The Adventures of Blanche

The Adventures of Blanche collects the complete Blanche Trilogy. Created by Rick Geary, this is a whirlwind epic that takes place at the turn of the 20th century all the way through to the beginning of the Jazz Age. Blanche is a young woman with a musical gift. Her talents take her first to the Big Apple, where she is admitted into a training program. Then Blanche is hired to work in a Hollywood that is just in it's infancy. Her adventures wrap up in Paris, where she is hired to score a surreal play created by artist Pablo Picasso.

In the midst of all three adventures, Blanche becomes embroiled with mysterious figures, labor disputes, and strange cults. With a new introduction that frames Blanche's letters back home as being those of his grandmother's, as well as a heavy dose of historical figures, you really wonder if these stories really happened. That adds a dose of realism to the whimsy. But, I doubt that a young woman of this time period would discuss some of the rather 'shocking for the time period' observations to her mother and father; albeit in a series of letters.

I bought this book not for the subject matter but for the writer/artist. Rick Geary is noted for his true crimes graphic novels. They are some dynamic reads. But they are also difficult to come by. The Adventures of Blanche has got that nostalgic flare, which is prevalent in Geary's non-fiction works. But that 'just the facts' approach that Rick Geary takes to his works is missing here. 

I enjoyed this book. But as space in my graphic novel collection is at a premium, it's not a Rick Geary book that holds a deep connection to me to keep. I'll let this one go for some trade credit and the hope that I can find a True Victorian Crime GN for cheap in the future.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.