


My Thoughts
Boneyard Volume 1 is another graphic novel I picked up while at the library. Knowing nothing about this comic beforehand, it took nothing more than a brief glance through the pages for me to know I would love this.

The basic premise is simple enough looking at first, but within this first volume there are many clues that make me think this story line will develop into a very strong plot. Michael Paris does indeed inherit a graveyard from a grandfather he never got to know. And this particular cemetery has a whole crowd of interesting, albeit strange, characters. Abbey, the vampire lady, is a wonderful leading lady. She’s classy, smart and obviously in charge. Another chick living in this boneyard is Nessie, an incorrigible flirt, despite the fact that her husband Brutus is always watching silently. There is also a group of poker-playing, alcohol-swilling guys who take Michael Paris out for a night on the town (Undead Nudie Bar included). There’s many other characters running around, but along with Abbey, my favourite had to be Edgar, the talking, snobbish and quite hilarious raven.

This first volume in the series did a bang-up job of introducing the citizens and setting of Raven Hollow. It set in motion some sub-plots that I hope to learn more about in future issues, such as; how Paris’s grandfather came to be the caretaker, a possible romantic angle and the threats facing the boneyard itself. Also intriguing is the mystery surrounding how the graveyard came to be the home of these paranormal beings.

 
Along with a solid storyline, great characters, witty dialogue and lots of humour is the gorgeous artwork. I loved that these illustrations are lighter in tone than most graphic novels. They have a cartoonish feeling to them that blends well with the more mature tone of the writing. A good example would be Abbey, she is a vampire that manages to come across as sexy, but innocent – not the typical femme fatale. Ralph, a werewolf, who wears a leather jacket and studded dog collar looks like a big puppy dog playing ‘the bad boy’, but when he gets mad his wolfish side is clearly evident. With wonderful details and a warm palette of colours this is a real treat.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this collection and will definitely be picking up the next ones.

Check out more about Richard Moore and the Boneyard series here.
Published by
Nantier - Beall - Minoustchine Publishing



© 2008-2010 Joanne Mosher of The Book Zombie. All rights reserved.

13 comments:

Ladytink_534 said...

It does sound like a very cute story!

Bybee said...

Dang, now I'm getting interested in graphic novels again!

Beth F said...

Great! I'm collecting graphic novel ideas for the Graphic Novels challenge. This sounds good.

Anonymous said...

I love the illustrations in this one, they look awesome. I am going to try to find this one at the library soon.

Kim

The Bookworm said...

great review, this does sound very good. I like the graphics.
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

This sounds like one I'd like to read. I don't mind a dark tone in a novel, but in a graphic novel, it adds a little bit too much to my own imagination, so graphic novels that are lighter are more to my liking.

Ana S. said...

Please stop adding to my wishlist, Joanne! :P

Ali said...

Love the art in this one!

Ali said...

Love the art in this one!

Anonymous said...

I MUST avoid graphic novels at all costs because they take over my life! This one does look awfully good, though...

Drats!

Anonymous said...

Hello.
Very nice Review! :-)
I just wanted to say that I love your blog! It’s so neat and tidy and still very fun and user friendly.
I've added you to my blogroll, on Book Reviews By Bobbie http://bookreviewsbybobbie.wordpress.com/.

-Bobbie

Jill said...

I love this kind of thing - looks like a lot of fun! I've just put a copy on hold at my library. Thanks for the review!

Jill said...

I read this - and loved it! But my copy has only black and white illustrations. Pout. Yours look much more fun. Thanks so much for the review - I can't wait to read the next one!