Rapunzel's Revenge

This illustrated retelling of the famous fairy tale is a load of fun, particularly because the heroine, Rapunzel--or Punzie, as Jack of Beanstalk fame calls her--is so likable. She's spunky, energetic, forthright, brave, strong, and full of heart. There is definitely a feministic sensibility in how capable our gal is portrayed.In this retelling, the witch has growth magic, and the tower in which our heroine is imprisoned is actually a growing thing--a cross between a tree and a giant bulb. But Punzie will not be cowed. She devises an escape and is determined to free her mother from bleak servitude and punish Mother Gothel for her wicked ways. Punzie ends up partnering with mischievous, gold-loving, wayward, amusing, and somewhat less than perfect Jack and his magic goose, getting into all sorts of trouble while traversing the land damaged by the tyrannical use of power by Mother Gothel (aka the witch).The art, while serving the tale well, slips into the too-simply-drawn at times, but overall is enjoyable. I like that it brings the magic to life well in certain points of the story.Hale, who did a great job retelling the Goose Girl's tale, does a great job again of adding to classic storytelling. Her explanation for the tower and the use she puts the long hair to is a delight. There are moments of genuine laugh out loud humor, too. (The pick of picks had me guffawing!)I bought this for my 10 year old niece, but I enjoyed it and I'm 49. This is a romping fun and charming fairy tale retold. I recommend it for all lovers of folklore and comic book readers young at heart. And it would make a great gift for a young girl in your family, because it shows a heroine can be loyal and good and moral and caring and also be strong and righteously indignant and muscular and "the boss." :)

I've recently been getting into the genre of the "retold fairy tale"; that is, taking an old fairy tale/tall tale/legend and changing the characters, setting, and/or time period to make it something new and fresh. In this case, the idea of taking classic characters like Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk, etc, and placing them in a Western setting immediately grabbed my attention, and this comic book didn't disappoint.A long time ago, during the time of the old, wild west, a young girl named Rapunzel lives in a pleasant villa, ruled over by her mother, Gothel. But one day, curiosity gets the best of Rapunzel, and she scales the massive wall surrounding the villa, only to discover the outside landscape in ruin, and worse; Gothel isn't her real mother, but a selfish witch who controls a huge chunk of the world, thanks to her magic, plant-based powers. When Rapunzel refuses to go along with Gothel's plans of conquest, the witch imprisons her in a tower (actually a giant tree). Over the years, Rapunzel's hair grows to an enormous length, until finally, she engineers her own escape and vows revenge against Gothel. After meeting up with a snarky, but friendly thief named Jack, the two then set off on an adventure to defeat the witch and save the wild west. And fashioning her long hair into lassos and whips, Rapunzel helps various characters along the way, and makes it her mission to right all of Gothel's wrongs.After loving Disney's take on Rapunzel in the movie, "Tangled", it was hard for me to not make comparisons while reading this. Jack (from Jack and the Beanstalk) is certainly a lot like the lovable thief, Flynn Rider, but while he can be a trickster, he never takes credit for any of "Punzie's" heroism; he's perfectly okay with being the sidekick. And his goose companion/pet (from the Goose that Laid the Golden Egg) is both adorable and hilarious. Gothel's a bit of a one note villain, however (even after it's explained how she came to power), and it's odd how she's so dead set on Rapunzel becoming her "heir to the throne" as it were, when the girl makes it clear she hates her. But the other characters make up for this, such as the appearance of a pack of coyotes (a Big Bad Wolf reference?) and a village of small people (a reference to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, I take it).But the stand out character is definitely Rapunzel herself. While she starts off her adventure understandably naive about the world (since she was locked in a tower for years), she quickly comes into her own and learns how to survive in the rough landscape; using no guns or any other weapons, save for her hair, her bravery, and her wits. And she makes it clear she'll never stoop as low as stealing, or using any underhanded methods to get what she wants. She's incredibly kind and selfless, but won't back down from a fight either; always putting others before herself.The art style has an "old timey" feel to it; servicing the steampunk/wild west theme very well. And the change up of setting makes the classic fairy tales not just another carbon repeat of what's come before. The fact that other classic stories are mixed together (all of which were mentioned in the above paragraphs) is a nice touch, and just makes it even more unique.This is definitely one graphic novel to check out, especially if you're tired of the same old fairy tales, or tired of Disney's take on these classic stories, and are wanting something fresh and different. With a unique setting, and likeable heroes, this is one story that deserves a movie adaption. Now I've got to check out the sequel, "Calamity Jack".

For weeks my nine year old daughter has told me that she couldn't check out Rapunzel's Revenge from the school library because another boy in her class just loves it so much that he keeps renewing it. She was so anxious to read it and I can rarely resist her pleas for a book. I ordered a copy of Rapunzel's Revenge and it arrived the other day.My daughter has already read it twice--laying on her bed, pouring over the images and words. Not sure how I felt about graphic novels, I was surprised to find myself caught up in the story within minutes (though I have not yet read the entire book). The story is a clever twist on the classic fairy tale and Rapunzel is certainly a stronger, more self-reliant character than the original. The illustrations are fun and imaginative.Generally fans of Shannon Hale's novels, we were pleased with this fun, graphic novel featuring a strong female character.

not worth this price

My kid loves comic books, mostly french bandes dessinees, but english stuff too. She is very drawn to fantasy, to strong female characters, and to humour, and this book totally delivers. Love the female lead with solid moral compass, bravery, slightly too straight, and the comic relief/joker sidekick/love interest Jack. Love the complicated and sophisticated riffing on fairy tales and the wild west. A great gift for any kid, and particularly for girls.

I bought this for myself and loved the twist on Rapunzel, here she doesn't passively sit around waiting to be rescued, she takes her fate (and her hair) into her own hands and rescues herself. Beautifully drawn and wonderfully funny. I zoomed through it in a couple of hours, but whilst I was reading it I really didnt want to put it down again.Once I had finished it my daughter (6) spotted it and read it herself. Its now one of her favourite books and she loves the character of Rapunzel who can stand up for herself and doesn't let anyone put her down. What a truly wonderful message to give to a child, that you don't have to wait around for a man to rescue you, that with some self-confidence (and some reallly long hair) you don't have to rely on anyone else just ebcause of your gender.

lots of of fun for all ages! Highly recommended .Great female lead. Fun play on jack and the bean stock

Here is Rapunzel as you never imagined her... A clever idea, and well executed. We loved this: wonderful characters, great artwork, pacy plot. Who doesn't like reading comics? Fun from start to finish.