books

Valor

Valor: Swords (2015), Valor: Wands (2018)

Valor: Swords (2015) edited by Isabelle Melançon and Megan Lavey-Heaton

 

Valor Swords

Fairy tales do not inform children that there is such things as monsters. Children already know that there are monsters. What fairy tales really teach is that monsters can be transformed or destroyed.

Valor is a comic anthology of re-imagined fairy tales showcasing the talent of some of the top creators in digital comics. It pays homage to the strength, resourcefulness, and cunning of female heroines in fairy tales through recreations of time-honored tales and brand new stories designed to be passed to future generations.

I have been a tremendous fan of folk and fairy tales since I was a kid, so for almost all of these I recognized the source materials.

But what these tales do differently is that the princesses (and maids and daughters of the forest) get to rescue themselves.

And even better, the characters in these stories are all different shapes, sizes, and colors, so every child should be able to recognize themselves somewhere here.

“Vasilisa” By Kadi Fedoruk

Valor Swords

“The Nettle Witch” By Nicole Chartrand

Valor Swords

Though I will note that in some of the original stories, the girls do get to rescue themselves, such as in the Six Swans, the story on which the Nettle Witch is based, where the sister did rescue her brothers.

Just lovely!

Published by Fairylogue Press

November 2020 | Rating: 8.5/10

Valor: Wands (2018) Isabelle Melançon, Megan Lavey-Heaton Editors

Valor Wands

Reimagined or invented fairy tales about women and girls of all colors, shapes, sizes, and interests.

Valor Wands

Although I didn’t love this quite as much as I did the previous book, it is still magnificent.

Valor Wands

So, so gorgeous!

Publisher: Fairylogue Press

January 2022 | Rating: 8.5/10