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Far Out Fairy Tales
Far Out Fairy Tales
What do you get when classic fairy tales are twisted about, turned inside out, and reworked for the graphic novel format? Far Out Fairy Tales! Discover what Snow White would be like if she were raised by robots. Find out how Cinderella's story plays out when she walks the path of the ninja. Play along when three billy goats named Gruff get stuck inside a video game. Chase down the Big Bad Wolf with the help of a super-powered Red Riding Hood!
173 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2015
208 people are currently reading
158 people want to read
About the author
Louise Simonson
968 books101 followersLouise Simonson (born Mary Louise Alexander and formerly credited as Louise Jones, when married to artist Jeff Jones) is an American comic book writer and editor. She is best known for her work on comic book titles such as Power Pack, X-Factor, New Mutants, Superman, and Steel. She is sometimes referred to by the nickname "Weezie".
Since 1980 she is married to comic book writer and artist Walter Simonson
Since 1980 she is married to comic book writer and artist Walter Simonson
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
December 21, 2016
Wow! This was some terrific fun!
Here we have five retellings of some very familiar tales, and the authors have made them more appealing (and empowering) to today's young girls.
- Cinderella longs to be a ninja. Her dream is not to marry the prince, but to become his bodyguard.
- Little Red Riding Hood uses her super powers to battle a big, bad wolf and save her granny, who just happens to be the President. Can she keep her true identity hidden from her mom?
- The Three Billy Goats Gruff (the only story not featuring female protagonists) eat some strange pixelated mushrooms and wind up in a video game.
- Snow White takes refuge with seven robots when the Wicked Queen asks who's the smartest in the land.
- And it's Zombie Hansel & Gretel against Mrs. Witch. Will she serve them up on a platter before they can eat her brain?
Lots of action, nice artwork - this is a very cute read for fairy tale fans of all ages!
Here we have five retellings of some very familiar tales, and the authors have made them more appealing (and empowering) to today's young girls.
- Cinderella longs to be a ninja. Her dream is not to marry the prince, but to become his bodyguard.
- Little Red Riding Hood uses her super powers to battle a big, bad wolf and save her granny, who just happens to be the President. Can she keep her true identity hidden from her mom?
- The Three Billy Goats Gruff (the only story not featuring female protagonists) eat some strange pixelated mushrooms and wind up in a video game.
- Snow White takes refuge with seven robots when the Wicked Queen asks who's the smartest in the land.
- And it's Zombie Hansel & Gretel against Mrs. Witch. Will she serve them up on a platter before they can eat her brain?
Lots of action, nice artwork - this is a very cute read for fairy tale fans of all ages!
November 15, 2022
A fun idea with great execution. Grimm's fairy tales with a modern day twist. Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, and Hansel and Gretel were my favorites.
Received an advance copy from NetGalley.
Received an advance copy from NetGalley.
February 18, 2016
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As you can probably guess if you are familiar with previous read and reviewed titles, I can never get tired of fairytale retellings, that's for sure. Be them dark and gruesome or on the contrary, cute and funny, I'll think twice before refusing the chance to read them.
Far Out Fairytales is a collection of classic tales with modern twists in a graphic novel format, illustrated by various authors. While I can't say I absolutely loved all five of them, I definitely enjoyed seeing the twists, some being clever, others just silly.
It was also a great idea to include a list of every major plot point that was changed from the original story, although the main ones can be very well guessed from the cover:
- Cinderella is a ninja
- Hansel and Gretel could be proud cast members of the Walking Dead
- Red Riding Hood is nothing other than a superhero.
These three were the stories I most enjoyed, while the others didn't quite manage to grab my attention.
But this title is aimed towards children and I can guarantee they will be entertained, especially if they already are familiar with the classics. We all know kids these days get bored very quickly so it's always nice to offer them a new and exciting thing.
As you can probably guess if you are familiar with previous read and reviewed titles, I can never get tired of fairytale retellings, that's for sure. Be them dark and gruesome or on the contrary, cute and funny, I'll think twice before refusing the chance to read them.
Far Out Fairytales is a collection of classic tales with modern twists in a graphic novel format, illustrated by various authors. While I can't say I absolutely loved all five of them, I definitely enjoyed seeing the twists, some being clever, others just silly.
It was also a great idea to include a list of every major plot point that was changed from the original story, although the main ones can be very well guessed from the cover:
- Cinderella is a ninja
- Hansel and Gretel could be proud cast members of the Walking Dead
- Red Riding Hood is nothing other than a superhero.
These three were the stories I most enjoyed, while the others didn't quite manage to grab my attention.
But this title is aimed towards children and I can guarantee they will be entertained, especially if they already are familiar with the classics. We all know kids these days get bored very quickly so it's always nice to offer them a new and exciting thing.
May 21, 2016
An omnibus collection of five previously published graphic novel retellings of fairytales by Capstone. These are wild, silly "far out" pastiches and written by familiar names who often write for Capstone. I was thrilled to find "Oddly Normal" author Otis Frampton among those names but his ended up not being my favourite, that honour goes to "Super Billy Goats Gruff" by Sean Tulien. The art is superb throughout and while a few different artists' work appears it is mostly cohesive together, only one did not suit my tastes. Overall, an excellent collection for fairy tale enthusiasts. Also, each story ends with a page of text telling the original story and it's history and is followed by a graphic visual of the changes between the original and the "Far Out" version.
1. Ninja-rella by Joey Comeau (Omar Lozano) - The art is wonderful. It's very angular, bold and colourful! The story is very similar to the Perrault tale we are all familiar with few exceptions but the theme. Cinderella is into being a ninja and changes her name after her mum dies. She practices all the time with a glass Katana sword. After being orphaned the steps treat her as we expect but the story changes when Ninja-rella dreams of going to the ball so she can meet the prince and become his personal bodyguard! Thankfully, her Godninja shows up just in time. Cute! (4/5)
2. Red Riding Hood, Superhero by Otis Frampton - I was thrilled to see this comic by the author of the "Oddly Normal" series. Of course, the art is great and there are lots of funny moments of dialogue. This retelling totally refreshes the original. The only basic element the same is in which Red named Ruby, is on her way to see her Granny and intercepted by the Big Bad Wolf. However, BBW is out to kidnap Granny who just happens to be the President of the United States. The story is full of action as she takes on Professor Grimm, a man who was bitten by a radioactive wolf, now a werewolf. We even get a flasback to Riding Hood's origin story of her superpowers which reside in the cape/hood and it's pretty cute. Another fun tale for the intended audience. (4/5)
3. Super Billy Goats Gruff by Sean Tulien (Fernando Cano) - This one is hilarious. Only slightly keeps some basic elements of the original tale. The three goats set off over the hill to find some grass to eat and end up eating three strange shaped mushrooms which zap them straight into a video game. All the essential video game tropes ensue including fighting level bosses until they beat the creature on the bridge and return to their own world. Another example of wonderful art similar in style to the previous stories. My favourite so far. (5/5)
4. Snow White and the Seven Robots by Louise Simonson (Jimena Sanchez) - Overall, this is the best written story in the book but my least favourite art. The style is completely different, which makes it stand out in a collection like this and it just doesn't do anything for me. The story, however, is well-told and the most entertaining here. It stays very close to the original tale, without much deviation except it has been set in outer space on an alien planet, Techworld. Also, it's not Snow's beauty which causes envy but her intelligence. I really enjoyed this one! (5/5)
5. Hansel & Gretel & Zombies by Benjamin Harper (Fernando Cano) - This is just silly. It doesn't follow the original story much as you would probably expect, what with everybody being zombies. However, all the plot points are there: being lost in the forest, the candy house, Hansel being plumped up, etc. It has a nice happy ending for everybody including the witch. My least favourite story in the collection but the art is by the same artist as the "Billy Goats" story so it is good. (3/5)
1. Ninja-rella by Joey Comeau (Omar Lozano) - The art is wonderful. It's very angular, bold and colourful! The story is very similar to the Perrault tale we are all familiar with few exceptions but the theme. Cinderella is into being a ninja and changes her name after her mum dies. She practices all the time with a glass Katana sword. After being orphaned the steps treat her as we expect but the story changes when Ninja-rella dreams of going to the ball so she can meet the prince and become his personal bodyguard! Thankfully, her Godninja shows up just in time. Cute! (4/5)
2. Red Riding Hood, Superhero by Otis Frampton - I was thrilled to see this comic by the author of the "Oddly Normal" series. Of course, the art is great and there are lots of funny moments of dialogue. This retelling totally refreshes the original. The only basic element the same is in which Red named Ruby, is on her way to see her Granny and intercepted by the Big Bad Wolf. However, BBW is out to kidnap Granny who just happens to be the President of the United States. The story is full of action as she takes on Professor Grimm, a man who was bitten by a radioactive wolf, now a werewolf. We even get a flasback to Riding Hood's origin story of her superpowers which reside in the cape/hood and it's pretty cute. Another fun tale for the intended audience. (4/5)
3. Super Billy Goats Gruff by Sean Tulien (Fernando Cano) - This one is hilarious. Only slightly keeps some basic elements of the original tale. The three goats set off over the hill to find some grass to eat and end up eating three strange shaped mushrooms which zap them straight into a video game. All the essential video game tropes ensue including fighting level bosses until they beat the creature on the bridge and return to their own world. Another example of wonderful art similar in style to the previous stories. My favourite so far. (5/5)
4. Snow White and the Seven Robots by Louise Simonson (Jimena Sanchez) - Overall, this is the best written story in the book but my least favourite art. The style is completely different, which makes it stand out in a collection like this and it just doesn't do anything for me. The story, however, is well-told and the most entertaining here. It stays very close to the original tale, without much deviation except it has been set in outer space on an alien planet, Techworld. Also, it's not Snow's beauty which causes envy but her intelligence. I really enjoyed this one! (5/5)
5. Hansel & Gretel & Zombies by Benjamin Harper (Fernando Cano) - This is just silly. It doesn't follow the original story much as you would probably expect, what with everybody being zombies. However, all the plot points are there: being lost in the forest, the candy house, Hansel being plumped up, etc. It has a nice happy ending for everybody including the witch. My least favourite story in the collection but the art is by the same artist as the "Billy Goats" story so it is good. (3/5)
May 29, 2018
A collection of five graphic novel fairy tales rewrites. After each rewrite is a one page history of the original fairy tale and a basic summary of that telling, while another page that looks at how this retelling changed things from the traditional telling.
"Ninja-rella"
*****
In this rewrite of Cinderella, Cinderella has been trained as a ninja by her original parents. When they die and she's stuck with her stepmother and sisters, her ninja outfit is burned and she's turned into a slave. When a royal costume ball comes, her ninjagodmother helps her get ready and Ninja-rella arrives just in time to save the prince from an attack. He uses the glass sword she leaves behind to track her down and hire her to be his personal guard.
This was a super fun twist on the original. Loved it and the Japanese-ish setting. If you like this twist and want a longer novel-like telling, look for Cinderella: Ninja Warrior a choose your own adventure by McGowen.
Notes on content: Even though there's a ninja fight. It isn't gory, and the bad guys live to run away.
"Red Riding Hood, Superhero"
*****
While visiting Area 54, Ruby, the granddaughter of the President of the United States acquired a red cape that gives her super powers. No one knows her secret. While on the way to visit Grandma aka Madam President at Martha's Vineyard, Red Riding Hood must stop the evil Doctor Grimm who was bitten by a werewolf, is bent on world domination, and has his eyes on Ruby's Grandma.
This is quite possibly the best retelling of Red Riding Hood ever.
Notes on content: Robot vs superhero fight, so it isn't gory, and only some damage to the robot.
"Super Billy Goats Gruff"
****
The three Billy Goats Gruff come across some weird looking mushrooms, but they eat them anyway in their hunger and find themselves exploring a castle, vanquishing video game monster, and looking for something to eat.
Such a creative twist on the traditional tale with them getting put into a video game. Very fun.
Notes on content: Some video game vanquishing of monsters including some skeletons, a floating sheet, a gargoyle and such. Mostly they just go poof when vanquished or collapse.
"Snow White and the Seven Robots"
*****
Snow White has been designed to rule, but the Queen has sabotaged her looks so the people won't accept her. Her plans backfire as Snow White grows in intelligence and the Queen goes to increasingly extreme measures to get rid of her competition for the throne. Helping Snow White is a mechanical doctor, a trash collecting robot, and seven mining robots.
A fun scifi retelling of Snow White. Why in the world has no one ever had the Queen use chocolate instead of an apple before?! It makes so much more sense! If you like this one, and want a longer novel like this try Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis (I would say one inspired the other as both have seven mining robots, but they came out too close together to have done so.) And of course, you'd probably also like The Lunar Chronicles by Meyers if you like this.
Notes on content: One attempted poisoning but thanks to advanced science, no one is hurt.
"Hansel & Gretel & Zombies"
*****
Hansel and Gretel and their parents have a bit of a food shortage problem. They haven't had fresh brains for ages. So the parents deck the kids out like normal human children and send them to a more touristy part of the forest to try and lure some fresh brains home. Unfortunately, they get caught by a hungry witch instead. It doesn't look good for anyone, but Gretel's quick thinking saves the day.
Hansel & Gretel is always a bit of a dark and awkward tale. Making them into zombies, having them be grossed out by the witch's sweets, and having the family feast on soy brains in the end is probably the best version I've seen.
Notes on content: The brains are a little gross, but they are soy so think of them as tofu brains and it is easier to handle.
"Ninja-rella"
*****
In this rewrite of Cinderella, Cinderella has been trained as a ninja by her original parents. When they die and she's stuck with her stepmother and sisters, her ninja outfit is burned and she's turned into a slave. When a royal costume ball comes, her ninjagodmother helps her get ready and Ninja-rella arrives just in time to save the prince from an attack. He uses the glass sword she leaves behind to track her down and hire her to be his personal guard.
This was a super fun twist on the original. Loved it and the Japanese-ish setting. If you like this twist and want a longer novel-like telling, look for Cinderella: Ninja Warrior a choose your own adventure by McGowen.
Notes on content: Even though there's a ninja fight. It isn't gory, and the bad guys live to run away.
"Red Riding Hood, Superhero"
*****
While visiting Area 54, Ruby, the granddaughter of the President of the United States acquired a red cape that gives her super powers. No one knows her secret. While on the way to visit Grandma aka Madam President at Martha's Vineyard, Red Riding Hood must stop the evil Doctor Grimm who was bitten by a werewolf, is bent on world domination, and has his eyes on Ruby's Grandma.
This is quite possibly the best retelling of Red Riding Hood ever.
Notes on content: Robot vs superhero fight, so it isn't gory, and only some damage to the robot.
"Super Billy Goats Gruff"
****
The three Billy Goats Gruff come across some weird looking mushrooms, but they eat them anyway in their hunger and find themselves exploring a castle, vanquishing video game monster, and looking for something to eat.
Such a creative twist on the traditional tale with them getting put into a video game. Very fun.
Notes on content: Some video game vanquishing of monsters including some skeletons, a floating sheet, a gargoyle and such. Mostly they just go poof when vanquished or collapse.
"Snow White and the Seven Robots"
*****
Snow White has been designed to rule, but the Queen has sabotaged her looks so the people won't accept her. Her plans backfire as Snow White grows in intelligence and the Queen goes to increasingly extreme measures to get rid of her competition for the throne. Helping Snow White is a mechanical doctor, a trash collecting robot, and seven mining robots.
A fun scifi retelling of Snow White. Why in the world has no one ever had the Queen use chocolate instead of an apple before?! It makes so much more sense! If you like this one, and want a longer novel like this try Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis (I would say one inspired the other as both have seven mining robots, but they came out too close together to have done so.) And of course, you'd probably also like The Lunar Chronicles by Meyers if you like this.
Notes on content: One attempted poisoning but thanks to advanced science, no one is hurt.
"Hansel & Gretel & Zombies"
*****
Hansel and Gretel and their parents have a bit of a food shortage problem. They haven't had fresh brains for ages. So the parents deck the kids out like normal human children and send them to a more touristy part of the forest to try and lure some fresh brains home. Unfortunately, they get caught by a hungry witch instead. It doesn't look good for anyone, but Gretel's quick thinking saves the day.
Hansel & Gretel is always a bit of a dark and awkward tale. Making them into zombies, having them be grossed out by the witch's sweets, and having the family feast on soy brains in the end is probably the best version I've seen.
Notes on content: The brains are a little gross, but they are soy so think of them as tofu brains and it is easier to handle.
March 15, 2016
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
This book combines all the previously released books into one big bundle of epicness. You have 5 stories and they all are changed so that the story is completely fresh and new again! We got a Cinderella who is a ninja (epic!), Snow White doesn’t have dwarfs but instead has robots, Red is a superhero, Billy Goats is Super, and Hansel & Gretel has zombies! Now doesn’t that sound epic, awesome and thousand times of fun? It does! And I can tell you that the stories are indeed awesome.
The first one? With the ninja Cinderella, I just loved her, she was so totally kick-ass and it made the story of Cinderella into something way better. The original, the Disney and all the other versions are great, but I have to say that Ninja-rella is my favourite of all now that I know this story. The outfits, the fighting, the prince, the evil stepmother. Wow! The writers did an amazing job on this story. 5 stars for this one.
The second? Wow, wow and wow. Red Riding Hood gone awesome. Big Bad Wolf even better than in the older stories (though still as big of an idiot as always). The story follows most of the old story (and she even uses the lines we always get (about the eyes, the hands, etc.)), so I loved that. They kept a bit of the old, and mixed it with spice, awesome-sauce and coolness. I also loved that they changed the Grandma and stuck her into a great role. 5 stars for this one.
Then we have Billy Goat, I didn’t like that story one bit. It was boring and bland, maybe it also has to do that I already don’t really like the original, so I couldn’t care for a modern story. 0.5 stars.
Next up is Snow White, I can say the potential was there, but it quickly became boring and tedious. I had expected differently from the robots, and the end with the “prince” well, I just found it boring and bland. I liked how it normally goes, and I wish they would have kept that in here. All in all, potential, nice idea of Snow White in space, but it could have been better. 3 stars.
The last story is Hansel and Gretel, and I can just say that story was really fun, but I actually had hoped for more. The zombies were fun, but I had hoped for more zombie action. I still loved the witch and how she tried to capture H and G, how she tried to fool them, but of course, they aren’t easily fooled (at least not Gretel). The ending was really cute and I like it. 3.5 stars.
At the end of each story we also get 2 or more pages about the real story and about the characters and what they originally were in the original stories. I really liked that this was added, it made the book even better, and I am sure that kids will love finding out about the real stories.
The art is mixed, but that is because there is more than one illustrator doing the job. At times I liked the art, but at times I didn’t particularly like it.
Ah, and they should update their content page. As you can see from what I posted Snow White isn’t the second story but actually the 4th, Billy Gruff is the 3rd story and not the 4th, Red Riding Hood is 2nd and not the 3rd. Which was kind of confusing, as I expected certain stories, and then saw a different one.
Would I recommend this book to people? Yes. I would, it is still a fun book and I will be giving it 4 stars.
Review first posted at: http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
This book combines all the previously released books into one big bundle of epicness. You have 5 stories and they all are changed so that the story is completely fresh and new again! We got a Cinderella who is a ninja (epic!), Snow White doesn’t have dwarfs but instead has robots, Red is a superhero, Billy Goats is Super, and Hansel & Gretel has zombies! Now doesn’t that sound epic, awesome and thousand times of fun? It does! And I can tell you that the stories are indeed awesome.
The first one? With the ninja Cinderella, I just loved her, she was so totally kick-ass and it made the story of Cinderella into something way better. The original, the Disney and all the other versions are great, but I have to say that Ninja-rella is my favourite of all now that I know this story. The outfits, the fighting, the prince, the evil stepmother. Wow! The writers did an amazing job on this story. 5 stars for this one.
The second? Wow, wow and wow. Red Riding Hood gone awesome. Big Bad Wolf even better than in the older stories (though still as big of an idiot as always). The story follows most of the old story (and she even uses the lines we always get (about the eyes, the hands, etc.)), so I loved that. They kept a bit of the old, and mixed it with spice, awesome-sauce and coolness. I also loved that they changed the Grandma and stuck her into a great role. 5 stars for this one.
Then we have Billy Goat, I didn’t like that story one bit. It was boring and bland, maybe it also has to do that I already don’t really like the original, so I couldn’t care for a modern story. 0.5 stars.
Next up is Snow White, I can say the potential was there, but it quickly became boring and tedious. I had expected differently from the robots, and the end with the “prince” well, I just found it boring and bland. I liked how it normally goes, and I wish they would have kept that in here. All in all, potential, nice idea of Snow White in space, but it could have been better. 3 stars.
The last story is Hansel and Gretel, and I can just say that story was really fun, but I actually had hoped for more. The zombies were fun, but I had hoped for more zombie action. I still loved the witch and how she tried to capture H and G, how she tried to fool them, but of course, they aren’t easily fooled (at least not Gretel). The ending was really cute and I like it. 3.5 stars.
At the end of each story we also get 2 or more pages about the real story and about the characters and what they originally were in the original stories. I really liked that this was added, it made the book even better, and I am sure that kids will love finding out about the real stories.
The art is mixed, but that is because there is more than one illustrator doing the job. At times I liked the art, but at times I didn’t particularly like it.
Ah, and they should update their content page. As you can see from what I posted Snow White isn’t the second story but actually the 4th, Billy Gruff is the 3rd story and not the 4th, Red Riding Hood is 2nd and not the 3rd. Which was kind of confusing, as I expected certain stories, and then saw a different one.
Would I recommend this book to people? Yes. I would, it is still a fun book and I will be giving it 4 stars.
Review first posted at: http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
January 3, 2016
I went into this expecting a young adult or middle grade graphic novel. What I got was a graphic novel more inline for a younger reader. My seven year old would have no problem reading this.
This is a compilation of fairy tale retellings; Cinderella, Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, The Billy Goats Gruff, and Hansel & Gretel. The authors did a great job of making this entertaining and interesting for both boys and girls. Cinderella is a ninja, Ninjarella. What kid won't find that awesome and intriguing?
The graphics are bold and really compliment the dialogue and storyline. They put me in mind of Cartoon Network cartoons.
I received a pre-release review copy from Netgalley.
This is a compilation of fairy tale retellings; Cinderella, Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, The Billy Goats Gruff, and Hansel & Gretel. The authors did a great job of making this entertaining and interesting for both boys and girls. Cinderella is a ninja, Ninjarella. What kid won't find that awesome and intriguing?
The graphics are bold and really compliment the dialogue and storyline. They put me in mind of Cartoon Network cartoons.
I received a pre-release review copy from Netgalley.
December 27, 2025
I have purchased several of these titles for my school library- my students love them!
November 21, 2015
An Entertaining and Intriguing Sampler/Collection for Younger Readers
Stone Arch Books has published a number of short, (40 pages), graphic novels under the general series name "Far Out Fairy Tales". The books have been written by a variety of authors, most of whom have some connection to the material or to the genre. While the books have been issued individually, this book collects five of the best in one volume. It's a great sampler, (each book is complete herein), and a good value, (five books for the cost of two individual books ). Here's the lineup:
"Ninja-rella" was written by Joey Comeau, which is particularly intriguing given his status as a successful writer of adult fiction, YA horror, experimental fiction, and the web comic "The Softer Side". With that kind of resume, what kind of Cinderella do we get from Comeau? Well, this Cinderella isn't going to stand idly by while the world passes her. Her dream is to train herself up to become Ninja-rella and to one day serve as the Prince's personal bodyguard. This is a fairy tale heroine for a modern girl. But Comeau plays fair. He tweaks the story but stays within the traditional outlines. This isn't a different story so much as it is a different kind of Cinderella. And it works. We cheer Ninja-rella's hard work, training, independence and courage and we root for her to succeed. That's a pretty sharp way to rethink Cinderella.
In "Red Riding Hood", Otis Frampton, (the author of a number of successful middle grade graphic novels, including the "Oddly Normal" series), does a nice job of crafting a whiz bang tale that incorporates both obvious and sly references to the original. Here, Red has a alien-tech red cape that affords her awesome super powers. She's visiting granny, but granny happens to be the President of the United States. The villain is a werewolf. And so on. More subtle jokes turn on things like Red's military contact being General "Huntsman". There's lots of action. The drawing is a bit cartoonish, but sort of high-end cartoonish, being both colorful and effective.
"Three Billy Goats". So it looks like our author, Sean Tulien, sort of got the short straw when Stone Arch Books handed out the fairy tales for its "Far Out Fairy Tales" series, because Three Billy Goats Gruff has always struck me as one of the less compelling of the classic fairy tales. But, by opting to treat the three goats as videogame heroes working through different levels of a castle in order to confront the big boss Troll, Tulien has managed to inject some energy and sly fun into the tale.
"Snow White and the Seven Robots". SPOILERS. We still have Snow being exiled by the wicked Queen. But she's sent to an asteroid and is rescued by robots. There's a poison something and cryogenic suspension. There's a princey kind of hero. So, it's pretty much the story we know, translated into a funky high-tech space age. That's all pretty interesting and all of the updates would probably be clear to even an early reader.
"Hansel & Gretel". This one is all over the place. Hansel and Gretel are zombies, which pretty much undermines the original tale, (zombies don't eat gingerbread). Never fear, our author spins just as good an alternate version.
This is fresh and upbeat stuff. It is not cynical or edgy, and the authors embrace the positive vibe and go with it. This is all enhanced by the drawing, which is crisp, colorful and vaguely manga, (with big eyes, button noses and simple compositions). Just like the story telling, the art is brisk and direct. These are supposed to be books for younger readers. Indeed, the books in the series could easily be the first graphic novels a young, (7 to 10-ish), kid reads. They succeed admirably on that score.
(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
Stone Arch Books has published a number of short, (40 pages), graphic novels under the general series name "Far Out Fairy Tales". The books have been written by a variety of authors, most of whom have some connection to the material or to the genre. While the books have been issued individually, this book collects five of the best in one volume. It's a great sampler, (each book is complete herein), and a good value, (five books for the cost of two individual books ). Here's the lineup:
"Ninja-rella" was written by Joey Comeau, which is particularly intriguing given his status as a successful writer of adult fiction, YA horror, experimental fiction, and the web comic "The Softer Side". With that kind of resume, what kind of Cinderella do we get from Comeau? Well, this Cinderella isn't going to stand idly by while the world passes her. Her dream is to train herself up to become Ninja-rella and to one day serve as the Prince's personal bodyguard. This is a fairy tale heroine for a modern girl. But Comeau plays fair. He tweaks the story but stays within the traditional outlines. This isn't a different story so much as it is a different kind of Cinderella. And it works. We cheer Ninja-rella's hard work, training, independence and courage and we root for her to succeed. That's a pretty sharp way to rethink Cinderella.
In "Red Riding Hood", Otis Frampton, (the author of a number of successful middle grade graphic novels, including the "Oddly Normal" series), does a nice job of crafting a whiz bang tale that incorporates both obvious and sly references to the original. Here, Red has a alien-tech red cape that affords her awesome super powers. She's visiting granny, but granny happens to be the President of the United States. The villain is a werewolf. And so on. More subtle jokes turn on things like Red's military contact being General "Huntsman". There's lots of action. The drawing is a bit cartoonish, but sort of high-end cartoonish, being both colorful and effective.
"Three Billy Goats". So it looks like our author, Sean Tulien, sort of got the short straw when Stone Arch Books handed out the fairy tales for its "Far Out Fairy Tales" series, because Three Billy Goats Gruff has always struck me as one of the less compelling of the classic fairy tales. But, by opting to treat the three goats as videogame heroes working through different levels of a castle in order to confront the big boss Troll, Tulien has managed to inject some energy and sly fun into the tale.
"Snow White and the Seven Robots". SPOILERS. We still have Snow being exiled by the wicked Queen. But she's sent to an asteroid and is rescued by robots. There's a poison something and cryogenic suspension. There's a princey kind of hero. So, it's pretty much the story we know, translated into a funky high-tech space age. That's all pretty interesting and all of the updates would probably be clear to even an early reader.
"Hansel & Gretel". This one is all over the place. Hansel and Gretel are zombies, which pretty much undermines the original tale, (zombies don't eat gingerbread). Never fear, our author spins just as good an alternate version.
This is fresh and upbeat stuff. It is not cynical or edgy, and the authors embrace the positive vibe and go with it. This is all enhanced by the drawing, which is crisp, colorful and vaguely manga, (with big eyes, button noses and simple compositions). Just like the story telling, the art is brisk and direct. These are supposed to be books for younger readers. Indeed, the books in the series could easily be the first graphic novels a young, (7 to 10-ish), kid reads. They succeed admirably on that score.
(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
February 25, 2016
This is a cute collection of revised fairy tales, more up to date for kids, and perhaps that is the problem? They are trying to hard to be up-to-date? I have to say that some of the updates I really, really like. For example, Snow White is hated, not for her beauty, but for her intelligence. Cinderella doesn't want to marry the prince, she wants to be his personal body guard, and Little Red Riding Hood, is a super hero, who is not a bit afraid of the big bad wolf. These changes I quite enjoyed, and got into.
However, I do not like Zombies, so Hansel and Gretel and Zombies was boring to me, I don't enjoy playing video games, so the Three Billy Goats Gruff in a video game bored me. If those two stories had been left out this might have been a four or four and a half star.
As I know I am not the audience, it probably doesn't matter what I like. The pictures are bright an colorful. Louise Simpson, who once wrote Power Pack, which is a great comic book, is one of the writers, and Otis Frampton, of Oddly Normal is also in there.
Examples of the artwork (sample pages), below.
Snow White
Ninja-Rella
Red Riding hood:
The only major nit I have to pick with the Ninja-Rella story is why, if it is set in Japan, is everyone, other than the fairy-ninja, white?
Thanks to Netgalley for supplying this book for an honest review.
However, I do not like Zombies, so Hansel and Gretel and Zombies was boring to me, I don't enjoy playing video games, so the Three Billy Goats Gruff in a video game bored me. If those two stories had been left out this might have been a four or four and a half star.
As I know I am not the audience, it probably doesn't matter what I like. The pictures are bright an colorful. Louise Simpson, who once wrote Power Pack, which is a great comic book, is one of the writers, and Otis Frampton, of Oddly Normal is also in there.
Examples of the artwork (sample pages), below.
Snow White
Ninja-Rella
Red Riding hood:
The only major nit I have to pick with the Ninja-Rella story is why, if it is set in Japan, is everyone, other than the fairy-ninja, white?
Thanks to Netgalley for supplying this book for an honest review.
November 15, 2015
Far Out Fairy Tales was a wonderful comic with a twist! It consists of different known fairy tales that have been modified and then at the end of the story you have the history of the said fairy tale. So, at the same time you get to enjoy old tales in a new way and then learn about the origin of the stories too. The comic introduces Cinderella, Snow White, Red Riding Hood, Billy Goats and Hansel & Gretel. All the stories have wonderful twists in them and amazingly so, they fit the stories well. Since this is mostly for kids, the love aspects of the stories have been taken out, but it doesn't bother at all. Also, the stories break stereotypes and show that girls can be fighters and heroes too, which is wonderful. I do believe kids will love this and these stories would work as an animation too! The comic isn't too long either and that's always a good thing when you consider the target group.
The art is very Disney-like, but it's not a bad thing. It actually fits this well and the colors are so beautiful. They are vibrant and the line work is great, since it's quite thin and pleases the eye. I really liked the character presentations, the game-like settings as well as the entertainment aspect. There not too much text and the art of movement works so well. In a way I kind of wished some kind of a theme or reason to all this, since now it's just a bunch of stories. Why these fairy tales and why like this? Don't get me wrong, it's not like the comic lacks anything per se, but a theme could've made this even more wonderful.
The art is very Disney-like, but it's not a bad thing. It actually fits this well and the colors are so beautiful. They are vibrant and the line work is great, since it's quite thin and pleases the eye. I really liked the character presentations, the game-like settings as well as the entertainment aspect. There not too much text and the art of movement works so well. In a way I kind of wished some kind of a theme or reason to all this, since now it's just a bunch of stories. Why these fairy tales and why like this? Don't get me wrong, it's not like the comic lacks anything per se, but a theme could've made this even more wonderful.
May 2, 2017
This is a trimmed down version of my review, to view the full review visit The Book Ramble.
I received a copy of this book from Capstone on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Far Out Fairy Tales is a collection of fairy tales, in graphic novel form, that have modern twists, or really just twists in general on them. In a lot of cases it seemed the twists were made to make the stories more palatable for stereotypical male audiences and to remove and stereo typically girly elements from the story.
I’ve been sitting on this book forever because the ARC file expired and I never got a chance to read it, but I finally picked up the book myself and got to it. It’s definitely a fun collection of stories and would be a fun read for middle school/young adult readers.
Each story comes with some background on the original fairy tale and the changes that had been made to the story to incorporate the twist. I thought that element was really cool because it’s always fun to get to the root of a fairy tale and learn the history behind it.
This probably wasn’t my favourite book I’ve ever read but I thought it was pretty fun and I recommend it for sure. There’s a lot of cute art and some fun stories.
I received a copy of this book from Capstone on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Far Out Fairy Tales is a collection of fairy tales, in graphic novel form, that have modern twists, or really just twists in general on them. In a lot of cases it seemed the twists were made to make the stories more palatable for stereotypical male audiences and to remove and stereo typically girly elements from the story.
I’ve been sitting on this book forever because the ARC file expired and I never got a chance to read it, but I finally picked up the book myself and got to it. It’s definitely a fun collection of stories and would be a fun read for middle school/young adult readers.
Each story comes with some background on the original fairy tale and the changes that had been made to the story to incorporate the twist. I thought that element was really cool because it’s always fun to get to the root of a fairy tale and learn the history behind it.
This probably wasn’t my favourite book I’ve ever read but I thought it was pretty fun and I recommend it for sure. There’s a lot of cute art and some fun stories.
March 28, 2016
I received a digital copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley.
Ten Second Synopsis:
This is a collection of fairy tale retellings with a definite pop-culture flavour. Each fairy tale has been modernised with popular motifs, including zombies, ninjas and computer games.
Apart from the graphic novel format, the point of difference in this collection is a neat summary at the end of each story giving the differences between the modernised version and the traditional tale. While I found most of the tales a little bit too contrived for my tastes – the Cinderella ninja in particular gave me reading-indigestion – they are perfectly pitched for a younger middle grade audience and varied enough for at least one or two of the tales to appeal to every reader. The standout favourite for me was the retelling of the Billy Goats Gruff, set inside a video game with boss fights and dungeon crawling, but the Snow White story featuring robots was also quite subtle and well thought out. The illustrations are varied in style and because each retelling has a different author, the book has a sense of the original with each new story. This would be a great pick for youngsters looking for familiar stories in a fun, graphic format.
Ten Second Synopsis:
This is a collection of fairy tale retellings with a definite pop-culture flavour. Each fairy tale has been modernised with popular motifs, including zombies, ninjas and computer games.
Apart from the graphic novel format, the point of difference in this collection is a neat summary at the end of each story giving the differences between the modernised version and the traditional tale. While I found most of the tales a little bit too contrived for my tastes – the Cinderella ninja in particular gave me reading-indigestion – they are perfectly pitched for a younger middle grade audience and varied enough for at least one or two of the tales to appeal to every reader. The standout favourite for me was the retelling of the Billy Goats Gruff, set inside a video game with boss fights and dungeon crawling, but the Snow White story featuring robots was also quite subtle and well thought out. The illustrations are varied in style and because each retelling has a different author, the book has a sense of the original with each new story. This would be a great pick for youngsters looking for familiar stories in a fun, graphic format.
August 9, 2017
These short, graphic-novel retellings of popular fairy tales are meant for middle-grade readers, and unfortunately they have very little crossover appeal for an older audience. They all introduce something "far out" or "edgy" into the traditional fairy tales -- Cinderella is a ninja, Hansel and Gretel are zombies, Red Riding Hood is a super hero, etc. The problem is that these seem to be changes for the sake of changes -- there is nothing about them that hooks into the original tale and makes you think, "Aha, this interpretation makes perfect sense when you look at it that way!" (Such as Neil Gaiman's interpretation of Snow White as a vampire in "Snow, Glass, Apples.") The "Snow White and the Seven Robots" retelling was my favorite of the bunch, and the others were all sort of meh.
The artwork is passable -- very much manga-styled and quite energetic, but not the sort of illustrations that cause you to linger on the page.
The artwork is passable -- very much manga-styled and quite energetic, but not the sort of illustrations that cause you to linger on the page.
November 26, 2015
It may definitely be for the younger audiences of comics, but this book is certainly one to consider. Five very wackily reinvented fairy tales get totally revised, so Cinderella wants to be a ninja bodyguard, not a privileged woman hanging off a Prince's arm, Snow White gets rescued by miner droids, Red Riding Hood has to do super-powered battle with a werewolf Mecha, and more. The weirdest twist is on Hansel and Gretel, which really does go all out to change the story in as many aspects as possible, but actually all the results satisfy. It's a little loud, and very gaudily drawn, but is heartily entertaining. A page about the original variant of each tale is useful for the young, if a lot of information for them, and a reminder page of what the author did each time should possibly inspire future revision from the audience. Thumbs very strongly up on this one.
December 4, 2015
Loved it! Most fairy tales retells are about making the stories bloodier or the characters sexier, but this collection does the opposite! It makes traditional female characters into strong leading ladies (girls, really). Love that positive message. More families should read these fairy tales to their children. I also loved that they did a comparison to the original tale, so that the reader who isn't familiar with them can see what was changed AND they included a brief history of the fairy tale. This book couldn't be better. Entertainment and educational all rolled into one. Highly recommend it.
January 4, 2016
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
This was such a cute graphic novel! I loved all the unique twists on classic fairy tales, making them more kick-butt and fun. This is perfect for readers of any age to enjoy. My only complain is that at the end of each story, there would be a page that would explain the differences between the original story and the new story. I don't think these were necessary since the differences and changes were pretty obvious. Overall, I highly recommend this as a quick, fun read!
This was such a cute graphic novel! I loved all the unique twists on classic fairy tales, making them more kick-butt and fun. This is perfect for readers of any age to enjoy. My only complain is that at the end of each story, there would be a page that would explain the differences between the original story and the new story. I don't think these were necessary since the differences and changes were pretty obvious. Overall, I highly recommend this as a quick, fun read!
February 2, 2016
Overall, this collection was somewhat enjoyable. I really enjoyed reading Snow White and the Seven Robots and Ninja-Rella. Only these 2 really stuck out to me. I could take or leave all the others.
November 8, 2023
This is at times an absolutely hilarious book. It's divided into five parodies of fairy tales isncluding Ninja-rella, Red Riding Hood-Superhero, Super Billy Goats Gruff, Snow White and the 7 Robots and Hanzel and Gretel and Zombies.
The Cinderella parody has some parts of the original tale but then adds her becoming a ninja and helping the Prince. Another good thing is that it definitely has a happy ending.
The second story involves the President of the United States, an alien spaceship and the Big Bad Wolf-bot which should give you a good idea of how funny this story is, too.
The one with the goats is based on a fairy tale I had not heard of but it involves goats with an amazing talent of eating as much grass as they can, magic mushrooms, skeletons, a ghost and a monster.
The Snow White story involves space travel, a magic mirror that's linked to a satellite and an evil ruler. The last story is a twist, of course, on the tale of Hanzel and Gretel but involves zombies.
After each story there's a good bit of information about the the fairy tale the story is based on.
It's a really different take on fairy tales and it's well done.
The Cinderella parody has some parts of the original tale but then adds her becoming a ninja and helping the Prince. Another good thing is that it definitely has a happy ending.
The second story involves the President of the United States, an alien spaceship and the Big Bad Wolf-bot which should give you a good idea of how funny this story is, too.
The one with the goats is based on a fairy tale I had not heard of but it involves goats with an amazing talent of eating as much grass as they can, magic mushrooms, skeletons, a ghost and a monster.
The Snow White story involves space travel, a magic mirror that's linked to a satellite and an evil ruler. The last story is a twist, of course, on the tale of Hanzel and Gretel but involves zombies.
After each story there's a good bit of information about the the fairy tale the story is based on.
It's a really different take on fairy tales and it's well done.
November 29, 2020
Far Out Fairy Tales: Five Full-Color Graphic Novels contains 5 classic fairy tales twisted with science fiction. Although, the fairy tails still have the same background their parts are altered. The classic Cinderella story takes place however she walks the path of the ninja. Snow White is raised by robots instead of living inside the woods. Imagine Red Riding Hood having super powers! She would be able to get away from the Big Bad Wolf in no time. However, Red Riding Hood uses her super powers to capture the Big Bad Wolf. The colors and the alternations of these classic stories captivate boys and girls of ages 7-12. It is beneficial that there are 5 stories in one book because once the child is done with one story can read the next story without worrying about so many books. This is one that I am going to get for my own daughter for Christmas and for my classroom! I love how these classic stories were twisted with a different role of each character.
December 13, 2020
This was another graphic novel I picked up just because it seemed like it would be funny. I had never heard of it nor did I read any information on it before reading it.
This was very entertaining and I would love to see more fairy tales turned on their heads like these ones were. They were very interesting and kept me wanting to read. I loved the fact that they were short and sweet but still held all the information needed to figure out what fairy tale they were.
The twists were sci-fi and brilliant. They definitely went in ways I was not expecting and I will be keeping an eye out for more in the future.
This was very entertaining and I would love to see more fairy tales turned on their heads like these ones were. They were very interesting and kept me wanting to read. I loved the fact that they were short and sweet but still held all the information needed to figure out what fairy tale they were.
The twists were sci-fi and brilliant. They definitely went in ways I was not expecting and I will be keeping an eye out for more in the future.
May 28, 2025
I am a fan of anything fairytale related. I understand what these are trying to achieve and they might succeed for some kids but I was never one for ninjas, robots, or zombies even when I was the intended audience. That being said the Super Billy Goat Gruff was by far my favorite because it was twisted into a video game. It had a lot of fun Easter eggs for those who like to play 2D games from the 80s and 90s. I also appreciated how the authors told the original stories at the end of theirs and then explained some of the changes they made.
December 29, 2019
My favorite one was super billy goats gruff. It was hilarious. I liked Hansel and Gretal and Zombies too. It was a fun and whimsical illustration style. And it was neat that they included the original version and explained their twists. It’s meant for grade school aged kiddos (I would say 2nd -4th grade). I liked that it had 5 tales in one. This was a fun Christmas present from my mom!
July 20, 2019
This was cute if not a little over the top campey fun. The stories are a little short but it is great for younger kids, I would say around 8 or 9, especially if they are familiar with the classic tales.
June 11, 2021
This was such a great take on the fairy tales we all know and love! It was fun to read with my 7 year old. He rarely asks for stories to be read twice, but this book had a few stories read more than once. Highly recommend for younger kiddos who like graphic novels!
June 27, 2018
Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
July 28, 2019
Comments on the individual stories in the morning, I’m tired. Need to sleep.
May 6, 2021
Far Out Book!
I would recommend this book because the Hansel and Gretel book was excellent! And the pictures were excellent! I definitely recommend it for kids 9 and up.
I would recommend this book because the Hansel and Gretel book was excellent! And the pictures were excellent! I definitely recommend it for kids 9 and up.
July 14, 2022
The 8 year-old child rated this 5 stars after reading it in one sitting.
I haven’t read it yet, so I don’t have anything helpful to contribute.
I haven’t read it yet, so I don’t have anything helpful to contribute.
March 7, 2024
This was a lot of fun to read. I liked them all, and enjoyed reading about the origins of the fairy tales after the new version.
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