My Darly, My Dear & Puddles for Emperor

I recently read two graphic novels which were created by two friends of mine, My Darling, My Dear by Joel Heslop and Puddles for Emperor by Ashley Hawkins. They were both a pleasure to read, Joel's graphic novel used photographs for illustrations while Ashley's used what appeared to be Ken Dolls (not certain).

My Darling, My Dear was put together very well, and was basically a sentimental type scrapbook which showcased the events prior to their engagement. It was great to see photographs for every frame, as it gave it a very polished overall look. I already knew some of the back story between them, as Joel and I have been friends for over four years now. There is a strong use of frame layouts which are used very appropriately to help tell the story of their blossoming love for each other. The only thing negative in my opinion is that there are two frames that somewhat break from the overall structure. The two I am referring to appear on page 10, they are cut out photographs with no backgrounds, so they seem to me to be a tad bit out of place. Overall though, super kudos to Joel Heslop for creating such a cool graphic novel/scrapbook to remember the events with him and Brandi!

When I saw the cover of Puddles for Emperor, I could not help but break out into hysterical laughter. Seeing the image of a Ken doll on the cover of what looks like a political campaign poster was amazing, to say the least. It is a very comical tale of an ex-frat boy running for Emperor as opposed to President of the United States simply because he believes that the President has become more of a figurehead with a tight lease and no real power. The use of color balance to show the two sides of the competition turned out to be very helpful in guiding the reader to which side of the political campaign was being depicted. Placing the dolls on top of photographic backgrounds created a very cool and interesting visual texture. The first frame on page 28 was the only image that I feel did not fit well, only because the people talking were not replaced with dolls, but other than that I think it's a great, and it is also very comical (pun) graphic novel. Kudos to Ashley!