Silk Cotton

by Colleen Douglas, Jesus Gan (Artist)

Peter has always been told “the stories” like every child in the Caribbean. The tales of the ancients bound to the Silk Cotton tree, the Supernatural monsters of Myths and Legends, whispered in hush tones lest the speaker be heard and meet with an untimely fate. Then the day arrived, when the woman who had been his “mother” is struck down by something that could only have come from his worst nightmares. Now Peter’s once ordered world crashes into stark reality. Grace Silk Cotton, the legendary Supernatural Churlie Queen and enforcer between the worlds, is his real mother. The Monsters are real, Peter is one himself, and the prophetic fight for supremacy, survival, the stories, and SILK COTTON has begun.

Genres: Graphic Novels

224 pages, Paperback

Published July 16, 2024

Reviews

[Hannah]

I thought this was fantastic! Others have mentioned having trouble following the story, and I didn't have that issue. But I do read a lot of books that drop you into the middle and reveal background as you read, so maybe I'm just used to that? I also read more about the mythology (which I was unfamiliar with before, with the exception of Anansi) after reading this graphic novel, and that definitely deepened my appreciation!

[Ari]

3,5

[C.J. Nelson]

I was incredibly fascinated by the cover and the art of this graphic novel. For that alone, it’s worth checking out. If you’re not familiar with African and Caribbean mythology, I would brush up on that a bit before reading this because the story can be very difficult to keep up with at times and trying to understand the mythology adds another layer of complexity to the story. It’s a story of family trauma and folklore that is passed down generation by generation. It also has a significant horror element to it that is brought to life wonderfully by the art and design.

[Clarissa]

The thing that drew me to this book was the cover. I loved the cover and the illustrations in the book. However, the story was really hard to follow at times and it felt like I was always in the backfoot trying to catch up with what was going on. I would have enjoyed this much more if I wasn’t so confused.

[Erika]

3.5/5 - I went in totally blind, unfamiliar with the Caribbean legends of Guyanese origin. I loved the cover and premise, but because I had no frame of reference for the folklore prior to entering the story, it was hard for me to keep up. There is a pantheon explanation that details all entities at the end, though! The only other criticism I have is that sometimes there are small, abrupt jumps between events in the same scene so I found it a little difficult to keep up with. Other than that I enjoyed it!

[Emory]

I really enjoyed this! The story was compelling and the art was fantastic. I've seen a few reviews which say it was hard to follow, but I didn't find that at all. There are some character explanations in the back of the book if you want to read it before the main story, but you don't need to. Looking forward to finding more of the creators' works

[Chad]

This wasn't bad. It does rely on the reader knowing an awful lot about African and Caribbean mythology and horror. The art's technically pretty good. It doesn't always tell the story well though. Still, if you're looking for something different, this just may be it.

[Ryan]

FINALLY Caribbean mythology. We love to see it. The author is of Guyanese heritage. I enjoyed the story and the graphics were beautifully done. To top it off, the novel ends with a mini Caribbean folklore encyclopaedia. Highly recommend picking this up!

[Andrew]

3.5 ⭐️. In a couple spots it felt like there was a disconnect, where a scene changed or dialogue changed that didn’t make sense. But otherwise the art was very cool and I learned about a region’s mythology that I had no knowledge of prior.