Graphic Novel Review – The Clockwork Girl by Sean O’Reilly and Kevin Hanna (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Steampunk/Graphic Novel
Length: 128 pages
Publisher: Harper Design
Release Date: July 12, 2011
ISBN: 978-0062080394
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5 stars

I bought a copy of this book from Half Price Books. This was a very cute graphic novel retelling of Romeo and Juliet that is done in stunning full color and is appropriate for all ages.

The Tinker is a mad scientist who makes a Clockwork Girl out of bits and pieces of mechanical items. The Grafter is a mad scientist who makes a Amazing Mutant Boy out of bits and pieces of limbs and other pieces from dead things. each scientist believe that their way is the only way, and there is definitely some bad blood between the two. However, when the Clockwork Girl and the Amazing Mutant Boy meet and befriend each other, the scientists are forced to reconsider their stances.

This was a very cute graphic novel retelling of Romeo and Juliet involving a Clockwork Girl and a Frankenstein like boy who fall in love. The story is pretty basic and the plot is not at all complex, but there are some neat ideas here. The idea of biology versus mechanical science as a way of life is an interesting one, and one that is explored some in Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan series as well.

Both the Clockwork Girl and the Mutant Boy are unique in their innocence. They both have limited life experience and while they understand the concept of wonder and beauty…they don’t really grasp the concept of hate. They are excellent characters to read about and their romance/friendship is very sweet and innocent.

There isn’t a lot of dialogue throughout the novel, most of it is told in pictures. The illustration is done in beautiful full color, and while the characters are more cartoony than realistic in style, the illustration is still very well done. It does an excellent job of conveying character emotion and telling the story in a way that is clear and non-confusing. I really enjoyed the illustration and this was a bit part of why I picked up the novel in the first place.

Overall I really enjoyed this graphic novel. It is a simple and quick little read, with a well thoughtout story and some neat concepts. I loved the full color illustration and enjoyed the sweet story of friendship between two scientific creations. Lots of nice lessons about tolerance and friendship in here as well. Recommended to those who enjoy fantasy graphic novels. Appropriate for all ages.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– 100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge
– 150+ Reading Challenge
– Get Steampunk’d Reading Challenge
– Graphic Novel Reading Challenge
– TBR Pile Reading Challenge