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bookishly_laura9813's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
pizzamyheart's review against another edition
5.0
Cute. I wasn't familiar with the original Rainbow Brite, except that it was from the 80's. I thought this was really fun and excited to continue the story. There are rumors that it's cancelled, but other rumors say it depends on performance with this volume. Personally I hope they continue. I think they have a nice little gem here.
bookdragonamy's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
crookedtreehouse's review against another edition
4.0
I have no nostalgia for the old Rainbow Brite series. I'm the right age where I was exposed to it, but never latched on to the brightly colored affair. Given my ignorance of its original context, and my extreme dislike of Whitley's My Little Pony series, I was leery of even flipping through this. But this is a great all-ages book. Two young girls into LARPing have realityadventures until one of them is transported to Rainbow Land after seeing some color-sucking demons.
I recommend this for anyone looking for an all-ages adventure. It's female character focused, and does have a cast with people of color (and, no, I'm not talking about the Rainbow Sprites).
I recommend this for anyone looking for an all-ages adventure. It's female character focused, and does have a cast with people of color (and, no, I'm not talking about the Rainbow Sprites).
ericawrites's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. Super cute and fun.. I don't really remember anything about the original tv show, except playing with my doll and stuffed sprites, so no nuanced comparison there.
papercrowns's review against another edition
3.0
Writing - 4 stars
Internal art - 2.5 stars
Well, this was disappointing. I loved the writing, and the take on the story, but the internal art was not my cup of tea, and it's been canceled before it really got started.
I loved the friendship between Wisp and Willow, and their relationships to their parents. Wisp's sense of doing what's right even when lacking confidence was really lovely, and Twinkle is positively charming. I also really enjoyed that the story takes its time to unfold, allowing Wisp some time to develop and for some world building.
The art was perfectly competent and not at all bad, but really just not to my tastes and I didn't think it quite supported the quality of the writing, but it might be your jam. I felt that it was a little generic and skimped on detail. The lack of backgrounds didn't help the world building that the writing took such care with. I'd have preferred it was more like the cover artwork, which was really quite lovely.
I'm all for reimagining characters, but a lot of these were misses for me. I loved the character design for Twinkle; he was so cute and expressive, so that was a win. But the design for Rainbow Brite didn't stick close enough to the original or push far enough towards something new. It seemed like just a loose impression of the original and didn't have much impact. I was so excited to meet my favorite Color Kid, and her reveal was so disappointing. I liked the explanation for her design, but it wasn't very pleasant visually, and seemed like an afterthought.
Even though I didn't connect with the art, the writing was strong, and I liked the characterizations and the time and care put into building the story bit by bit. To be canceled with no resolution after teasers for some really interesting developments is extremely unsatisfying and unfortunate.
So, give it a read if you're a Rainbow Brite fan, because there's a lot to like here, and the art might be your flavor. But be warned that the story doesn't resolve at all. Hopefully if the trade paperback sells well we might get more. I definitely think there's a lot of potential here to build on, so fingers crossed.
Internal art - 2.5 stars
Well, this was disappointing. I loved the writing, and the take on the story, but the internal art was not my cup of tea, and it's been canceled before it really got started.
I loved the friendship between Wisp and Willow, and their relationships to their parents. Wisp's sense of doing what's right even when lacking confidence was really lovely, and Twinkle is positively charming. I also really enjoyed that the story takes its time to unfold, allowing Wisp some time to develop and for some world building.
The art was perfectly competent and not at all bad, but really just not to my tastes and I didn't think it quite supported the quality of the writing, but it might be your jam. I felt that it was a little generic and skimped on detail. The lack of backgrounds didn't help the world building that the writing took such care with. I'd have preferred it was more like the cover artwork, which was really quite lovely.
I'm all for reimagining characters, but a lot of these were misses for me. I loved the character design for Twinkle; he was so cute and expressive, so that was a win. But the design for Rainbow Brite didn't stick close enough to the original or push far enough towards something new. It seemed like just a loose impression of the original and didn't have much impact. I was so excited to meet my favorite Color Kid, and her reveal was so disappointing. I liked the explanation for her design, but it wasn't very pleasant visually, and seemed like an afterthought.
Even though I didn't connect with the art, the writing was strong, and I liked the characterizations and the time and care put into building the story bit by bit. To be canceled with no resolution after teasers for some really interesting developments is extremely unsatisfying and unfortunate.
So, give it a read if you're a Rainbow Brite fan, because there's a lot to like here, and the art might be your flavor. But be warned that the story doesn't resolve at all. Hopefully if the trade paperback sells well we might get more. I definitely think there's a lot of potential here to build on, so fingers crossed.
glanecia's review against another edition
5.0
This is completely different than the beloved Rainbow Brite that I grew up with, but it still somehow managed to capture the hope, love, and laughter that went along with the show. Well done.
quirkycatsfatstacks's review against another edition
4.0
I received a copy of Rainbow Brite through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Does anybody else remember the Rainbow Brite TV series? Or was it a movie? I can’t remember that much now, but I do remember being completely obsessed with the character when I was little. So I’m not ashamed to admit that I wanted to read this graphic novel in hopes of a heavy dose of nostalgia.
And I wasn’t disappointed. Rainbow Brite was more or less exactly like I remembered, though of course this graphic novel did do a few fun twists with it. A fact that I can appreciate – we can’t have the story going stale now, can we?
This new graphic novel is being marketed towards kids and adults alike. To be honest, I think that a younger audience will appreciate the story more. Us adults will appreciate the memories though, so there’s that.
And in case you’re still wondering, yes, this graphic novel is in fact an origin story of the one and only Rainbow Brite. Take what you will from that.
This story follows Wisp and Willow. Two best friends who have no idea for the adventures that are in store for them. To be honest, their adventures started off as charming, but otherwise fairly slow. It was nice to get a chance to get to know both characters, of course. And I will give bonus points for the larping reference, which was totally unexpected.
This was a fun read, on the whole. I’m not going to pretend that it lived up to the expectations set by my childhood memory. But realistically that was an unfair comparison to begin with. I will be curious to see what new fans think of this tale, without all of the expectations and biases of older fans.
For what it’s worth, I’m happy to have read it. Though I’m not entirely sure that I would continue the series. This was mostly a fun standalone or experience for me.
For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Does anybody else remember the Rainbow Brite TV series? Or was it a movie? I can’t remember that much now, but I do remember being completely obsessed with the character when I was little. So I’m not ashamed to admit that I wanted to read this graphic novel in hopes of a heavy dose of nostalgia.
And I wasn’t disappointed. Rainbow Brite was more or less exactly like I remembered, though of course this graphic novel did do a few fun twists with it. A fact that I can appreciate – we can’t have the story going stale now, can we?
This new graphic novel is being marketed towards kids and adults alike. To be honest, I think that a younger audience will appreciate the story more. Us adults will appreciate the memories though, so there’s that.
And in case you’re still wondering, yes, this graphic novel is in fact an origin story of the one and only Rainbow Brite. Take what you will from that.
This story follows Wisp and Willow. Two best friends who have no idea for the adventures that are in store for them. To be honest, their adventures started off as charming, but otherwise fairly slow. It was nice to get a chance to get to know both characters, of course. And I will give bonus points for the larping reference, which was totally unexpected.
This was a fun read, on the whole. I’m not going to pretend that it lived up to the expectations set by my childhood memory. But realistically that was an unfair comparison to begin with. I will be curious to see what new fans think of this tale, without all of the expectations and biases of older fans.
For what it’s worth, I’m happy to have read it. Though I’m not entirely sure that I would continue the series. This was mostly a fun standalone or experience for me.
For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
akmargie's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to love this because I can't begin to express how much Rainbow Brite was my childhood idol. But...as much as I appreciate this reimagining for a new generation of readers there were a few too many text-heavy pages that were exposition heavy and threw off the pacing of the story some. I sense that once the world is more established that will go away. Over the art style was fun and brite (hehe) and I'm interested to see how this title develops.
thorwantsanotherletter's review against another edition
4.0
I grew up watching Rainbow Brite, so when I saw this at my library I thought, why not give it a shot. I wasn't disappointed, however it felt like it took a bit long for anything big to happen. I LOVED that it took more time to explain parts and lore, so that was certainly different. Just when it was getting good it ended. I hope I can get Vol 2 for my library!!