Caged Birds #1
Bella Fe Media, LLC 2019
Story Concept by Alexander Haythen & Ken Mora
Written, Lettered & VFX by Ken Mora
Illustrated by Gianlucka Testaverde
Coloured by Lance Catan
Colour Assists by Iwan Joko Triyono & Ken Mora
Rating: Mature 17+ (Nudity, Sexual Situations, Violence)
Genres: Drama, Psycho-sexual melodrama, LGBTQ issues, Romance, period fiction
Young Anna is wed in order to follow her dream of a music career but is crippled by guilt when she falls in love with her husband’s mistress, Marie. Marie struggles to be free of a prostitute’s life on the rough streets of Paris. Driven apart, they reunite on paths that will challenge the freedom of one, and the sanity of the other.
I liked this book and it should come as no surprise because the last book Ken sent me was another period piece and it was impeccably done. This one is different however as it’s fiction, as far as I can tell, and the subject matter is rather fascinating. The opening here is marvellous as we see Anna and Sofia on the rocky cliff overlooking the rough waters below. Here is where we get our first look at the girl who will become a woman and the focal point of this story. Young and not so innocent and yet brave enough and bold enough to let her hearts desires take shape.
There are a number of things that run through your brain as the story meanders through to the last page. Among them is impropriety of the relationship that we see and how one manipulated events and the naivete of a girl too young to know better. Just the fact that we see something that is nowadays seemingly barbaric and inconceivable was so common up until a time not long ago. Different cultures had different standards and we see that in full display here. There was a time when poor families sold their boys who were then castrated to become the best opera singers the world had seen. So before people get up in arms with what they see, remember this is how things were and you cannot change that just enjoy knowing that this honest and brutal look at what was isn’t what is now. The writing here really is magnificent and how the ebb & flow of what we see and what we learn is absorbed by the reader the greater the appreciation for the work we have.
The work on the interiors here is utterly gorgeous. The buildings and architecture that we see is so well done and the detail in makes it come alive. The way the linework is utilised through it’s varying weights and how they manipulate and coax the lines to create the characters and everything around them is so beautifully done. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show this stellar eye for storytelling. I have to give major props too for how we see backgrounds being utilised here. They expand the moments, bring us this sense of size and scope to the story and make everything we see that much more real.
The way that we are drawn into this story is sensationally well done. We feel like these are real people that we know and get to know intimately through their words and actions. The story & plot development, the pacing and just the way we are made to FEEL here is so damn good. I have seen many stories in my day and very few can match the way this one instantly grabs you. It made me smile, giggle, enraged and angry and yet through the full spectrum of emotions I felt I never wanted the story to stop, and what does that tell you?
You can head to https://www.bellafemedia.com/ for this and more.
Bella Fe Media, LLC 2019
Story Concept by Alexander Haythen & Ken Mora
Written, Lettered & VFX by Ken Mora
Illustrated by Gianlucka Testaverde
Coloured by Lance Catan
Colour Assists by Iwan Joko Triyono & Ken Mora
Rating: Mature 17+ (Nudity, Sexual Situations, Violence)
Genres: Drama, Psycho-sexual melodrama, LGBTQ issues, Romance, period fiction
Young Anna is wed in order to follow her dream of a music career but is crippled by guilt when she falls in love with her husband’s mistress, Marie. Marie struggles to be free of a prostitute’s life on the rough streets of Paris. Driven apart, they reunite on paths that will challenge the freedom of one, and the sanity of the other.
I liked this book and it should come as no surprise because the last book Ken sent me was another period piece and it was impeccably done. This one is different however as it’s fiction, as far as I can tell, and the subject matter is rather fascinating. The opening here is marvellous as we see Anna and Sofia on the rocky cliff overlooking the rough waters below. Here is where we get our first look at the girl who will become a woman and the focal point of this story. Young and not so innocent and yet brave enough and bold enough to let her hearts desires take shape.
There are a number of things that run through your brain as the story meanders through to the last page. Among them is impropriety of the relationship that we see and how one manipulated events and the naivete of a girl too young to know better. Just the fact that we see something that is nowadays seemingly barbaric and inconceivable was so common up until a time not long ago. Different cultures had different standards and we see that in full display here. There was a time when poor families sold their boys who were then castrated to become the best opera singers the world had seen. So before people get up in arms with what they see, remember this is how things were and you cannot change that just enjoy knowing that this honest and brutal look at what was isn’t what is now. The writing here really is magnificent and how the ebb & flow of what we see and what we learn is absorbed by the reader the greater the appreciation for the work we have.
The work on the interiors here is utterly gorgeous. The buildings and architecture that we see is so well done and the detail in makes it come alive. The way the linework is utilised through it’s varying weights and how they manipulate and coax the lines to create the characters and everything around them is so beautifully done. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show this stellar eye for storytelling. I have to give major props too for how we see backgrounds being utilised here. They expand the moments, bring us this sense of size and scope to the story and make everything we see that much more real.
The way that we are drawn into this story is sensationally well done. We feel like these are real people that we know and get to know intimately through their words and actions. The story & plot development, the pacing and just the way we are made to FEEL here is so damn good. I have seen many stories in my day and very few can match the way this one instantly grabs you. It made me smile, giggle, enraged and angry and yet through the full spectrum of emotions I felt I never wanted the story to stop, and what does that tell you?
You can head to https://www.bellafemedia.com/ for this and more.
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