A review by midgardener
Cottons: The White Carrot by Jim Pascoe
2.0
As with the previous installment, this volume in the Cottons series continues on with beautiful artwork and a highly intriguing world. Unfortunately, the first volume's detractors continue as well, namely poor organization of scenes, a scattered vision of plot, and general confusion regarding what, really, is going on. There are questions that need to be addressed yet are left unexplored in deference to the story the author wants to get on with; questions such as "what do thokchas do?", "how are thokchas made?", "why can some rabbits make thokchas but not others?", and "what, exactly, does our protagonist want?" And there are many others besides. This installment appears to start out well, focusing on only a few characters during an art show, but then quickly suffers from the scene-switching that so plagued "The Secret of the Wind". If this is supposed to be about Bridgebelle (as the in-world writings at the beginning of the book say), then it should have been made ABOUT Bridgebelle. Jumping back and forth between Bridgebelle, Croquet, Glee, foxes, etc. whirls the reader about, resulting in a loss of true understanding of character motives, subplot importance, and general cohesion. Ultimately, it's clear to me that the story in here should have been simplified and/or told over more than three volumes, with more time given to each character in their turn. I have no idea what the third and final installment will cover, or, indeed, what it will really be about. Saving the vales (from what? foxes? the Broken Feather King? who is that again...?) Resisting forced labor? Fixing the carrot shortage? Figuring out what that giant flaming turtle-monster guardian thing is? Discovering what happened to rabbit society 500 years ago? Bridgebelle coming into... her "power?" There are lots of loose ends floating about, and while I'll read the final book I won't be holding out for anything different than what we've seen before.
On another, briefer note, there was a completely cringe-worthy Bridgebelle speech on the value of art that failed to actually make the argument.
Lastly, the issue of titles should be acknowledged. In retrospect, I couldn't tell you what "The Secret of the Wind" meant in regards to the book's actual plot; and I couldn't tell you what "The White Carrot" meant either. At least there really is a white carrot in this volume, and at least it certainly represents a choice between 1) freedom/nonattachment, 2) material wealth, and 3) something else... ? I presume that "the white carrot" is a reference to a choice that Bridgebelle has to make, but what that choice is within the story, I couldn't say. The final volume is already titled "The Curse of the Vales", and I think it's safe to say that one's pretty straightforward, as there was a curse already mentioned in "The White Carrot". Let's hope it proves true.
All in all: this is a beautifully, beautifully drawn tale with poor bones. I love vibrant graphic novels, I love anthropomorphic stories, and I love fantasy; but in this case, the combination of those three strong elements have not done enough to save the story from itself. While it's likely apparent that I'll be going into the final installment with a mental preparation for disappointment, I really do hope that the author, Jim Pascoe, can refine his writing and deliver us a new story in the years to come that improves upon his efforts here. He clearly has a fine imagination and a desire to tell grand, unique tales unlike any we've seen before. I hope to give something of his a 5 out of 5 one day.
On another, briefer note, there was a completely cringe-worthy Bridgebelle speech on the value of art that failed to actually make the argument.
Lastly, the issue of titles should be acknowledged. In retrospect, I couldn't tell you what "The Secret of the Wind" meant in regards to the book's actual plot; and I couldn't tell you what "The White Carrot" meant either. At least there really is a white carrot in this volume, and at least it certainly represents a choice between 1) freedom/nonattachment, 2) material wealth, and 3) something else... ? I presume that "the white carrot" is a reference to a choice that Bridgebelle has to make, but what that choice is within the story, I couldn't say. The final volume is already titled "The Curse of the Vales", and I think it's safe to say that one's pretty straightforward, as there was a curse already mentioned in "The White Carrot". Let's hope it proves true.
All in all: this is a beautifully, beautifully drawn tale with poor bones. I love vibrant graphic novels, I love anthropomorphic stories, and I love fantasy; but in this case, the combination of those three strong elements have not done enough to save the story from itself. While it's likely apparent that I'll be going into the final installment with a mental preparation for disappointment, I really do hope that the author, Jim Pascoe, can refine his writing and deliver us a new story in the years to come that improves upon his efforts here. He clearly has a fine imagination and a desire to tell grand, unique tales unlike any we've seen before. I hope to give something of his a 5 out of 5 one day.