The Forbidden Harbour V1 by Teresa Radic

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Forbidden Harbour was first published in Italy in 2015 and is divided into four parts. Europe Comics has finally made it possible for a lot of readers to understand it by releasing the English version of the graphic novel. It is about the story of a teen boy, Abel, who was rescued in the ocean one night after the disappearance of Captain Stevenson from the navy ship, Explorer.

When Abel was saved, he can't remember anything aside from his name. William Roberts, the first officer of the ship, took him under his care by making him a cabin boy. When they returned to England, Abel saw the so-called Forbidden Harbour. One of the crew told him that not everyone could see it and that only a few could see and enter it.

When they got in the town, William introduced Abel to the three daughters left by the missing Captain, who also owns the Albatross Inn. Abel stayed in that family lodge and look for jobs to pay to for his accommodation. The second daughter of the Captain, Heather, introduced Abel to Rebecca, the one who manages the brothel in town. Later, he does some errands for Rebecca such as buying supplies in the market and reading her poems. It is Rebecca who told Abel what is happening to him and that they are in the same situation. She slowly makes Abel aware that he has some tasks to do and it's up to him to know what he should do.

I like the story of Forbidden Harbour, however, the poems in the story is a bit hard to comprehend and that it could be much better if the penciled illustrations were colored to make them livelier. The ending of this first part is a huge cliffhanger also which is a great dismay to me. Overall, I'm giving this a 3-star rating, but I'm still hopeful that the second installment would be much better and is action-packed.

The Photographer of Mauthausen by Salva Rubio

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another great World War II-related material that narrates about the crimes of the Nazi German. The story is about the Spanish photographer, Francisco Boix, who is a prisoner of war by the Germans in Mauthausen. He was first assigned in the quarry as a way to exterminate him just like the others. Luckily, he was later moved to the identification department of the camp.

Being a photographer for the German Army means developing photos of the soldiers and their families, which will be sent back home to their loved ones. Another task for them is to photograph and identify the prisoners when they arrived. Some photos also capture fake condition of the prisoners such as that they are healthy, well fed, and happy. These photos were used as a propaganda to deceive people that the camps were safe and that the prisoners lived well. The pictures were also used in the brochures to be sent to factories and quarries because the prisoners were offered as slave laborers.

When a prisoner died, a photo was taken and preserved in the Nazi Archives. As for illegal executions, another photo was taken in the art form to elevate death and that was what Francisco found out while being in the aforementioned department in the camp.

All the atrocities that the Nazi German's did such as throwing prisoners off the cliff; escape attempts when in reality they were pushed or forced themselves into the electrified fences; prisoners beaten to death, shot in the back of the head, hanging themselves; and experimentation by the doctors pushed Francisco that he wants the whole world to know what's is really happening.

After reading this graphic novel, I searched for Francisco Boix's photographs and looking at them are remarkably shocking and terrifying, most particularly the photo of the man that was hanged using a belt. Reading the cruel acts performed during the WWII was already horrifying, what more if people could see the photos that captured them.

The Photographer of Mauthausen is a must-read for those who are into reading anything about the WWII. The story of Francisco Boix and his perseverance and bravery is truly admirable and that should be set as an example to all.

In Search of Peter Pan by Cosey

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love how this graphic novel was brilliantly illustrated and that the story is worth reading. However, I don't know if it's just me but I didn't understand how the title could mirror the storyline, or on how it was related to it. Perhaps, I missed an important detail while reading this, but I reckon that there is a much-suitable title that could reflect or summarize the story.

Southbound! by Zidrou

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Glorious Summers: 1 Southbound is a graphic novel that narrates the supposedly final summer vacation of the Belgian family, Faldérault, before the parents' plan of divorce. Their adventure going south to France gave some time for the parents, Pierre and Maddie, to reflect on their life together and how much they really love their family. A great short-read that will also make you want to join them because of how fun they were having on their journey.

Lydie by Zidrou

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The story of Lydie will leave readers on thinking of what could be real or not, especially the ending. While reading the unfortunate story of Camille, I can't help but sympathize with her loss. I could be just like her neighbors who tried to understand her situation and just let her believe that her baby came alive. They were not making a fool out of her by trying to act as if what she was saying is true, hence, they thought it is the only way to make Camille at least be happy and still go on with her life.

Lydie is a graphic novel that will teach us about empathy, love, friendship, and faith. Lastly, the mystery in the ending is another great way to end the story of Camille and the people of Mustachioed Baby Court. It is quite thought-provoking and will make you think of who is really the sane one and what is the truth.

Limited Edition by Aude Picault

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Limited Edition tackles some real-life issues that women were experiencing, such as still being single in their 30s, pregnancy, and being in a relationship. I'm quite sure that women will appreciate the tale of Claire in this graphic novel, and they will be able to relate to some of the topics addressed in the story.

Macaroni ! by Vincent Zabus

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Macaroni! is a graphic novel that is based on the real story of Ottavio Rosetto: an Italian who became a miner in Belgium. The narrative spans through three-generations and depicts about the hardships of those who worked in the mines and the ghosts of the past.

Ottavio, or Romeo’s grandpa in the story, is an Italian immigrant who chose to become a miner in order to support her wife and son. Throughout the story, his past haunts him that makes him a bitter and an always irritated man. But the visit of Romeo has opened the door to the life and struggles his grandpa has encountered.

The story of Macaroni! will teach us about empathy and love for our family, and on how we should try to reach out to our older relatives, just like our grandparents. We should spend some time getting to know them because not only we can learn a lot from their experiences in life, but caring for them is a way of respect and showing our gratitude for all of what they have sacrificed.

Clara by Christophe Lemoine

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Clara is a heart-rending story about a little girl who lost her mother because of illness. Before her mother passed away, she gave her daughter Clara the doll she used to own when she was still a kid. Death is not an easy topic to discuss with children like Clara, but because of her dad and grandma's patience to explain to her what happened, she was able to understand about her mother's death.

Kids in Clara's age has a vivid imagination, so maybe it is her wild imagination that the doll talks or it is really true that have the ability to talk. Nevertheless, that doll that was also named Clara by her mother helped her cope up with on her mourning.
Clara is a great graphic novel that could be used by parents or teachers to educate children about the concept of death and how to deal with it.

Review: Second Generation - The Things I Didn't Tell My Father

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Second Generation is a graphic novel written and illustrated by Michel Kichka. It tells about not only the story of his dad, Henri, but also how the author and his siblings grew up with a parent who was a Holocaust survivor. The recollections of what happened to Michel's dad in this book are less vivid and haunting compared to the other books I've read before that tackles the same topic.
However, I found the ending a little bit odd and abrupt. Nonetheless, it's an entertaining graphic novel that will like by readers.