Interview with Children's Illustrator: Maxine Lee-Mackie - Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books

Good morning and welcome to Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books. Today is the first of several interviews with some of the best children's book illustrators around. So I'm delighted to be able to introduce Liverpool Illustrator, Maxine Lee-Mackie, who has been ever so kind in answering some personal questions about her career, inspirations and what makes her tick in the art world. 

If you would like to find out even more about her other illustrations and work then you can find her being artistically messy at www.maxinelee.com 

Equally, she's on Instagram: @MaxineLeeMackie or why not visit her Etsy Store. She has wonderful prints and a very interesting graphic novel which I, myself, have just purchased called The Ghost in the Window. So there's plenty to check out if you are interested. I hope you all have a great day!

Tell us a little bit about yourself and what inspired you to become an illustrator?
I'm a children's illustrator from England, and I've been working on children's books since 2011. My sister and I were always given beautifully illustrated books as children, the kind of books that were otherworldly and special - the illustrations from those have always stayed with me. My mum is very creative and loves writing stories and poems, and my dad used to love drawing for us when we were small. I was always drawing as a child, but it was seeing my sister's pencil drawing from secondary school that really pushed home the idea that art is a real thing that people take seriously. I wanted to draw like that.

Can you tell us anything about any of the upcoming projects that you are working on at the moment?
I can tell you that I've just completed a giant bugs book which was very challenging - I love drawing bugs, but I don't much like looking at real ones doing their thing. Illustrating books like that requires lots of research, so I had to look at lots of bugs doing lots of things. At the moment I'm working on some fairytales from around the world featuring brave girls and women, a biographical book about a prolific storyteller who EVERYONE knows, and a book cover for a spooky follow-up.

What is the most unusual project you have worked on and why?
I work with international clients and sometimes stories are told in different ways depending on where you are from. Some of the stories I have worked on haven't always worked out with a happy ending - just recently, one ended up with me having to draw some bones at the end...that was strange.

What resources and techniques do you use and do you have a favourite you enjoy working with?
My favourite techniques all involve getting messy with my materials - black ink with sticks, cardboard, sponges, and anything else I can put my hands on, is the best. That said, when I'm working on work to be published, I work digitally. I do enjoy working on my computer, it opens up lots of ways to experiment and it makes me a bit faster so I can meet my deadlines, but I do like getting my hands dirty when I have more time.

What do you find rewarding as an illustrator?
I find it rewarding when I've solved a problem. I like coming up with unusual ways to show something that might seem boring. It's also really cool to receive the first copy of your book from your publisher!

What is your favorite book cover illustration/design and why?
I have so many of these! Today though, because it's on my desk, I can tell you why I love the cover for Issun Boshi, illustrated by Mayumi Otero. Everything about this book is beautiful. It has carefully chosen colours, very strong contrasts, and pure geometric shapes mixed in amongst organic shapes. In my personal work, contrast is the thing I'm always trying to capture. I can't always do this with client work, so I make as much experimental work as I can. It's kind of my hobby.



Who are your favourite illustrators and why?
I have so many! Brecht Evens is amazing and does lots of layering and translucent paint effects which are so delicate and powerful at the same time. Annette Marnat uses beautiful strong shapes with delicate textures and creates wonderlands that pull you on. I've just recently discovered Beatrice Blue and I'm struck by the layers of detail and light in her work.

                                   (Illustration by Annette Marnat)

Where should a person start if they want to pursue a career in illustration? 
Start with concentrating on what you want to do. Try lots of things out, build up a body of work that reflects who you are and what you want to do. Don't bend to fit the idea of what you think your illustrations should look like. Think of your illustrations like your voice - you can control it, you can imitate the sounds other people make, but in the end, only one sound feels natural. Work with that sound, and hone it. Once you've accepted this part of yourself, you'll feel a lot more confident in what you produce and it will be uniquely yours.

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books - Brilliant Graphic Goodness - Gift Inspired Book Picks (Oct - Nov 2018)

Tales from the Inner City (2018), a sister volume to the anthology Tales from Outer Suburbia (2008) is a collection of 25 illustrated stories about relationships between humans and animals. The basic premise set was quite simple: think about an animal in a city. Why is it there? How do people react to it? What meaning does it suggest?

Where can we live if not in each other's shadow?

World-renowned artist Shaun Tan applies his extraordinary talent to a reflection on the nature of humans and animals, and our urban co-existence. From crocodile to frog; tiger to bee, this is a dark and surreal exploration of the perennial love and destruction we feel and inflict – of how animals can save us, and how we are entwined, for better or for worse. Tales from the Inner City is a truly masterly work, bearing all of Shaun Tan’s trademark wit and poignancy in both its prose and exquisite illustrations.

Published by Walker Studio (4 Oct. 2018)

Deep in the African rainforest, in the midst of a tropical storm, a gorilla is born – a gorilla-like no other.

This is the story of that gorilla’s fantastic voyage across the world, from the Congolese jungle to the grand bazaar of Istanbul, from Borneo to London, Singapore and beyond. The story of a mysterious jewel thief and a sad sailor with a heart of gold. A story of friendship and adventure on the high seas.

This is the story of Sally Jones.

The prequel to the award-winning international bestseller The Murderer’s Ape by Jakob Wegelius, for children aged 7+.

Website: http://jakobwegelius.com/home

Published by Pushkin Children's Books (1 Nov. 2018)

Traces of the Great War features contributions from both the UK and around the world. The anthology includes a number of collaborations between graphic artists and writers (Dave McKean with poet Simon Armitage, Charlie Adlard with Robbie Morrison, Sean Phillips with novelist Ian Rankin), and between artists and illustrators who have never worked together before (Juan Díaz Canales and Kris, Régis Hautière and Thomas von Kummant).

Co-commissioned by 14-18 NOW: WW1 Centenary Art Commissions, La Mission du centenaire de la Première Guerre mondiale, On a Marché sur la Bulle and the Lakes International Comic Arts Festival. It is supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, the Heritage Lottery Fund and from the Department for Culture Media and Sport.

Traces of the Great War anthology launched in October 2018 at the Lakes International Comic Art Festival (Kendal, UK) and Salon du livre d’Albert (Albert, France), and is accompanied by touring exhibitions and a wide-ranging education programme. The project will also celebrate the historic alliance between Ulverston in Cumbria and Albert in the Somme. The twinned towns will be actively involved in the launch of the project.

Website: https://www.comicartfestival.com/project/traces-of-the-great-war

Published by Image Comics (1 Nov. 2018)

Jon McNaught returns with another beautiful comic that makes the ordinary, extraordinary. A family sets off for a long weekend at a caravan park on the British coast. We follow them through the familiar landscapes of a summer holiday: motorway service stations, windswept cliffs, dilapidated museums and tourist giftshops. In this atmospheric and contemplative work, Jon McNaught explores the rhythms of nature, the passing of time, and the beauty and boredom of a summer holiday.

Website: https://www.jonmcnaught.co.uk/

Published by Nobrow (1 Oct. 2018) -  ISBN-13: 978-1910620243

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Interview with Sara Mulvanny Illustrator (Q&A)

It's fantastic to have the very talented illustrator, Sara Mulvannyon, on Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books today. It's always fascinating to uncover the inside life of an illustrator, their work and background. I love Sara Mulvanny's work, especially her brilliant book covers for children and adult books. This post has been a wonderful opportunity to ask her questions about her career and life. I hope this little interview has piqued your interest in her work. If so, then why not pop over to her website and take a look at her other projects at http://www.saramulvanny.com 

Have a great day and happy reading.

How did you become an illustrator? 
I grew up painting and drawing and I knew from an early age that I wanted to be an artist. Although I was quite academic at school and excelled at maths and physics, my favourite subject was art. It was something I loved doing so it never felt like a chore. At college, I realised that it was the commercial application of art that I found really fascinating rather than fine art. I loved collecting old posters, adverts and beautiful ephemera. I studied Illustration at Kingston University and graduated with a BA (Hons) in 2010 after which I moved back to my Hampshire studio to pursue a career as a freelance illustrator. I was thrilled to receive my first commission a few days after I graduated, it was a book cover for Random House. Since then I’ve created illustrations for books, magazines, packaging, restaurant/museum interiors, and posters. In 2013 I joined Agency Rush and each year gets better and better and therefore busier and busier! 

What is your favourite medium to draw/paint with? 
All my Illustrations start as rough sketches to work out ideas and composition. I use a Staedtler Mars Micro Mechanical Pencil on cartridge paper, my favourite being Daler Rowney Smooth Heavyweight paper which is great for line work. When I am happy with the rough I will effectively pull it apart so that I can re-draw each element separately using pen and ink. My favourite finer liners are Uni PIN Drawing Pens, but I also use a Rotring Artpen and a Pentel brush pen as well. Those separate line drawings are then scanned into my Apple iMac and the final illustration is digitally composed on Adobe Photoshop using colour and texture. My final illustrations exist as digital files and are composed of sometimes hundreds of layers which gives me freedom to adjust colours and layout easily. I absolutely love my Wacom pen tablet which I use for Photoshop work and I don’t know how I ever survived without it. 

Describe your typical working week? 
Every week is different and I love the variation in my working life, you never know what challenges you will face from each day to the next. I’m the most productive and creative in the mornings so I tend to get up early if I’m very busy with commissions. I’m disciplined about taking tea/coffee/yoga breaks otherwise I become sluggish and lose motivation during the afternoon. When I have a lot of deadlines I will draw all day. I find that allocating a certain amount of time for each project prevents me from falling behind. I dislike working late at night because I’m not very productive when I’m tired. When I have a respite from deadlines I catch-up on more menial tasks such as organising paperwork and accounts. I also try to go to the gym every evening to do an exercise class in an attempt to stop myself from becoming a hermit. Trying to keep a good work/life balance can be difficult, they can easily amalgamate into one and the same thing which isn’t particularly healthy. I’m lucky enough to be part of Agency Rush who are a great bunch of people, they are really supportive and they definitely help me feel less isolated when I’m working on my own. Occasionally I get the chance to go to London to visit a client, or Brighton to visit Agency Rush, these days a rare luxury now but it’s always good to get out of my quiet studio and see the hustle and bustle of the city. 

What kind of illustration projects are you most interested in? 
I’m very grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to work on a wide range of projects over the years; My illustrations have been featured in a variety of media from books to packaging, restaurant interiors to posters. It’s this variety that makes life as an illustrator so exciting, rather than a particular type of commission. I’m often juggling a few commissions at once, and it’s their differences which make them enjoyable, rather than their similarities. I’m currently working on a large commission for a museum, a book about plants, a map for a magazine cover, a science book, and an editorial piece about wedding cakes! 

Could you tell us a bit about any of your upcoming projects? 
I’ve been working on a large commission over the last few months for the Museum of Royal Worcester which is having a complete redesign by the very talented Studio Savage. My illustrations are being used on each floor of the museum in a manner of different scenarios which is really exciting. The largest part of the project is the life-size kitchen installation. The kitchen is split down the middle, with a 1920’s design on one side and a 1970’s design on the other. I’ve illustrated everything from the floor patterns and wallpaper to the kitchen cupboards, food, china, life-size oven, microwave, table and the posters adorning the walls. I also created a large 18th century map of England and a smattering of other illustrations throughout the museum. It’s currently being printed and I can’t wait for the launch, it’s the largest commission I’ve worked on and it will be great to see my work in such an immersive setting. 

What is the best piece of advice that you have ever received from someone within the industry? 
There’s plenty of great advice out there for new illustrators, fledgling designers should definitely pick up a copy of The Fundamentals of Illustration by Lawrence Zeegen: it’s packed full great tips and advice I found useful when starting out. But often the best lessons are the hard ones you learn yourself. You can’t avoid making mistakes, it’s a natural part of progress. However, when you make mistakes you learn from them and (hopefully!) you don’t make them again. 

A quote that I found helpful over the years is: 

‘Admire someone else’s beauty without questioning your own’ 

As an illustrator you will have moments in life when you compare your work to other people’s with the result being that you end up feeling inferior. An important skill is being able to admire other people’s work without doubting your own abilities. There are so many great illustrators out there it can be daunting pursuing a career in such a competitive market. But we all have insecurities as an artist, days when we feel like what we do isn’t good enough, and there are some commissions which just don’t work out as well as others for whatever reason. However, I’ve found that there are far more good days than bad, and there are some really great days as well. Perseverance pays off and the great days make all the hard work worthwhile. 

What is a favourite piece of work that you have produced? 
One of my favourite book cover commissions is still ‘Chasing the Dram’ by Rachel McCormack. The brief itself was quite open: the publisher wanted the cover to feel ‘really fun’ and if I made sure the whisky and travelogue aspects were clear, I had a free reign so to speak. That kind of brief either works out really well or can be a bit of struggle if the client is unsure of what they want. In this case it was the former and it’s one of my favourite commissions as I got to combine my love of hand-drawn typography with some humour and narrative elements, a limited muted colour palette and the creation of a map for the end papers. 


Who are your favourite illustrators and why? 
I love the strong, bold designs of Noma Bar: his clever use of negative space and humour is unapparelled, it’s essentially the definition of great design. Being able to communicate an idea with minimal shapes takes maximum skill. On the other side of the spectrum I’m always in awe of the lavish wallpaper patterns by William Morris, the beauty of the sinuous flora is mesmerising. I love patterns and it’s something I would like to do more of in the future. 

Tell us a secret? 
I’m a massive Harry Potter geek, I queued up for the books at midnight and my sister and I have been on the studio tour 4 times so far… I also listen to the Harry Potter audio books read by Stephen Fry when I’m getting stressed because they keep me calm. In truth, my family and friends would say my Harry Potter obsession is less of a secret and more of a well-known fact.

Guest Post by Will Steele - What Does a Book Designer Do? (The Jungle Book)

The challenge for any cover designer, is to try to condense the atmosphere, feeling or message within a book down into a single image. Not only that, it is sometimes required to be beautiful, impactful, or be intriguing enough to make someone want to pick it up in the first place. Then hold their attention long enough to turn over to be hooked by the blurb and eventually buy, read and share.

So when you break it down like that, and you consider how many books are released every single week of the year, it can sound like bit of a tall order to stand out from the crowd!
Luckily however, we have a lot of creative people within the publishing industry to call upon to help in trying to create this perfect storm, and we try to come up with something that not only works as an appealing piece of stand alone design, but also acts as a kind of sales poster or branding for the series of books by the same author.

The starting point for any book cover lies in creating and visually interpreting a brief. The brief is typically supplied from the editor on a book, and can also include thoughts directly from the author.

Once I’ve read the brief, I usually always try and read at least a few chapters of the book, sometimes I read the whole book, however time permitting this just isn’t physically possible due to the length of some of them and with all the other design work that needs to be done on a daily basis.

I often start by brainstorming with the editor and publisher, then I create a mood board, drawing inspiration from all aspects of other media like film, TV, music, the internet and of course other books.

Working at Faber is a great privilege, it’s a company with a wealth of history and is known for producing new and re-producing old classics.
Faber have re-issued and packaged classic titles for years. Here’s an example of those published in recent years. 

So when I was given the opportunity to design new covers for some well-known classic titles, and given the freedom to pick and choose who to work with, it really is a dream job for any designer.

One of the titles on the list for 2016 was The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling.

We chose David Litchfield, as a potential match for The Jungle Book, as we had been working together on another middle-grade fiction book cover (Perijee & Me – 3 March 16) and a picture book (The Building Boy – Sept 16), both written by Ross Montgomery. And I knew that we would be able to bring the right atmosphere and still look child-friendly enough for those discovering The Jungle Book for the first time.

Click here to see more of David’s work and his stunning debut picture book (The Bear and the Piano - Frances Lincoln) - http://www.davidlitchfieldillustration.com/

With The Jungle Book being such a well-established text. I didn’t really need to supply a written brief to the illustrator. I discussed with him that we were aiming to create something that had the feeling of a classic, but with a modern twist.
My only stipulations were to make it intriguing and appealing, but not look too ‘Disney’.

I created a mood board.

And included examples of early editions and a few more recent, along with some posters and artwork. I had noted that the strongest visuals seemed to work with dramatic light and bold silhouettes. And the key figures to feature were Mowgli and at least 2-3 animal characters.

From that point, I leave the visualisation in the illustrators capable hands, while I work on ideas for the typography. I toyed with the idea of using something quite classic and a serif style font. And I experimented with combining lower and upper case letters. While researching I could see the early release of film visuals and posters of the upcoming hollywood movie. So I could see that something with more character and a slight hand drawn feel that reflects the setting would be more in keeping. So I basically drew something similar to that.

The illustrator supplied some early thoughts roughly sketched out and we discussed which direction had the most potential. 

From those ideas, we agreed that a jungle scene which played with the perspective of an animals face within the undergrowth could make a striking visual. I asked whether we could also work in the other characters around the edge of the scene, so they might not be immediately obvious at first and act as a kind of border.

He then created a digital colour rough.

which I could show the team in-house and get them excited about what we were working on.
The illustrator then supplied a more worked up visual. 

which I laid over the title and author name and the Faber Classics brand tag to check the placement of all the elements and that there was a balance between type and image.

From that point, I present the cover look back to the wider team again, and act as a mediator between the publisher, editorial, sales and marketing teams and the illustrator, until we agree we have the strongest cover visual possible.

On this occasion, luckily everyone loved the direction and how strong the visual was. All we had to alter for the final illustration was a few colours and
the position of some animals, but beyond that, I knew we were close to having our cover image.

I then gave David the go ahead to work up the scene in a lot more detail and I tweaked a few colours and levels on his final illustration to arrive at the finished cover.

And here is the final cover:
The Jungle Book – Faber Children’s – Out May 2016

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Q&A Interview with Nick Tankard - Illustrator

How did you become an illustrator?
I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be an illustrator. I drew all the time when I was a kid, everything else was boring, I just wanted to draw. I couldn’t wait to leave school and enrol onto a course in Art & Design at Bradford College and then an Illustration course at Middlesbrough College.
I was fortunate to have some great tutors including the illustrator Chris Mould who was a great source of support and encouragement and has remained so in the years since I completed my further education. It was Chris who gave me a nudge in the right direction (or kick up the backside!) just when I needed it most. I was beginning to think I might not make it as an illustrator but Chris encouraged me to continue sending work to publishers and hey presto, it paid off when Helen Boyle (then at Templar Publishing) commissioned me to illustrate the ‘Henry Hunter’ books. I couldn’t have been happier and I’m eternally grateful to them both.

Do you think an illustrator needs a style?
I think it helps Editors and Art Directors to commission illustrators who work in a particular style, however I think it’s good to be adaptable and willing to attempt new methods and to push yourself. Some of my favourite illustrators have the ability to produce work that is very recognizably their own but they also adapt and develop it to move in new directions. A good example would be someone like Shaun Tan who has a very distinguishable style, but with every new book he seems to push and challenge himself to produce new and unique illustrations.

Do you have tips on developing an illustration style?
For me it’s a process that comes about through experimentation and channelling influences. It took me a good while to find a method of working that was comfortable and felt like my own. I’m influenced by something new everyday and forever pondering how it was
produced. By experimenting it’s possible to integrate certain aspects of those influences into your work and little by little you develop your own style, it should be a natural, on-going process.

What is your favourite medium to draw/paint with?
Initially I’ll sketch roughs and final compositions in pencil and then crack on with the good part…inking-in. I use a Micron 01 black fine line pen and work in a crosshatch style. The technique is a painstaking process and one which does my eyes no good at all! With the fine line pen I make a tiny mark in one direction and then turn the image around and add another layer in another direction to create shade and depth or leave bits out to hint at light and space. The image might turn ten to twenty times until it’s finished. It’s a very enjoyable process but a bit mindboggling at times.

Could you tell us a bit about any of your upcoming projects?
I’m really excited about my plans for this summer. I have the third book in Charlie Fletcher’s ‘Dragon Shield’ trilogy to illustrate for Hodder, it’s been a fantastic series to work on, a real privilege. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed exploring London and it’s statues through Charlie’s eyes, I’ll see London in a different way from now on.

I’ve been working in my black & white crosshatching style quite a lot these past couple of years so I’m really looking forward to doing some experimenting with colour techniques. I really like the little pots of ‘Magic Colour Acrylic Ink’ as you can fill the empty cartridges of Rotring pens with them and this enables me to do- wait for it…colour crosshatching! It’s something I’ve been hoping to play about with so I can’t wait to get cracking.

I’ve also got a couple of ideas for Picture books rolling around in my head. Writing and illustrating my own books is something I haven’t attempted yet but the ideas are up
there somewhere and they’re refusing to go away so I’m going to finally put pen to paper to see what comes out. I’d love to illustrate a picture book, it’s a long held ambition so I’ve got my fingers crossed.

Who are your favourite illustrators and why?
There are three illustrators/authors whose books inspired my own ambitions to become an illustrator; they are Raymond Briggs, Tove Jansson and Maurice Sendak. Their work made a huge impression on me when I was a kid to the point where even now looking at the books they made brings back thoughts and feelings I had about them as a child. They were a little bit unsettling, frightening even. Stripy monsters, mysterious islands, lighthouses and bogeymen populate my childhood memories, it explains a lot! Aside from being scared witless I could also see the beauty in these books and I return to them again & again.

A contemporary illustration hero of mine is Shaun Tan. His illustrations have the same ability to unsettle, fascinate and inspire me much the same as Raymond, Tove and Maurice did in my childhood. I think his work will stand the test of time; ‘The Red Tree’ ‘The Arrival’ and ‘The Lost Thing’ already feel like Classics.
There are lots of other artists, authors and illustrators whose work I love and take inspiration from; Levi Pinfold, Jim Kay, David Roberts, Neil Gaiman, Jon Klassen, Aardman Animation, Carson Ellis, Gustave Dore, Faye Hanson, Philip Pullman, Chris Riddell, Alan Lee, Heath Robinson, my old tutor Chris Mould and tons more.

What helps you to be more creative?
I love listening to audiobooks when I’m in the middle of a project. I’ll work in silence when I’m sketching the initial roughs and ideas (for me that’s the worst part, agonizing!) but when it comes to inking-in the final illustrations give me a long night, tea and an audiobook and I’m a happy man. I know I need to get out more!


Where should a person start if they want to pursue a career in illustration?
Ooh that’s quite a difficult one and I guess I can only speak from experience. As I said, it took me quite a few years to achieve my ambition of becoming a published illustrator with a few wrong turns along the way. Persistence and self-motivation are good strengths to have. Editors and agents are the folks you need to approach but they’re very busy people so you need to try and stand out. Sending emails with loads of jpegs probably wont get you very far. There are so many hugely talented illustrators out there all trying to get published so we have to use our imaginations to make an impression. If it seems you aren’t getting anywhere don’t give up (like I almost did) just keep trying.


What do you read for pleasure?
Unfortunately I don’t get much time to read nowadays, that’s where audiobooks come in useful. I quite like ghost stories on audiobook, ‘Dark Matter’ by Michelle Paver is a favourite as is ‘Oh Whistle and I’ll Come to You My Lad’ by M.R. James. Both are great on a dark and stormy night. Other favourites include ‘Watership Down’ and ‘The Box of Delights’.
I haven’t read the ‘Harry Potter’ series yet but I’m clearing a space in my diary for the forthcoming new editions which are being illustrated by Jim Kay, it looks like he’s done an amazing job from what I’ve seen so far.

All images on this post subject to copyright.....

Web Site: http://nicktankard.co.uk/
Twitter: @NickTankard 

Mr Ripley's Book Review: Neil Gaiman - The Graveyard Book - Graphic Novel Volume One - Adaptation By P. Craig Russell

In the UK, Bloomsbury is due to release the first volume in a graphic novel adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book which is both a Carnegie and Newbery medal-winning novel. In fact this is the only novel to have won both prestigious awards. The book will be published on July 31st with Volume 2 due to hopefully follow at some point in September.

The Graveyard Book Graphic Novel: Volume 1 is adapted by P. Craig Russell, who has over forty years of experience producing graphic novels, comic books and illustrations. However there are also a number of star performers involved in illustrating each chapter such as: Kevin Nowlan, P. Craig Russell, Tony Harris, Scott Hampton, Galen Showman, Jill Thompson, and Stephen B. Scott. All contribute to the chapters in their key signature styles. Volume 1 will cover Chapter One through to the Interlude whilst Volume 2 will cover Chapter Six to the very end.

The story follows Nobody "Bod" Owens, a normal boy who lives in a graveyard, and is being raised by the graveyard’s ghosts and an otherworldly guardian.  There are adventures to be had in the graveyard, but Bod must not leave it, or he will have to face the man Jack, who killed Bod’s family.

So it was that Bod was taken in by the graveyard folk – the ghosts of those long since passed – and raised as one of their own. With centuries of knowledge between them, Bod’s education is eclectic if somewhat arcane, but it will stand him in good stead for what his fiercely inquisitive nature will lead him to encounter both inside the graveyard and when he strays oh so dangerously out. Fortunately he has a quiet yet determined guardian in Silas, the very tall man with the very pale skin and the very dark hair. Silas is no ghost as you have probably gathered; nor is he still amongst the living.

The Graveyard retains the adventure and mystery, but now it's picture perfect through a world of illustrations and images. The realism and imagery that Russell brings to the table sharpens the characters and intensifies the gruesome elements of the tale. The story is fully brought to life; the surreal and the sublime are delivered fully. It delivers a classic masterpiece to a new audience of readers and will have to be noted as one of my favourite Graphic Novels for some time. 

I really loved the idea of having six artists all working together on one novel. They all bring their own style and character to the pages through a display of immense technical skill. The use of colour brings an ambience to the story which conveys the mood of each chapter to the reader. It's a theatre of mix media that everyone should appreciate. I'm really pleased to see a favourite story of mine get this treatment and be converted into a graphic format. 

A hand moved in the darkness holding a knife of graphic colour to raise the imagination. The lurking horror that you encounter will grab you by the throat and lead you through the story like no other. It will certainly leave you wanting Vol 2 to arrive very soon. 

This is an enjoyable visual delight that has a fantastic story at heart....