ORCHARD OF THE TAME, graphic novel that was a 2024 NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY SELECTION FOR BEST NEW COMICS OF 2024

ORCHARD OF THE TAME
MARLO MEEKINS (illus. Nick Cross)
Pegamoose Press
$24.99 hardcover, available now

Rating: 4.5*of five

The Publisher Says: A 2024 NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY SELECTION FOR BEST NEW COMICS OF 2024

Truth may set you free, but that knowledge can be a terrible burden.

River Siren is a young mermaid who has been manipulated and held prisoner by the evil, twisted Ainsprid. When she is accidentally discovered by two forest birds, Crowver and Birdt, River Siren is presented with an opportunity to escape her cage, leaving behind the only home she knows to journey out into a world of wild, wonderful, and sometimes dangerous things.

This beautiful coming-of-age tale, visually inspired by the golden era of animation, is an absolute feast of imagination. Equal parts whimsical and eerie, it harkens back to the warm nostalgia of classic fairy tales while then also pushing into the cold, uncanny landscapes of science fiction classics.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: Such a beautiful book. I myownself am seldom that interested in the art in sequential-art storytelling. This year I've run across multiple comics that have art I'm actually interested in for itself.

promo pages, all handsomely done

There's a flavor of 1940s cartoons in this artwork that makes me smile. I'm always in favor of stories that show young women that they *can* make major changes for themselves, ones that better their lives and allow them freedom to act on their own behalf.

Make no mistake, the New York Public Library offered this story its imprimatur because its message of personal empowerment and overcoming of anxiety and fear is both loud and clear, and done with the honesty that allows it to transcend "message fiction"'s dread solemnity and tedium.

I don't quite get to five stars because it is quite a long read for a comic book. It isn't my preferred medium, as all who read my reviews know; and it's aimed squarely at an audience I am not. But it wins my approving recommendation over my minor cavils.