Harlequin Valentine

Rating:
Summary: A good beginning...
Review: ... but it kinda peters out towards the end.

A lot of the other reviewers have covered the basic premise of the plot already so I won't repeat what's been said.

The artwork itself is beautiful, detailed painterly quality pictures by John Bolton. You won't be disappointed in that aspect. The color palete is cold (his Valentine is painted as a pale, waifish figure) but warm at the same time due to the splashes of red from the Harlequin's outfit and yes, his heart...

Personally, I found the story to be a little short, thus making it a bit unsatisfying for me. The beginning is promising with Harlequin pinning his heart to her door and Valentine's indifference as she removes the pin to take it down. She travels around town trying to find the owner of the heart but without explanation, knows who it is at the end by devouring it. Why would she devour it, this woman who had been clueless before?

All in all, this would have been better if Neil had fleshed the story out more. The characters seem to be 2-dimentional, at the precipice of being 3-dimentional had a bit more effort been made to do so. Great for diehard to midhard Gaiman fans, but not particularly impressive if it's your first Gaiman read.

Rating:
Summary: A flighty story of love and longing, mime and mystery style
Review: Based on the old mime shows, Gaimen has written a fickle and fun tale of love and hearts given freely; of yearning for the affection we all crave, and how we are sometimes oblivious to those who love us the most.

Told in the first person by Harlequin himself, he leads us through the giving of his heart, literally, to his beloved Columbine. Dancing across the pages, flitting through the city as he follows Missy, meeting up with his modern day cast of characters: Columbine, Peirrot, the Doctor, Pulcinella, Pantaloon, and others.

Gaimen has a particular talent with Graphic Novellas in that he manages to tell a rich, lush tale with only a few words. Harlequin Valentine is one of his better works, with artist John Bolton bringing Gaimen's story to life, animating it with sharp photographic quality characters cavorting in stark relief against fuzzy and uncertain backgrounds. This style of art work really brought Harlequin and Missy and the others directly to the center of our attention, keeping the focus on the characters despite the few words, and smoothing the flow of the tale to read like silken thoughts of love.

At the end of the story, Gaimen adds a short piece with a terrific explanation and glossary of the Harlequinade and its characters; which for those like me who are uneducated in older forms of theatrical art is a real bonus to the book. Also added as a tasty treat is a little tale called "Drawn in Darkness" that Gaimen added about artist John Bolton.

If you like Graphic Novels that have a softer, more playful side, you will love this particular Gaimen. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Poetic and absolutely loverly
Review: I'm not one to write lengthy reviews. So here's mine. Buy it. It's worth it.
Once I finished the book and put it back on the table.. my heart skipped a beat.

Rating:
Summary: attractive addition to the Gaiman fan's collection
Review: In this comic, Neil Gaiman, the auteur writer behind the wonderful, epic Sandman comics teams up with painterly artist John Bolton (who worked on Gaiman's fine original Books of Magic miniseries) in a one-shot comic based on the English variatons of the Italian commedia dell'arte characters of Harlequin, Columbine, Pantaloon, and the Doctor. Mr. Gaiman quite graciously and somewhat unusually offers background information on his source characters in an appendix following the main story. I would suggest you read the story, then the appendix, then re-read the story. This work could easily be seen as a companion piece to Gaiman and McKean's Mr. Punch. Familiar Gaiman themes are present here, delivered with the usual confidence, with no particular connection to the Sandman oeuvre other than a possible clue into the background of the Mad Hettie character. Bolton's work is clearly derived from photographs, too much so for my taste, but still attractive and effective. The lettering is fetching but very small. None of Gaiman's non-Sandman works are as continually rich and fascinating his Sandman masterwork, but this will make a fine addition to the Gaiman fan's library.

Rating:
Summary: Rat-a-tat-tat!
Review: Sometimes, when you want to tell your sweetheart how you feel, the only thing to do is tear that muscle that pumps your blood right out of your chest and afix it to your beloved's door with a hat pin. Rat-a-tat-tat! This way, you can determine if he, she or it is worthy of your devotion by studying how your cardiac offering is met. Some would-be lovers will spurn it. Some will shriek. If, like our Harlequin, you are besotted with a tow-headed beauty, lithe of limb, with "mermaid lips" and the most unflappable flaps that ever refused to commence with the flapping, your heart will likely wind up in a plastic baggy, safe and warm in Beauty's pocket, that is until - well, you're just going to have to read the book for that bit.

I first read this tale in prose form some five years ago, I think. I loved it then and I love it now. John Bolton's painted illustrations are perfect for the thing, pretty, sweet and dizzying like blue cotton candy and looking the wrong way on a carousel. Plus it's hardback. I like hardbacks. They make me feel skinny, smart and rich.

Rating:
Summary: Charming, quirky, and way too short
Review: This book is an odd mix of romance, tragedy, mythology, and humor... with a sprinkling of the grotesque. Typical Neil Gaiman, in other words. This short graphic novel follows Harlequin, the old clown of the italian commedia del'arte as he pursues his "Missy", the woman to whom he has given his heart for a Valentine gift. Missy, meanwhile, remains oblivious to his pursuit. The book also contains a brief discussion of the historical Harlequinade, Mr. Punch, and pantomime in general.

The story is bizarrely romantic, the twist ending moderately interesting, the language poetic, and the art by John Bolton nothing short of stunning (some panels look almost like photographs of real people, somehow done in pastel). The only issue I had with this book was that it seemed too short: we only see tantalizing glimpses of even the main characters. Undoubtedly Gaiman intended it this way, but I still would not have minded a bit more. All in all a good read, and well worth the pricetag.

Rating:
Summary: Charming, quirky, and way too short
Review: This book is an odd mix of romance, tragedy, mythology, and humor... with a sprinkling of the grotesque. Typical Neil Gaiman, in other words. This short graphic novel follows Harlequin, the old clown of the italian commedia del'arte as he pursues his "Missy", the woman to whom he has given his heart for a Valentine gift. Missy, meanwhile, remains oblivious to his pursuit. The book also contains a brief discussion of the historical Harlequinade, Mr. Punch, and pantomime in general.

The story is bizarrely romantic, the twist ending moderately interesting, the language poetic, and the art by John Bolton nothing short of stunning (some panels look almost like photographs of real people, somehow done in pastel). The only issue I had with this book was that it seemed too short: we only see tantalizing glimpses of even the main characters. Undoubtedly Gaiman intended it this way, but I still would not have minded a bit more. All in all a good read, and well worth the pricetag.

Rating:
Summary: I loved it!
Review: What a brilliant, brilliant book. I think it was the perfect length. Any longer and it might have gotten monotonous, and we simply cannot have THAT. Oh, this book was delicious. I ADORE all sorts of modern mythology, and we all know that Gaiman is the undisputed MASTER of that particular genre. Harlequin Valentine is a precious little romance with a vicious little twist at the end. So, sit down with a plate of hash browns and some ketchup, and enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: I loved it!
Review: What a brilliant, brilliant book. I think it was the perfect length. Any longer and it might have gotten monotonous, and we simply cannot have THAT. Oh, this book was delicious. I ADORE all sorts of modern mythology, and we all know that Gaiman is the undisputed MASTER of that particular genre. Harlequin Valentine is a precious little romance with a vicious little twist at the end. So, sit down with a plate of hash browns and some ketchup, and enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Sweet, strange and a tiny bit gruesome.
Review: What a strange story! Neil Gaiman is my favorite author, and as much as I love his longer novels (Coraline, American Gods, Neverwhere), he always proves himself best in short tales. And there is no greater treat than a lovingly illustrated, fantastically told graphic novel (adultspeak for: comic book). Harlequin Valentine is the perfect valentine's gift for that friend who prefers Morrisey to Celine Dion. It's a dark, bizarre twist on the commedia dell'Arte character Harlequin, as he follows his modern-day Columbine.

In short, the art is lovely, the story entertainingly bizarre, and Gaiman has once again created a beautiful story with one foot planted firmly in the annals of cultural history and the other in the wry, tongue-in-cheek modern world.