Review: Songes Coraline
By Frank
The bande dessinée Songes Coraline tells the story of a young woman responding to a curious ad for a new maid. When she arrives at the estate of a victorian inventor, she is overwhelmed by the strange apparatuses and devices that greet and surround her, and more than a little confused by what it is exactly that the job entails. The somewhat lusty butler hints that she is to distract the master of the estate from his constant work.
Soon, Coraline finds out that the master is a young boy, at times brusque, at times erudite, but always busy with another invention. The young woman is confident that she will be able to handle the boy, but when she wakes to strange noises at night and finds another world within her wardrobe, things take a turn for the worse.
It is somewhat difficult to construct an objective review, as the graphic novel tackles several of this author’s fetishes at once: damsel in distress, period costume, victorian adventure - to name but a few. The cover of the book illustrates this beautifully, and made me pick up this book in favour of dozens, if not hundreds, of others on the shelves.
The art throughout the book is nothing short of excellent. Strong lines and consistent colours with a painterly look form the framework of gorgeous characters, setttings, props and costumes. Coraline herself is a vision of beauty, and we get to see her in many varied outfits, as well as teasingly nude. The settings range from the wondrous estate of her employer to a pirate ship, the sinking Titanic, and a jungle.
An intriguing storyline snakes its way through the book, peeling away at a slowly unfolding mystery, as it gradually sheds light onto its main characters. By the end of the book we have an idea of what’s going but are cruelly left wanting for more.
As pretty much all French bandes dessinées, Songes is a hardcover book with good quality, heavy paper. It will look good on your shelves and last.
Title: Songes Coraline
Art: Terry Dodson
Story: D.P Filippi
Colours: Rebecca Rendon & Terry Dodson
Publisher: Les Humanoïdes Associés, 2006
This author can’t wait for another instalment in what will hopefully be a series. The graphic novel does not feature any hardcore intercourse, as depicted in some books by Manara and others, but caters to an audience instead, who like their erotica veiled in mystery, excellent costumes, and a smattering of rope.