[Graphic Novel Review] Snow White by Matt Phelan

I picked up Snow White by Matt Phelan simply because someone commented on one of my posts told me to check it out. So if that was you, and you are reading this, please let me know! I’d like to thank you personally.

Needless to say, I had no idea what the storyline would be about, though of course I assumed it was a Snow White retelling. I also had no idea what the artwork would be like. But I was excited to dive in!

Let’s dive in!

My Thoughts on Snow White by Matt Phelan 

This graphic novel is set in New York City in 1928. A young girl named Samantha White, also known as Snow, has tragically lost both of her parents and is now under the care of her rotten step-mother. When the step-mother hires someone to kill the girl, Snow runs. Before she can find safety, she is cornered by two men. Right in the nick of time, a group of young boys appear and fight off the two men. These boys tell Snow that they are “The Seven.” But can these boys help protect her?

I was blown away by this graphic novel! It is so different from any other that I have read! It is a graphic novel that is driven by the artwork rather than text. In fact, there is very little dialogue included at all.

The story begins outside of a Macy’s window. There is a man in a hat and coat asking a young boy who “she” is. The tearful boy only says, “White as snow…” From there, we jump back to 1918, and then the story continues until we reach that same scene outside of Macy’s. I LOVE when stories do that!

The tone of the artwork was incredible. The dust jacket states that it has a “moody, dramatic feel reminiscent of film noir” and that is the perfect way to describe it! The texture used in each of the panels is so distinct; it looks like you could actually feel the textures on the page if you ran your fingers over the paper.

The rare use of color was very interesting. For the majority of the graphic novel, the artist only used shades of red and green. But he used them very sparingly. So in a panel where color was added, it really stood out! This held true right up until the last few pages.

There was one part of the story that actually made me tear up! And how adorable is this illustration?!:

My Final Thoughts on Snow White

I would highly recommend checking this one out!

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