GloomCookie

GloomCookie #1-6

by Serena Valentino, Ted Naifeh

GloomCookie s'attache à suivre les pas d'un groupe de personnages aux destins liés... de façon tout à fait originale. Il y a Lex, laquelle est amoureuse de Max. Max n'éprouve rien pour elle (quoique...) et aime la faire marcher. Il y a Isabella, la " Reine " de la communauté goth, qui aime exercer son emprise sur les autres. Et enfin, il y a Sebastian, lequel ignore tout de son passé, et sa petite amie, Chrys, qui n'aurait pas fait de mal à une mouche avant de rencontre le monstre caché sous le lit de Sebastian. Bref, il se passe beaucoup de choses dans les récits de Serena Valentino et Ted Naifeh : trahisons, amours déçues, mauvaise poésie et monstres sous le lit sont au rendez-vous pour les protagonistes de ce conte de fées moderne.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Horror, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Goth

200 pages, Hardcover

First published January 26, 2001

About the author

Serena Valentino is best known for weaving tales that combine mythos and guile with her work on the comic book series GloomCookie and Nightmares & Fairy Tales, and her best selling Disney Villain Novels which have earned her critical acclaim for her unique style of storytelling, bringing her readers into exquisitely frightening worlds filled with terror, beauty and extraordinary female protagonists.

Her Disney Villain novel series would be best enjoyed if read in this order: Fairest of All: The Story of the Wicked Queen, The Beast Within: The Story of Belle’s Prince, Poor Unfortunate Soul: A Tale of the Sea Witch, Mistress of All Evil: A Tale of the Dark Fairy. Mother Knows Best: A Tale of the Old Witch and The Odd Sisters: A Villains Book to be released in Summer 2019. Book 7 will be out Summer 2020, Book 8 summer of 2021, and Book 9 Summer of 2022.

Serena lives in New Orleans with her dog Gozer, and a very tiny kitty named Momma.



Contact: Serena@serenavalentino.com

Reviews

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gloomcookie reminds me so much of all my lovely and drama-filled goths in all their extravagant finery. It's sweet, dark, fun and yes, there's bound to be a real-life version of bad goth poet Vermilion somewhere. Serena Valentino knows this scene and writes both lovingly and bitingly about it while embracing its fantasy elements as well. Ted Naifeh's illustrations are amazing, especially Lex and Max--our woebegone couple. Will they or won't they?

[Dev · Rating 2 out of 5]

You'd think this would be right up my alley but I just found the whole thing to be incredibly boring and childish ...not to mention confusing. It's set up like a manga and each chapter [6 total] have between 2 and 4 short stories in it. They all kind of loosely connect and I could see them coming together a bit towards the end, but mostly it just seemed like random out of order snippets and AUs and I was not sure what was going on or why I should care. Also the whole thing has that stuck up late 90s / early 2000s ~we're better than those fucking preps~ vibe that I just find so exhausting. Like ...grow up?

[BookCupid · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short stories about a group of Gothic characters, some monstrous others simply hexed, who more than anything want to be loved. The drawings were strangely artistic and disproportionate, nothing like I've seen before. Be sure to read vol 2, to see what happens to these characters, since many of their woes remained inconclusive.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a huge fan of Disney villains, I first discovered Serena Valentino several years ago when I discovered her novel Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen, a prequel to the Disney movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Fairest quickly became one of my favorite novels of all time upon reading it. She has since published several more books that take place in the same universe, effectively creating her own universe in which most (if not all) classic Disney movies seem to coexist. Not too long after becoming a fan of Serena and her writing, I also discovered that she had two series of graphic novels, one titled Gloom Cookie and the other titled Nightmares & Fairy Tales, but it has taken me a long time to get to start reading them because, as Serena has stated herself, they are now out of print and difficult to find, and I have begun reading the Gloom Cookie series due to having put holds on the books through the interlibrary loan system via the college where I teach. My hope is that I will be able to continue to do this for the entirety of both series because I absolutely love the first volume of Gloom Cookie, and much is left unresolved at the end of this first volume (which collects the first six issues of the series). Serena Valentino is the writer, and Ted Naifeh is the artist, and both the writing and the somewhat Burtonesque art come together to create a wonderful blend of gothic beauty and comedy, and while I know that there is probably almost no chance of this ever happening, I think that Gloom Cookie would make a great television series. While it may be true that some of the characters, such as the bad gothic poet Vermilion, are simplified and seem to function more as caricatures than fully developed characters, that works well toward the purpose of Gloom Cookie's world, which seems to playfully and affectionately poke fun at and parody gothic culture and gothic art: "At first he seemed really cool and stuff," Lex (the story's lead heroine) explains to her friends as she recounts a date gone wrong with the aforementioned Vermilion. "He even planned a picnic at the graveyard" (Valentino 55). Perhaps the most intriguing character is the story's primary villain, Queen Isabella; even though she is spiteful and vengeful, the story frequently hints at the possibility that there is literally more to her than meets the eye, and her slim figure, black attire, and horned head (she can actually be seen on the graphic novel's cover art) all come together in order to remind me a great deal of Maleficent. I, in fact, recently sent Selena a message and told her that, and she said, "She was an inspiration. I've always loved Maleficent." (There is even a scene in Gloom Cookie that is definitely intended to be reminiscent of the iconic christening scene from the opening of Sleeping Beauty. Much of the narrative, in fact, seems reminiscent of classic fairy tales.) I also love the anachronisms seen throughout the story; many of the story's elements (such as Pukémon, Icky Martin, The Spice Sluts, and The Backyard Boys seen as posters on characters' bedroom walls) seem to place it in the late 1990s or early 2000s (which is actually when Serena originally penned the story), but other elements (such as Victorian attire and hansoms) seem to place it centuries sooner than that. I absolutely love Gloom Cookie, and there is only one reason why I award it four stars rather than the full five stars: there are several rather annoying errors throughout, such as their or there being placed where it should be they're, your being placed where it should be you're, etc., and with part of the story being set in New Orleans, the infamous serial killer Madame Delphine LaLaurie is mentioned, but her name is (perhaps intentionally?) misspelled as Madame Le Lori. As someone who majored in English in college and now teaches it, I cannot help but notice such errors and be (slightly) annoyed by them, but they do little to nothing to take much away from the story. As aforementioned, I adore Gloom Cookie and am really looking forward to reading the second volume.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Squishy and fun!

[Vanessa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I remember buying this graphic novel years ago, and I never finished it. After picking it up around an hour ago and reading the whole thing, I know remember why.

Gloom Cookie is a comic that I would have expected to love. As a former weird, 'emo' kid at school, there is still a little bit of the goth child inside of me who is fascinated by all those tall dark strangers with the leather and pvc and black lipstick who used to dominate my local rock club back in the day (before it went downhill basically). However, Gloom Cookie unfortunately comes across as incredibly childish, with haphazard story lines that could have been good if they had been developed a lot better.

I didn't really like the main character Lex, and I didn't really care what happened to her. Although some of the characters I did like, again I observed their antics with a certain level of ambivalence, and when I closed the book I was surprised at how quickly I'd read it. For a 200+ page graphic novel, you'd think I would have spent more time invested in it, but there was nothing for me to get invested in.

Although some of the more fantastical elements started out well, they just didn't really go anywhere or serve the plot (if you can call it that) very well. Key moments were rushed, and I felt like I was constantly missing something when it came to why certain events happened. Overall, a disappointing read - but I guess I had expected that from the start anyway.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A goth soap opera/fairy tale! Filled with misunderstood monsters, vengeful curses, sensitive misfits, melodramatic romance, decadent settings, vampy outfits, bad poetry, and hilarious parodies of Goth angst and Gothlette cattiness, this is full of sweet, guilty pleasures that won't leave you feeling icky or stupid afterwards. The artwork is just as delectable. Out of the first three in the series - the only ones I've read so far - this has the best illustrations.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories and drawings from this were just squishy. I loved the monster and the carnival macabre. Other elements were oogie. Some of the writing was awkward ("their" instead of "they're", etc.) but the bits that were delightful were so pleasing when coupled with the art that they carried me through. I would say some parts of this book averaged 4 stars and others 2, hence the overall score of 3.

[CJ - It's only a Paper Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Really really good graphic novel...this is only the beginning of the story as well. incorporates a lot of fairy tale myths and goth culture. It's dark, funny, weird and human.

Good good read!

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gothic fairy tale about love. Not quite as good as Valentino Fairy Tale series, but worth the read.

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Serena Valentino is an author on my watch list. Not that she’s a favorite; I’ve read other novels by her and rated them with less than four or five stars. But she has an inventiveness about her that I find enticing.

That imagination is on full display here. Filled with man-eating girls, pretty boys turning into unexpected monsters, evil queens with their own inner pains alongside typical romantic power games by people desperate for love in all the wrong places, runaway spouses and bad poetry (!), this book is a goth lover’s delight. The black-and-white drawings are stark, exaggerated, oddball and yet mysteriously endearing.

Beauty is subjective and therefore exists in the strangest places. Humor and horror can exist side by side. Ms. Valentino understands the goth sensibility. It’s not about suicidal thoughts, an unending depression, the desire for self-harm nor a constant negativity that makes you so awful people can’t stand to be in your company. It’s about appreciating the darker aspects of life, of knowing that death is part of what makes life special and that there is joy and wonder to be found in the things that haunt the night.

Those with a taste for the deliciously macabre—like chocolates in the shape of pumpkins and bats—will devour these pages and come up hungry for more.

[Arnela · Rating 3 out of 5]

By the art I figured we'd be getting something more along the vein of JTHM. We sorta did, it's very gothic, but way less violent for the kinds of creatures that are involved.

It's romance story, Gothic, but very modern. It deals with ancient monsters, and a traveling freak show, and reincarnation; just a lot of stuff to unpack. I wasn't a really big fan of the first few chapters, mostly cause we get little snippets here and there of there maybe being more to the story than meets the eye [I know it's supposed to pique interest but it just wasn't enough to pique mine]. The story really picks up in the last few chapters, but I still didn't get much more enjoyment out of it. It's good, it's just that the story is very fast paced, things happen really quickly, there's barely any buildup to the climax and the action, and it's over so fast that it doesn't leave much of an impression.

It has the spooky gothic design to it, but if it just had the same sort of pacing it probably would have worked better [in my opinion].

[Sierra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I sought this book out after reading Courtney Crumrin (which I love), and this was pretty different than I was expecting. It of course the dark gothic style, but this had an interesting plot. All the different stories connect but nothing is ever explain directly, and it works. You get the story even if it never truly explain and parts missing. I enjoyed this, not as much as Courtney Crumrin, but it was still really good.
The characters are really disruptionate, but I think that on purpose. The large the character the more knowledge and power they have. Sebastian and Lex know next to nothing and their the smallest characters. But Damion, Vincent, and Isabella all seem to know the full history and are powerful (enough to be scared of the other), and are larger. It's how I saw it anyways.

[Carson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is impossible to find but if you're lucky enough to read it, it's fantastic. It features a boy accompanied by "Vincent Price", sarcasm, and a villain, to use the term loosely, named Vermillion, among other things. There are six volumes total, some of the best comics have to offer.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's some essential essence of the feeling of being part of a goth club-going community in the late 90s & early 00s that is captured in this series, especially this first volume.

(Based on my read of the individual issues when they came out)

[Klay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really more of a 4.5

[Stacy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not for me. Couldn't finish. It just didn't grab me. And it was really simplistic, imho.

[saradevil · Rating 4 out of 5]

What you can imagine in a real life goth fairy tale. In some ways hilariously close to actual goth life.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminds me of the Courtney Crumrin series, but more adult. I like Sebastian best! Most of the characters are some version of monster.

[Danni · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were a couple of spelling and grammatical errors in this which kind of bothered me, but overall I enjoyed it. I especially loved Damion and Sebastian!

[Sarah Thornton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the publisher, the artists and the authors but this just doesn't hit the note I was hoping for. I guess it's a different time now and we've all grown up.

[Althea Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first 'graphic novel' or compendium of this comic book, which is written by Valentino, and has been illustrated by different artists of her choosing. The art in this volume is all by Naifeh. I'd heard about this 'gothic' comic for a while, and my interest was piqued, so I picked it up from the library.

The story centers around a group of people in a goth scene, and features many stereotypes and kinds of characters that will quickly be recognized by anyone who's hung out in such a scene, with a focus on social drama. It aims for witty, pointed social satire... but a lot of it is just too obvious, (or just not interesting enough) to be really funny. But the thing that really bothered me about it was the plethora of misspellings. In this volume, which is fairly short, there are over a dozen misspelled words that I counted, including inconsistency in the spelling of a character's name, fer chrissakes! It was incredibly distracting - I found myself counting typos rather than concentrating on the story.

The story is rather cute - it features a cute little girl who is in love with a boy who doesn't want to commit to her. Her arch-rival at the clubs is also always trying to steal him from her. But then she hooks up with her arch-rival's boyfriend, and discovers a secret - he and her rival are actually secretly monsters from a fantasy realm... it's a nice concept - but with a little more care put into the presentation, I would have enjoyed it more.

[Ezekiel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Content Notes: nudity, death, boundary violations, fatphobia in artist depictions


This was... nice? The structure, motifs, use of fantasy themes was all nice. The art was nice too, very stylistic and engaging (black line only). One problem I definitely do have though with the art was the way fatphobia presented itself, the main creeper character is a (relatively) fat guy, and no other characters are fat. I'm also going to critique the hell out of the fact that apparently only white people can be goths? Like, imagine some racial diversity, yo.

I think I would have liked this more as a teenager, when life felt more melodramatic in general (for me). Though also I think I would have felt like the "cool" characters in the world would have judged me. There was also a mary/gary stu quality that I couldn't decide if I respected (because who DOESN'T want to sometimes just be that gorgeous person who is wonderful and loved, and hey rock your fantasy wish-fulfillment self) or found annoying (because uhhhh eternal love and perfect boyfriends and whatnot is sort of boring/unenjoyable in a "yeah every time I fantasized about that it was a terrible idea" sort of way).

All in all I'm willing to read the next volume and see how that feels, but I'm not SO STOKED about it. Just sort of mildly interested.

[Misty · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is probably just under a 3 for me. It was cutish, fun artwork, interestingish fairytale-like storylines. Not a great piece of lit, but fun.

The basic story revolves around a group of goth club kids, some of whom are not so much "kids" as they are -- well, that would be telling, now wouldn't it?
The story is slightly cheeky, making fun of the scene in the way that only people who are a part of it and sincere can really do. There are a lot of fairytale elements woven in, and a creepy carnival, both of which I loved, and there are some good funny bits. What held it back though, for me at least, was the constant sense of disconnect. The stories jumped a lot, and though they do fit together, and eventually work as a whole (in one volume) I think they would have been frustrating individually. Also, some of the changes within the stories are very abrupt and underdeveloped. For a light, fun, slightly macabre read, it works, but it doesn't go beyond that.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

What starts as what seems a random collection of unrelated stories slowly but surely start to coalesce, especially by volume 2. By then, you're likely hooked as the big picture unfolds.

The artwork is stylized but clean and the text is sparse and easy to follow. The writer has clearly defined the characters and they make sense in this sort of alternate fantastical reality.

I originally picked up the first volume at the library and wasn't expecting much. But after the first volume, I definitely was hooked and have enjoyed the little original touches to this unique story.

If I have one complaint (and the reason for the 4 rather than 5 star) is that I would have preferred a consistent artwork and style throughout the series.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit mixed on this one. The art varies from crude to subtle, especially with the faces but overall it serves the stories well, especially considered how disjointed the stories can seem to be.

I enjoyed the common thread that runs through all of the stories but found them overall a bit hard to follow at first, I had to go back and reread the first few stories a few times to get my bearings, but once I figured out what was going on most everything else started to fall into place. I also enjoyed the mix of humor and darkness, the dramatic and the romantic that fill every story. The balance isn't perfect with this either, but like the uneven seeming art it fit the story somehow.

[Pamster · Rating 3 out of 5]

A goth soap opera mixing the social politics of clubbing with supernatural intrigue, this graphic novel is super quick and fun. I kind of want to color it in all purple and pink. It serves as a good reminder that goth men are incredibly not hot. Like not hot to an extreme, like that is their whole entire mission is to not be hot even a tiny little bit. Not even warm. Recommended by Michelle, partly because she loves it, and partly because there is a character called Vermilion who is her boyf.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collects the first six issues of the goth comic Gloomcookie. This was enjoyable; I really like the characters (especially Sebastian). It takes a while to pick up the pace, though, and form a solid storyline, and I felt that a lot of the story elements were sort of glossed over or not explained properly. Also, while Ted Naifeh is great at drawing facial expressions and characters, his action sequences are really confusing and tend towards the static. If the library gets the other collections, I'll check them out, though.

[#ReadAllTheBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this series up because it was recommended to me. I loved this book & it's artwork. The characters were cute, but at times I felt like the stories were a bit too fragmented. The storyline was very clear & linear, but at times I felt like the artists could have spent just a teensy bit more time filling in the blank spots between stories. There are parts to the story that just could have used a bit more finesse. Still, I would definately recommend this to fans of Courtney Crumrin, JTHM, Lenore, & Fables.

[Carson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a wonderful series that was so hard for me to find at the library. This is in my top five books to have if I was stranded on a desert island. Ted Naifeh's art is perfect for the plot and characterization of Valentino's work.
All characters are loved, even the almost always bothersome Vermillion. You will start thinking Vermilion is an awesome name by the end of the series.
Mostly, I can't describe how much I love this series because it is infinity and beyond. It is the perfect quirky.