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Rating: 
Summary: So Awesome, I Plan to Spend Money on It
Review: I've actually read this entire book, when it was on Jason Little's webpage. But I'm actually going to shell out the money for this book, which is surprising, because I rarely pay for any media I've already seen or can borrow from a friend. Why do I want this book bad enough to pay for it?
Simply put, Jason Little breathes life into the supposedly dead genre of action comics. But, unlike most neo-action comics, this piece doesn't rely heavily on "fighting the man" or some other deconstrutionist fantasy; it's an interesting story that would still work as a short story or novel, even without the stunning art. Reading this book is like watching a really really good movie and, best of all, one doesn't even have to be a "comic nerd" to like it!
Rating:
Summary: hot damn!
Review: if you like the works of daniel clowes then this graphic novel will have you flipping page after page. this girl (fabulously named "bee") lives in brooklyn and works at a photoshop developing pictures. one day she gets a batch of suspicious pictures from a famous russian photographerand soon she is hot on what seems to bea murder case. jason little pours some of his best skills into the one. definatly something to share with your friends.
Rating:
Summary: A delight!
Review: In addition to having a terrific "Nancy Drew 2000" story line and great characters, this book also features a fresh, clear illustration style and top-notch printing and production values. The succulent greens and juicy oranges really pop! Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A delight!
Review: In addition to having a terrific "Nancy Drew 2000" story line and great characters, this book also features a fresh, clear illustration style and top-notch printing and production values. The succulent greens and juicy oranges really pop! Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: She ain't your mother's Nancy Drew!
Review: One frequent failing of graphic novels is that even the best and most creative artists often fall down when it comes to a coherent plot. I'm happy to say that Little is both a skilled storyteller and a talented artist. (It might be fair to note, though, that he's married to novelist Myla Goldberg.) Dee is an eighteen-year-old employee of a New York City photo shop with responsibility for running the film processing machine. A pretty dull job, but she enjoys her semi-innocent hobby of making her own copies of the customers' weirder pictures, which she shares over lunch with her student friend, Lyla. Then a customer named Khatchatourian, who claims to be a crime scene photographer, brings her a roll of film featuring dead bodies, and she becomes suspicious. Dee, whose personality and style Little fleshes out very nicely, is basically a nosy person. Naturally, she embarks on a bit of amateur detective work but quickly finds herself in serious danger. Also naturally, nothing is what it seems. The supporting characters are well done, too, especially Rodney, the cabbie who also has a rock band and becames Dee's friend as well as chauffeur, and Huey, who works for Khatchatourian and has personality problems of his own. The background and the minor figures and "extras" who populate it are also given some individuality. I don't know if Little is planning further adventures for Dee, but I'll be watching for them.
Rating: 
Summary: Bee - A Heroine For A New Millennium
Review: One of the most common tidbits of literary advice that writers hear is to "show, not tell." In traditional fiction, this refers to describing what is happening rather than the narrator interpreting and justifying what occurs in a given scene. This same advice, in a very literal sense applies equally well for the graphic novelist. Ideally, the only items that need to be "told" would be the dialogue between characters. The "showing" is done through graphics. In "Shutterbug Follies" this advice is followed very well. The characters speak only when the pictures do not clearly show what their actions represent. The pictures decisively show characters taking action creating and solving problems. The dialogue is crisp and to the point. Dialects are handled, not with phonetic spellings, but with variations in syntax. In many ways, the graphic novel shares a lot with film. Both are visual media that rely heavily on the audience knowing only what can be shown pictorially. The advantage that the graphic novel has is that one person's vision dominates the development of the story. This gives Shutterbug Follies a focus and consistency that many films lack. "Shutterbug Follies" is the story of Bee, an eighteen year old girl, who by day works at a photo-mat deep in New York City. By night, she shares copies of the more interesting photos with her friend Lyla. When a photo of a female corpse in a bathtub catches her eye, Bee investigates further. She risks her life several times as she unravels the mystery behind the body. This story is well told, with a drawing style that is simple and direct. The pacing draws the reader forward smoothly and efficiently. There are no subtle, deeper meanings in this narrative and these illustrations. Jason Little's latest work, the graphic novel "Shutterbug Follies," is a pleasant diversion for an afternoon.
Rating:
Summary: hooray for Jason Little!
Review: Shutterbug Follies is wonderful. I have been following the episodes on Mr Little's web page ...waiting anxiously for the next episode. His drawing is wonderful, the colors are beautiful, and his unique perspective views are amazing. Yay for Bee!
Rating:
Summary: Great Little Story
Review: The plot to Shutter Bug Follies follows Bee, a recent high school graduate who lives with her parents in New York and runs the one hour photo machine at a convenience store. Her job is dull except for the fact that the person operating the photo machine gets to see all the photos. Bee is an amateur photographer and makes her own copies of any prints that interest her which she shares with her art school friend Lyla.
One day professional artist photographer Khatchatourian brings film for developing. His specialty is crime scene photography which exhibits in shows that comment on society. Allegedly he listens on police scanners and gets there first to get his gorrie pics. Bee wonders is he involved in real life crime? She begins to spy on him to try to find out.
The story here is well done. It keeps moving along well and until the very end you wonder if Bee is imagining everything or if Khatchatourian really is getting tips from crime syndicates. The characters are well developed, even secondary characters like Lyla and Khatchatourian's assistant. The graphics are nice too. One thing that I liked is that occasionally the orientation of the pages changes, so you turn the book side ways to read. This is done mid page, but cleverly so it is smooth.
This is a cute little mystery. It was good enough that I would read a sequel of it came out. There is a bit of nudity and the plot revolves around crime scene photography so be aware if you are giving this to a child.
Rating:
Summary: Revisiting this genre is such a pleasure!
Review: Used to be a huge fan of Tintin & Asterix in my teens, & then I grew up & graphic novels dropped off the radar. A friend gifted Shutterbug Follies, & I was hooked again. What a refreshing approach! Having made a few film shorts, I can see the amount of detail that's gone into each frame. The author even makes sure the shadows the objects cast look right! Quite an intelligent plot, so many clues dropped along the way...being not too smart, I had to revert back a couple of pages every so often because I just missed out on an important clue. The position of the woman's head in the bathtub - brilliant! never struck me. Got a bit hollywoodish at the very end, if you know what I mean. The cops & SOS on pagers & so forth....compromised a rather smart first-half. On the whole, it was an eye-opener, & a very fun read. I'm going to grab a whole bunch of graphic novels right away.
Rating:
Summary: Revisiting this genre is such a pleasure!
Review: Used to be a huge fan of Tintin & Asterix in my teens, & then I grew up & graphic novels dropped off the radar. A friend gifted Shutterbug Follies, & I was hooked again. What a refreshing approach! Having made a few film shorts, I can see the amount of detail that's gone into each frame. The author even makes sure the shadows the objects cast look right! Quite an intelligent plot, so many clues dropped along the way...being not too smart, I had to revert back a couple of pages every so often because I just missed out on an important clue. The position of the woman's head in the bathtub - brilliant! never struck me. Got a bit hollywoodish at the very end, if you know what I mean. The cops & SOS on pagers & so forth....compromised a rather smart first-half. On the whole, it was an eye-opener, & a very fun read. I'm going to grab a whole bunch of graphic novels right away.
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