Robot Dreams
Sara Varon
Robot Dreams is a charming all-ages title recently released by the innovative publisher First Second Books. It follows a dog who builds himself a robot friend. They quickly become friends, but after a day at the dog beach, the robot gets rusted and isn't able to leave with his friend, so the dog ends up abandoning his creation. The graphic novel is completely silent, which may account for how quickly it can be read (I finished it easily within an hour), but is also a testament to the creator's storytelling ability, as the book was really quite moving without having to rely on dialogue to induce those feelings. There are universal themes of friendship and betrayal told through the bright pastel images of Varon's wonderful cartooning, which were very striking and quite powerful for such a simple story. As the robot lies on the beach, vulnerable to the elements and scavengers, he dreams of life with his friend and what could have gone differently in some of the most heart-breaking scenes of any comic I've read this year. This was a good read, but for such a quick story, I'm sure that some people won't feel that it's worth the price of admission. However, I feel that it is a touching little book worth a look. B
Robot Dreams is a charming all-ages title recently released by the innovative publisher First Second Books. It follows a dog who builds himself a robot friend. They quickly become friends, but after a day at the dog beach, the robot gets rusted and isn't able to leave with his friend, so the dog ends up abandoning his creation. The graphic novel is completely silent, which may account for how quickly it can be read (I finished it easily within an hour), but is also a testament to the creator's storytelling ability, as the book was really quite moving without having to rely on dialogue to induce those feelings. There are universal themes of friendship and betrayal told through the bright pastel images of Varon's wonderful cartooning, which were very striking and quite powerful for such a simple story. As the robot lies on the beach, vulnerable to the elements and scavengers, he dreams of life with his friend and what could have gone differently in some of the most heart-breaking scenes of any comic I've read this year. This was a good read, but for such a quick story, I'm sure that some people won't feel that it's worth the price of admission. However, I feel that it is a touching little book worth a look. B
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