Jim Henson's The Storyteller: Sirens #1 (Family Comic Friday)

Today’s Family Comic Friday selection is one that kids of the 80s are going to want to share with their kids and grandkids! Jim Henson’s The Storyteller is back in comic book form in a new miniseries devoted to mermaids and other sirens of the sea!

Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Sirens #1
Story by Bartosz Sztybor
Art by Jakub Rebelka
Published by the Boom Studios imprint Archaia
Retail Price: $3.99

If you were a kid growing up in the 80s and had HBO, then you have got to be familiar with Jim Henson’s The Storyteller. Though the show only lasted one very short season, episodes were shown as reruns well through the mid-90s. The award winning series starred Doctor Who’s John Hurt as The Storyteller. Sitting in front of a roaring fire, the narrator regaled his faithful pooch with thrilling, yet obscure, European folk tales.

A 4-episode revival series based on Greek myths debuted in 1990 with Michael Gambon (the Harry Potter series’ Dumbledore) starring as the fabulist. Now some 30 years later, Jim Henson’s beloved creation has returned in an all-new 4-issue miniseries. This time the focus in on stories of mermaids and other sirens of the sea.

Issue #1 focuses on the lesser known tale of ‘The Mermaid and the Fisherman’. This Polish folktale is not to be confused with the story of the Warsaw Mermaid, of which the maiden of the sea is a national icon. However, I wouldn’t doubt that the tale was somewhat inspired by the Warsaw Mermaid as there are some similarities between the two legends.

In this debut issue, a fisherman has his heart set on raising enough money to buy a stunning fishing vessel. No matter how well the angler does on his daily catch, the money his receives is never enough to make him happy. That is until one day when the sailor hears the song of a Mermaid. Having imprisoned the creature, the fisherman soothes his savage spirit to her enchanting song. But at what cost?

Archaia makes the wise move of using native talent for this opening tale. Warsaw’s own Bartosz Szytbor pens this epically sad tale of the sea. But to me, what really blew me away was the amazing artwork of Jakub Rebelka.

Namesake’s Rebelka paints the entire story. His strokes and moody dark tones are quite reminiscent of a lot of Polish folk art that I have seen. I know quite a bit as my wife is a third generation Polish immigrant and I’ve spent a lot of time learning of her family’s Eastern European heritage. That aside, the passion and angst of every character in this issue is masterfully done by the Polish master artist.

This new miniseries based on Jim Henson’s The Storyteller is both entertaining and education. Children of all ages can experience a small slice of Polish life without the indigestion of consuming too much kielbasa and sauerkraut. I only wish that Archaia had gone just a tiny bit further and included a 1-2 page section on something factual  and educational about Poland. I would love to have seen a closing segment on other Polish artists or maybe a fact sheet about the importance of the mermaid in Polish culture. Maybe this is something that could be worked up for the trade collection???

A great opening chapter in a legendary series. It will delight both kids and the adults who grew up watching the show!

Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Sirens #1 debuted in print and digital formats on Wednesday April 3rd, 2019.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Property by Rotu Modan

This graphic novel is about a Polish grandma who returns to Warsaw with her granddaughter after the recent death of her son (and granddaughter’s father). Having to move away Palestine (now Israel) during the Nazi invasion of Poland, the granddaughter is under the assumption that they are returning to claim a property that was lost during the occupation. But with the help of a local guide and a lawyer who dabbles in property law, the grandchild learns that there may be more to not only this trip but to her family history.

Regardless of my family history, I think I would have loved this graphic novel. It was educational, sweet, and very funny. There’s lots of great storytelling in this book and I hope it will become a classic one day.

The irony to this review is if I wasn’t married I probably would’ve overlooked this graphic novel. See, I feel like I live this book every day. My wife is half-Jewish and half-Polish. Many of the quips the young woman says in the Property sounds just like her. Then there’s grandma- if that woman isn’t my grandmother-in-law, I will eat my hat. Okay, she’s not Jewish, but she’s Polish and the portrayal of the matriarch is a dead ringer for her.

The art is minimalist but I’m not sure if that is intentional. I know very little of Israeli cartooning/ comics. This is my first foray and I don’t really want to critique the style if that’s indicative of that medium. I liked it, but some folks may think it’s too ‘Sunday Comics’ looking.

Also, this is not a graphic novel for all-ages. There’s nudity, the horrors of Nazi Germany, and just a little bit of strong language innuendo. So, this is probably more for ages 16 and up. However, I liked this comic very much and I will be surprised if it doesn’t achieve a level of acclaim up there with other Middle Eastern and Jewish graphic novels such as Persepolis or MAUS.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.