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The Grave
Drawn one panel per day over a year, follow the story of three boys who discover a shallow grave while on a weekend camping trip.
But that's just where the mystery begins. The unexpected find reveals a cigar box containing seven mysterious a knife, a coin, a pocket watch, a rare baseball card, a gold ring, a silver spoon, and a strange manga comic. How are these items connected? Whose body lies buried? Find out as IDW and Dan Fraga bring you a once in a lifetime tale of friendship, mystery, suspense, and growing The Grave .
But that's just where the mystery begins. The unexpected find reveals a cigar box containing seven mysterious a knife, a coin, a pocket watch, a rare baseball card, a gold ring, a silver spoon, and a strange manga comic. How are these items connected? Whose body lies buried? Find out as IDW and Dan Fraga bring you a once in a lifetime tale of friendship, mystery, suspense, and growing The Grave .
112 pages, Paperback
First published June 11, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 21, 2019
Part of the attraction of this comic is revealed in the author's introduction: He is an artist, but he doesn't have the time to do his art, life being what it is. So he makes a commitment: Draw one panel per day over a year, and you have a book. Such as it is, this book is a four-panel-a-page affair, no text bubbles, each frame also encapsulating the text, with narration and dialogues, so it's really more of an illustrated story. Well drawn, not a typical lay-out for a comic, a good, pretty conventional story.
The tale is of three boys who in 1989 discover a shallow grave while on a weekend camping trip. A mystery, which stretches back to 1938, involves the boys finding a cigar box containing a knife,
a coin, a pocket watch, a rare baseball card, a gold ring, a silver spoon, and a manga. A story of friendship, and growing up.
I read it in its book form, but you can read it here as it was posted, day after day, on the author's Tmblr site:
https://thegravebydanfraga.tumblr.com
The tale is of three boys who in 1989 discover a shallow grave while on a weekend camping trip. A mystery, which stretches back to 1938, involves the boys finding a cigar box containing a knife,
a coin, a pocket watch, a rare baseball card, a gold ring, a silver spoon, and a manga. A story of friendship, and growing up.
I read it in its book form, but you can read it here as it was posted, day after day, on the author's Tmblr site:
https://thegravebydanfraga.tumblr.com
January 22, 2020
The Grave is the story of three boys finding a mysterious buried trunk full of personal items during a camping trip before high school starts. The boys like comics and sci fi and have discussions about their stories and so on. The story goes back and forth between the boys who found the trunk and the story of the person who owned the trunk. Eventually, both stories converge.
The story is told in storyboard mode, where an image is narrated with text. There are no speech or text bubbles. The drawings are certainly the highlight of the book. The story itself is fine, but the writing certainly needed some serious editing. Perhaps it is OK to storyboard a film and write things like "...his thoughts begin to wander into introspection. He begins to think about the summer past..." but in a graphic story this is just too clunky. Also, there were a few tangents that didn't really go anywhere, like the story of the guy who eats anything for money. These either needed more or to be removed to make room for more of the stuff that mattered. The ending certainly is a big twist, but one that is really out of the blue and I'm not sure if it really makes a big difference. Perhaps it would be more meaningful if there was an anticipated mystery to be solved, but just as it is, it falls a bit flat.
Overall, I'm glad I read The Grave. With tighter writing, it would be better. Just the art and the circus story is worth checking it out for. Recommended for those who like tigers, bats, pocket knives and big trees.
The story is told in storyboard mode, where an image is narrated with text. There are no speech or text bubbles. The drawings are certainly the highlight of the book. The story itself is fine, but the writing certainly needed some serious editing. Perhaps it is OK to storyboard a film and write things like "...his thoughts begin to wander into introspection. He begins to think about the summer past..." but in a graphic story this is just too clunky. Also, there were a few tangents that didn't really go anywhere, like the story of the guy who eats anything for money. These either needed more or to be removed to make room for more of the stuff that mattered. The ending certainly is a big twist, but one that is really out of the blue and I'm not sure if it really makes a big difference. Perhaps it would be more meaningful if there was an anticipated mystery to be solved, but just as it is, it falls a bit flat.
Overall, I'm glad I read The Grave. With tighter writing, it would be better. Just the art and the circus story is worth checking it out for. Recommended for those who like tigers, bats, pocket knives and big trees.
December 6, 2023
Setting → Ashland, Virginia (1933-1989)
Writing → duel story timelines
1. 1989 - Billy (14 year-old boy)
2. 1933 - Emmett (circus performer)
Pros:
a) illustrations: realism/cartoon (black & white)
b) bright & colorful art
Cons:
a) writing style - telling not showing
b) predictable plot
A very short graphic novel that tells two intertwining stories. A young boy travels with a group of friends to participate in an overnight camping trip. While they’re setting up a fire, a buried suitcase is unearthed. Its connection to the past, a circus, and its burial remains a mystery the boys must solve together.
It was a nice little story. The illustrations are drawn in a realistic/cartoon style with black and white as the main coloration. Along the way, there are pops of color too. Transitions between the different periods were handled well and felt fluid. However, the story was written with most of the plot being told and not shown to the reader. There were also a lot of randomly bolded words that would frequently appear within the book. It seemed unnecessary and pulled focus away from the story.
Writing → duel story timelines
1. 1989 - Billy (14 year-old boy)
2. 1933 - Emmett (circus performer)
Pros:
a) illustrations: realism/cartoon (black & white)
b) bright & colorful art
Cons:
a) writing style - telling not showing
b) predictable plot
A very short graphic novel that tells two intertwining stories. A young boy travels with a group of friends to participate in an overnight camping trip. While they’re setting up a fire, a buried suitcase is unearthed. Its connection to the past, a circus, and its burial remains a mystery the boys must solve together.
It was a nice little story. The illustrations are drawn in a realistic/cartoon style with black and white as the main coloration. Along the way, there are pops of color too. Transitions between the different periods were handled well and felt fluid. However, the story was written with most of the plot being told and not shown to the reader. There were also a lot of randomly bolded words that would frequently appear within the book. It seemed unnecessary and pulled focus away from the story.
September 27, 2021
This is author's Dan Fraga, a veteran of illustration and film storyboarding, first attempt at writing. And while he doesn't do a bad job, some of it does pull you out of the tale. There are four panels to a page with text beneath, ala Prince Valiant. The author writes these almost as prose. Putting in details better shown in the panel, along with phrases like 'he said when it's obvious what is intended. In this matter art and text don't gel properly and the pair are seen separately rather than one complimenting the other. The art however is top notch and the story works well.
The story in basic is a group of friends on their last day before heading off to high school, come across an old buried steamer chest filled with various objects. As the boys examine each one, we see a story connected to it. All this eventually twists around and leads to a somewhat disturbing conclusion.
The story in basic is a group of friends on their last day before heading off to high school, come across an old buried steamer chest filled with various objects. As the boys examine each one, we see a story connected to it. All this eventually twists around and leads to a somewhat disturbing conclusion.
July 31, 2019
This graphic novel is brilliant storytelling pure and simple.
The life of the objects we possess and what they mean to us and those around us takes on new meaning in the tale of the circus people and the boys who find their buried treasure.
There are laugh out loud funny bits, gross circus freak moments, and many touching things, including that ending. I wanted to clap and cry at the same time.
The life of the objects we possess and what they mean to us and those around us takes on new meaning in the tale of the circus people and the boys who find their buried treasure.
There are laugh out loud funny bits, gross circus freak moments, and many touching things, including that ending. I wanted to clap and cry at the same time.
April 15, 2021
I loved this book. The story has alternating timelimes and gorgeous art. I was hooked from the start and read it in one sitting. At times I was laughing out loud and other times seriously enveloped in the drama. I would highly recommend this graphic novel!
June 1, 2023
2.5 Rounded up. It was fine, but I felt like it was really lacking. I wasn't a fan of this style of comic with the art and then text fully explaining what we were seeing, it felt redundant. I felt like nothing except one thing got answered. It's fine but not my thing.
August 8, 2021
Long drawn out, but a very sad and memorable end. Pretty depressing all the way through.
May 8, 2023
I bought this on a whim years ago as it was on a sale table at my local comic book store. The art and aesthetic of it drew me in.
I enjoyed the story! I liked how Dan Fraga also included the behind-the-scenes of how the book had come together. It's a creative story, and the way the narrative progresses is fun and fresh.
I reread it recently because the story was sticking out in my mind. I'm glad it's a book I own:)
I enjoyed the story! I liked how Dan Fraga also included the behind-the-scenes of how the book had come together. It's a creative story, and the way the narrative progresses is fun and fresh.
I reread it recently because the story was sticking out in my mind. I'm glad it's a book I own:)
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews