Dokebi Bride and the Dreaming

Wow, two posts from me in one day! I've been working my way through the graphic novel collection at Foothills to see what needs to be reordered or withdrawn. These two titles caught my eye. I ordered them, but never got the chance to read them until now. Marley's Dokebi Bride is one of the best Korean manwha titles to be released here. Best doesn't mean popular though. :( This first volume introduces Sunbi, the granddaughter of a Shaman, who can see the spirits of things around her. Watching her discover her gifts and curses, the reader learns about the Korean shaman beliefs. The next volumes will delve more into Sunbi's attempt to protect herself from the dark spirits like the ones that drove her mother to madness. At times the story is sad, puzzling, and then humorous. If you like graphic novels, then I suggest trying this one out.

Now for The Dreaming by Queenie Chan. This one I'm not so in love with. The concept is good: Twin sisters move to an exclusive boarding school in the Bush in Australia. Once there, they begin dreaming of being in the bush forest around the school dressed in Victorian dresses with blood dripping down from the trees onto their faces. Sounds like a good creepy graphic novel--perfect for me. The end result is somewhat mixed for me. This manga-style GN by Australian writer Queenie Chan is above par for the many manga-style TOKYOPOP has been releasing, but it still felt like the nuances of manga and storytelling are missing here.

If you read this GN, make sure to read the extra short called Locker no. 246 by Sarah Ferrick. It makes reading this graphic novel totally worth it.