In a beautiful villa beside the sea, full of nooks and mystery, five sisters are living on their own since their parents died in a car accident—growing up together, sharing their grief, everyday experiences, and love. Charlie is the oldest; as the only adult she became the head of the family.
The first story is about the youngest sister Enid. A free spirit, she enjoys wandering alone and talking to animals and anything she meets. Her best friend Gulliver is, like her, offbeat and creative. Enid keeps hearing ghost-like screams and the two friends embark on a scary adventure.
These sisters are not perfect. They may not always get along, but in times of need, they can always count on one another.
- EuroComics, April 2018
- ISBN 978-1684051960
- 8.5” x 11” hardcover, 160 pages
- $19.99 USD
- Order online: Amazon, Izneo
This is something completely out of my wheelhouse and would never have picked it up but for two factors drove me; EuroComics and Izneo.
I’ve been a fan of most EuroComics releases, and a long time bandes dessinées fan, so it was on my radar. But a story about five girls taking care of themselves didn’t appeal, nor did my quick take of the art. Having it available digitally on Izneo pushed me to give it a read. Thoroughly enjoyable all-ages entertainment.
While the book is Volume 1 and is titled Enid, we are entwined into a tale involving all family members with a little extra attention paid to Enid and her adventures. Being the first volume we needed to get to know all the main characters and their environment.
The story is substantial in its commitment to engaging with every character and building a compelling narrative. Everyone has a unique personality and it’s easy to see the appeal to a younger audience.
Based on the colophon this was a novel by Malika Ferdjoukh and was adapted into a graphic novel by Cati Baur. Ferdjoukh provides a charming afterword about how this came to be. I didn’t realize this until I had finished the story, and Baur did such an amazing job I had no idea.
The art style reminds me of something aimed for younger audiences, with exaggerated movement, engaging colour choices and overall inviting visuals.
My longtime comic reading was a stumbling block to picking this up, as it didn’t fit the boxes I had in mind. The beauty of bandes dessinées is its lack of rigidity to conformed storylines and appeal to a wider audience.
The title I used is from the website. The book’s colophon shows Four Sisters: Enid, Volume 1. Perhaps a translation issue.
Please check out the preview below from Izneo, who provided my digital copy for review.
Originally published at Comic Book Daily.
