The French language edition of the graphic novel Brendan and the Secret of Kells by Tomm Moore, which is based on the Irish animated feature film of the same name, was officially released last week, and it got a mild review at BoDoi. Just to give you an idea, here’s a rough translation:
“With the animated featrure Brendan and the Secret of Kells being released in French cinemas on Wednesday [that would be yesterday,Wim], Editions Glénat have not missed the opportunity to publish its comic adaptation. After a first quick browse, it looks like it’s just an ordinary re-purposing of images from the film, which have been cut into frames on high-gloss paper. Upon reading however, the album holds up perfectly and the semi-medieval graphics are not without charm.
(a lovely example of art from Brendan and the Secret of Kells)
The books follows the misadventures of Brendan, a young Irish monk who was raised by his uncle, and who is almost religiously obsessed with the risk of a Viking invasion. In a fortress that’s still under construction, the boy develops a keen interest for illuminations, he meets the spirits of the forest and creates a lot of mayhem … Although the action drags a little in length and some layouts feel like they’ve been thrown together, the whole remains attractive. Particularly thanks to the highly stylized look of the characters, the decorated, rich textures and original detail. Better than an ordinary product, Brendan presents itself as a good all-ages series.”
The book receives a score of two bolts (out of a maximum of four) which, as BoDoi goes, is not at all bad.
You can see some pictures from Kells exhibition Wim took at the recent exhibition during the Angoulême festival here on the blog; the English language edition of the graphic novel is expected shortly and the animated film is released in Ireland in March (still no word on a UK general release, sadly, we’ll keep our eyes open for that); you can catch a trailer here (ignore the awful US voice over) and Tomm Moore has a blog for the film.
Thu, Feb 12, 2009
Art and animation, Film, TV and radio, From our Continental Correspondent