Graphic Novel Review: Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula

Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula by Andi Watson, February 24, 2015. 176 pages. Published by First Second. Source: publisher.

Princess Decomposia is overworked and under-appreciated.

This princess of the underworld has plenty of her own work to do but always seems to find herself doing her layabout father's job, as well. The king doesn't feel quite well, you see. Ever. So the princess is left scurrying through the halls, dodging her mummy, werewolf, and ghost subjects, always running behind and always buried under a ton of paperwork. Oh, and her father just fired the chef, so now she has to hire a new cook as well.

Luckily for Princess Decomposia, she makes a good hire in Count Spatula, the vampire chef with a sweet tooth. He's a charming go-getter of a blood-sucker, and pretty soon the two young ghouls become friends. And then...more than friends? Maybe eventually, but first Princess Decomposia has to sort out her life. And with Count Spatula at her side, you can be sure she'll succeed.

As seems to be the habit of certain family members lately, I was the second person to read Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula which I received for review. Which is okay since I ensconced in two other reads...would have been nice if she had asked...

So, Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula was super enjoyable. I really enjoyed this one for (so) many reasons. The first being that the characters, mainly Decomposia and Count Spatula were wonderful to read about and their story lines had me laughing. Really, Andi Watson, again, has done a wonderful, wonderful job of creating a truly unique graphic novel. The characters and plot line are what makes this such an interesting and fun read.

One of the great things about this, and Clubbing (the other graphic novel of his I've read), is the characters and their overall story arcs. Andi Watson really knows how to write characters that you just cannot get enough of. While I enjoyed the characters quite a bit, it was their personalities and story-lines that sealed the deal.
Here I am talking about how much I enjoyed the characters and forgetting to share why I enjoyed reading about them. Sorry, my mind is off in the book and not talking to my fingers at the moment. When it comes down to it, I liked Princess Decomposia because she was not only hardworking but she also seemed to care quite a bit. So when she finally began to think of herself somewhat I could not help but cheer her on. It is really hard to sum up, without spoiling the book, why I thought she was such an interesting character. As for Count Spatula, I liked him because he gave new life into the world that Princess Decomposia found herself in. I liked that him...well I just did!

Artwork:

When it comes to the artwork in Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula I'm of two thoughts. The first being that I found the art to be really simply done. There were any flourishes to distract one from the story. Really the artwork just kind of fades away to the back of your mind as you read about the tough time the Decomposia is going through and see how Count Spatula turns things upside down. While I really felt that the style of art left a lot of room for the book itself to tell the story, I would have liked to see a little more detail throughout. And yet, I don't.

Even though I liked that the artwork was simple and let the plot take over, there were times when I craved more detail to the panels within this book. You know, times when you just want to look closer and see more visuals on what the characters are experiencing and how the setting looks. That being said, I still really, really enjoyed the art. 

Final Verdict: Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula- From cover to cover, this is one delightful read.

Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula earns

this book was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.