Beelzebub's library

“Leap days” by Ian Bennett and “Anya’s Ghost” by Vera Brosgol Since these two graphic novels are somewhat similar and neither is particularly long, I figured reviewing them together would make sense. Both take place in high school and they are both coming of age stories. They also both involve a high schooler befriending a supernatural force who allows them to cheat in school. LEAP DAYS We’ll start with Leap Days since it’s the relatively less emotionally charged of the two.             I was surprised by this book. When it opens, it’s pretty grim. Being more realistic, it depicts the crushing boredom of school and the frustration of a sense that you are wasting your time and not really learning anything. The protagonist’s name is Jake and he drifts through the day, unknown by everyone and uninterested in everything. The only thing that snaps him out of the malaise aside from eventually getting to go home and go to sl...

This review has a number of minor spoilers. “Everything has Teeth”  is a wonderful graphic novel. While I’m not sure it’s worth the rather  high  price ,  I do find that multiple read-throughs give you all  the little  details  throughout.  The script is very good, the narration sharp and witty,  getting the point but still leaving depth. The story is about the childhood of a woman, a childhood in which she found herself obsessed with morbid incidents, but most of all, sharks. This ties in with the art, which depicts everything except for sea life in a black and white cartoon style. Then, all the various sharks and the other sea beasts which show up in the book, are photo-realistic, becoming a stark contrast to the rest of the wor ld. The book is minimal with its use of color, which make the red of blood all the more alarming. As said, the story is told by a woman, about her childhood .  The book is interesti...