Frank Miller's Pandora

by Frank Miller, Emma Kubert, Anthony Maranville

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Comics, Bande Dessinée

208 pages, Hardcover

First published October 8, 2024

About the author

Frank Miller is an American writer, artist and film director best known for his film noir-style comic book stories. He is one of the most widely-recognized and popular creators in comics, and is one of the most influential comics creators of his generation. His most notable works include Sin City, The Dark Knight Returns, Batman Year One and 300.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Emma Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book. The art is dynamic and full of small details, and I can imagine when the final product is produced in color rather than black and white, the art will be even better. The story is fast, and it keeps readers engaged. The main character is dynamic and constantly changes to go against the magic and the creatures she faces. This is a great book if you are looking for a fast-paced graphic novel with fantasy and magical elements.

[His Ghoul Friday (Julia) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Frank Miller’s Pandora is book one of a YA dark fantasy graphic novel. It follows the story of a 15-year-old Annabeth who is unhappy with her life, and then one day she finds a flower that allows her change her life.

The story is very fast-paced, though it moved too quickly for my liking, it was like I blinked and the story was over. I would’ve enjoyed more character development and world-building, especially for a fantasy book. I also found the dialogue to be a little rushed due to the pacing.

The artwork is beautiful, I loved all of the creature character designs, and I liked seeing the Other Realm towards the end. I can’t wait to see more of it in book 2.

I’d recommend checking this one out if you liked the Spiderwick Chronicles.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the gifted copy. Frank Miller’s Pandora releases in October.

[Ben A · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a huge sucker of the works of Frank Miller and I purchased this series as individual issues. That being said, I am of two minds on the final product. I both enjoyed and was disappointed by it. I enjoyed seeing the fantastical, young adult-esque adventures presented therein. I just wish the end result lived up to the promise of the visuals and the story they began telling. I will be checking out the next volume, as I really did want to love it and ended up liking it quite a bit.

Special Thanks to Abrams ComicArts and Netgalley for the digital ARC. This was given to me for an honest review

[Estibaliz · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 maybe, but this feels kind of too tired for my liking.

I mean, this clearly should be labeled as a YA graphic novel, which wasn't the case at my library, since the character development is really lacking, and the whole pacing of the story is way too fast and hazardous.

It seems like something that has been done before, many times, without any redeeming quality when it comes to storytelling and characters, so I'm pretty sure this is where I am stopping in this series.

[Stephanie Duron · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art was neat. The storyline was pretty good. The dialogue and pacing felt too fast. It made things very confusing. But I can't wait to read book 2!

[Chanel Chapters]

Pretty pictures but the story feels like it’s skipping through and that there’s a ton of backstory you don’t know about.

2.75

[Seren Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

was slightly confused on what was happening the entire time LMAOO but i liked the art and the relationship between annabeth and knox!!

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Abrams ComicArts for an advance copy of this modern fairy tale told in graphic novel form created by a master of sequential art known more for his film noir story style based on stories from his youth.

Fairy tales were something I read, but had no real impact on me. I was probably introduced to fairy tales through either Disney books, or other safe media. These lacked the strangeness, the fear, and the sex that most classic fairy tales drew on. Not in the Anne Rice Sleeping Beauty sense, but of dashing princes, and women just coming into their own, growing up in ways they didn't understand. I know it was after high school that I started looking and reading about fairy tales. I think it was a Brothers Hildebrandt illustrated edition. Maybe it was Sandman. Looking at tales I knew from movies in their original form, I came to appreciate the idea of these stories more, and became a fan of modern retellings and brand new stories that shared these themes. Frank Miller is a creator I never thought would write fairy tales, though in looking at his characters one can see a certain magic even in his street level heroes. Miller's mother used to share stories that she made up with him, and he has brought these stories into our modern day, with the help of a few collaborators. Frank Miller's Pandora Book 1 is created by Frank Miller, with additional writing from Anthony Maranville and Chris Silvestri with art by Emma Kubert, and tells of a young woman, wanting to escape her surroundings, and the dangers that lurk deep in the dark woods around her.

Annabeth is fifteen years old, smart and lonely. Annabeth helps her Mom run a boarding house filled with people that Annabeth would really not be around. Also living with them is Annabeth's Grandfather, who is wheelchair bound, but full of past stories and adventures that Annabeth loves to hear about. Her Grandfather understands her feelings but always makes it clear the woods are full of things not to be messed with, and not ever to be brought home. Another bad day at school makes Annabeth run into the woods, where she finds a boy and something else, Something that might change everything. And not for the best.

This is a young adult story about growing up, learning about life, and learning about monsters. Monsters living in fear of other monsters, the monster of being trapped and alone in a place one can't stand, and the monster that is other people interfering with a person's life. I never thought I would use the words young adult story by Frank Miller in a sentence, but it is true. Annabeth is well written, though many of the supporting cast need a little filing out, but that is what future issues are. The story is pretty clear and consistent, with a lot going on, and lots of plot lines to be explored. The art is really good. Emma Kubert is a third generation comic artist, and has a nice style, with great backgrounds, great expressions, and a nice palette of colors. The expression on the character's faces tell so much about the story, that even if the words were removed from certain panels, readers could tell what is going on.

A story that has a great art, and a story that makes a person want to know more. I had an Ereader edition, but I understand the hardcover will have different covers, and lots of other treats. So I am looking forward to that. And I can't wait to see where this fairy tale goes.

[Yani · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I kind of only picked this up because I'd also picked up Frank Miller’s Ronin Rising Manga Edition: Manga Edition at the library. I wandered from the adult graphic novel section to the YA graphic novel section and was 2 for 2 on Frank Miller books.

This was... fine. Honestly, the "Book 1" of it all is a little bit of an issue, because this is a hefty book, but it's only really the opening act of the story. And I don't know that any of it is good enough to sustain me to wait for any more.

The fact that this is only listed as a "Frank Miller" book is also a problem, because the art is all by Emma Kubert and it was cowritten by Anthony Maranville and Chris Silvestri.

Kubert's art is... fine. I mean, she has a style, and that seems to just be where she sits as an artist. It's not bad, it just feels... mid level web comic. Good. But not outstanding. Also, both her artist bio and website lean heavily into her being, essentially, a nepo baby, in a way I'm not sure she's aware of.

The story is... as I said, the opening act. So it's hard to judge. It does feel like the narrative took a giant leap of some kind between volume 5 and volume 6 of the original comic books. But I also feel like the art is trying to tell us that the new redheaded character is supposed to be our lead character, because they look functionally identical, however, after thinking about it, it has to be her grandmother, because that's also a plotline that hasn't gone anywhere yet.

Clumsy intent and execution is still intent and execution. So I'm not going to ding it too hard there.

As a "fantasy take" on the idea of Pandora's Box, which is absolutely where they have to be going with this, it is at least doing something different with that idea.

There's just not enough interest in either the story or the art for me to come back to this. And I feel like a much, much, much tighter script and more direction in the art could possibly have told an entire story in the same number of pages.

However, it may just be that I just dislike Frank Miller's work in general. I guess it will either be three strikes and you're out or third time's the charm.

[Evan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oof, this was absolutely a big bait and switch. The cover really stood out to me and, of course, the name Frank Miller. I thought he'd be drawing it, or at least writing well for it, but no. It's a trap.

It's hard to describe the disappointment, but it definitely starts with the art by Emma Kubert. One can tell she spent a lot of time on it given the amount of pages, but much of the character design and backgrounds look lacking in detail. It's almost as if she went all out on the cover and then quickly put the storyboard together. There wasn't any panel that made me stop and go 'woah, look at this art'. As the pages wore on, the unimpressive art gave me the impression that one wasn't supposed to actually be reading this book for the art.

Unfortunately, the story could arguably be even more disappointing, as this isn't anywhere near the caliber of Miller's Daredevil, Batman or Sin City by any means. Although the main character was a teenager, the writing did not give the impression that it should be for anyone older than the main character. I suppose by throwing Frank Miller's name on it that one might have thought there would be something with a little more edge or character depth, but it was just a tired normal-girl-meets-mystery-boy fantasy story. I can't believe that Frank Miller and two others actually wrote this, as it reads as if it was mailed in.

I gave up after forty pages because neither the art nor the story was engaging enough. I can see a teenage kid or younger getting into this, but it's a rather dull experience for anyone older than that. I can't help but feel that this was some kind of cash in given the cover, name drops, and the amount of people involved. Just not worth the time, folks.

[Alex Sarll]

Very rarely when reading this was I reminded of anything else by Frank Miller. But the process material in the back explains that; he may have his name above the title, but his involvement was the initial idea, co-plotting, and reviewing the layouts. And those first two roles...if you've ever read a YA fantasy before, you'll be on familiar ground. Our teenage heroine is bullied at school, and beset by chores at home, where her mother has to take in lodgers to make ends meet; the creepy one even this hard-pressed mum would surely have thrown out was one of the aforementioned few I could picture in something actually by Miller, where the man's gruesome comeuppance would be one of the cathartic moments. The one sympathetic figure in her life is her grandpa, who lets slip that there's something rum in the woods, then immediately regrets it. But it's too late, and a fantastical new world beckons, offering beauty, but also danger – and an enigmatic potential love interest. Nothing remotely new in outline, is there? And the script is by two names I don't recognise at all, possibly because their main credits before this seem to be on one of the Star Treks even Star Trek fans don't much rate. Saving the entire project from utter pointlessness, though, are the visuals from Emma Kubert; the world may have a bee in its bonnet about nepo babies, but this third generation comics artist takes the strange trees, goblins and mystical flowers that were pretty much conceptual placeholders, and makes them feel magical on the page. It's still nowhere near essential – she's good, but she can only do so much. Without her, though, it would have been something which any but the most undemanding young relative would be faintly insulted to receive as a gift.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings - the story and art is fast-paced and was easy to keep up with and stay interested in. I think there were times where it went too fast - the readers could use a few more beats to get emotionally invested. This is though, at its core, a story that speeds ahead. I'm ready for Book 2!

Annabeth is a teenager living with her mother and grandfather, in a boarding home setup with its own host of strange characters living with them. Annabeth struggles with bullying in school, though she is academically and artistically gifted. She comes across Knox, a strange boy who has no knowledge of the practical world. He leads her further into the forest by her house, despite her grandfather's warnings, only for her to discover mysterious, magical forces at play.

***Review of a digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC). The text of an advance edition may differ slightly from the final market version that is distributed for sale. This advance edition was black and white, whereas the final version will be color. Received via NetGalley.

[Nick · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was dumb. It wasn't so bad as to warrant a one-star, but it was close.

The first 3/4 doesn't do anything. It doesn't make any sense. Her grandfather gives her a map, of the forest in her backyard, tells her about a beautiful spot where she can see birds, and then gets mad at her for going there.

Meeks is a disgusting, gross, pervert, but they then let his friend into their BNB, and then he robs them.

NO. WAIT. That never happened . . .

Hard shift to Annabeth having a perfect life for . . . reasons.

The entire thing is pointless until the final section where we totally change stories are are in a fantasy land with trolls. Where it seems much more likely a flashback, and appear to fighting Annabeth herself (probably her grandmother) and I don't know if I need to spoil any of that because none of it is explained or connected in any way.

The thing makes no sense from a story standpoint, isn't great to look at, doesn't have remarkable characters, and is largely a bore to get through.

Forgettable.

[Alessandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pandora by Frank Miller, Emma Kubert, Anthony Maranville, and Chris Silvestri is a captivating graphic novel that blurs the line between the ordinary and the fantastical. The premise may feel familiar — a teenager, misunderstood and adrift, escapes into a world that seems to promise something more — yet the storytelling and artistry make it feel entirely fresh.
What stands out most is the mood: Miller’s unmistakable sense of atmosphere, paired with Emma Kubert’s expressive art, gives every page a pulse of tension and melancholy. The forest scenes are especially striking, both mysterious and tender, echoing the fears and desires of adolescence.
Yes, it’s a story we’ve seen before — a lonely teen, a forbidden place, the lure of another world — but Pandora tells it with such conviction and visual grace that it becomes something else entirely: a dark, modern fable about longing, danger, and self-discovery.
Beautifully drawn, emotionally resonant, and unmistakably Miller.

[The Northern Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young girl must share her family home with her mother, grandfather and series of lodgers to help make ends meet. She also must contend with daily torment at school given she doesn't see the world the same way others do.

When she meets a stranger in the woods, who offers to help her find her longed for sighting of the tern's nest, little does Annabeth realise she's opening herself up to more than her ornithological dream.

Beautifully illustrated and containing a number of unique and interesting creatures and plenty of dark and suspenseful moments. We're left wondering whether Annabeth will ever uncover what happened to her grandmother or why her new friend (and grandfather) seemed keen to warn her away from the clearing in the woods. Can't wait for Book 2 to come out!

[Ande Davidson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled with this one. The art is really pretty! However, I was not a big fan of the plot. I felt like we did not build the characters enough & I just wasn't that invested in what was going on. I read a review e-copy that wasn't in color yet, and I think that will make a huge difference in the enjoyability of the book!

Thanks to NetGalley, Frank Miller, and Abrams ComicArts for the chance to read and review! My thoughts and opinions are my own, so please still check this one out if interested!

[Melanie Solar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC of this book. Sadly, this book was not for me. While the premise sounded interesting, and seems to be something I would enjoy, I felt that it was lacking. It seemed to jump from place to place very quickly without much subtext and left me confused and wondering if there was perhaps a previous book that I had missed. I found myself going back more than once and checking that I had not missed a crucial part of the story. Perhaps when all is said and done with the final colour pages, the art will fill in the blanks.

[Robin Pelletier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frank Miller is a brilliant artist. I love his work. I had to read this graphic novel. I’m not sure I 100% understood the plot of this novel, but I enjoyed the adventure. I liked the art style. It’s dark and mysterious. The characters were drawn according to to their personalities and I am here for it.

I will say that the plot was a little confusing and I’m not sure I understand all that happened. But sometimes, you don’t have to get it all to enjoy the art and characters.

I liked the little demons Pandora draws the best. And the glowing flowers are really superb.

[gothmoth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story's concept but not the pace which it moved. The world building is complex but the story moved too fast for me to feel like it was flushed out thoroughly enough. I want more depth overall, there's so much going on, from Anna and her family life to the multiple worlds Knox travels through that it needs to slow down so important story details don't get overlooked. I loved the art and coloring of the book which bumped it up a full star rating for me. I hope the story is slower and more flushed out in the second book.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an alright book. Like other reviews have said, the story and dialogue are pretty fast-passed. I definitely feel like it would have benefited from some more background details because I felt I had missed something. The characters and their motives all needed more explanation imo. The cover caught my eye at the library and the premise seemed interesting; it was an interesting book, but the convoluted storytelling prevented me from enjoying it as much as I think I would have otherwise. Though I will probably read the next one because I am curious to see what happens next.

[Elliot · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️2.5 stars⭐️

I think this had potential, but I had the same issues as other readers. The pacing was way off, and I had a hard time following the story because of that. Things happen suddenly that weren’t really built up to or explained, and I felt kind of lost for a lot of it. It’s an interesting world and premise, but I wish it had taken more time to explore the world and characters and let me in on what’s going on.

[Emily Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning graphic novel. For fans of fae, fantasy , goblins and magic!
The art was phenomenal and I was pulled in from the very first page. I loved the premise and the mystery surrounding the book, I was just a little overwhelmed with the pace. It seemed to rush dialogue and relationships and I felt like this could have easily been in two parts rather than one .

I am looking forward to the second edition though.

[Chris Barsanti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exciting to see Miller launch a fresh new series, and one based in a genre far from the urban noirs he is best known for...

Full review at Minneapolis Star Tribune .

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

An OK, fairies mix with humans story. The storytelling isn't as bad as some of MIller's other recent works, but it's not great either. At least he didn't try to draw this as his art has devolved dramatically. Emma Kubert's art is solid, not as dynamic as her dad's or uncle's yet though. It's all a bit generic though and ends on a cliffhanger. We'll see if it ever gets an ending.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

I fizzled out one chapter before the book did, which is always a bad indicator. PANDORA is a very pedestrian dark fantasy - dull characters, tedious pacing, tiresome scenarios. Illustrator Emma Kubert conjures some solid designs, but I found the panel-to-panel storytelling a little unclear at times.

[Natasha den Dekker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it mainly because it was Frank Miller doing something slightly different - clear panels! Colour! young people! but it's still dark, creepy and sad. I'm not sure where it's going or if I fully understand what's about to happen but I'll read the next one.

The FL is fairly standard, pretty, slightly ridiculous, sad background etc etc.
So we'll see!

[Tess · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Beautiful illustrations but the story is lacking slightly, I know as more volumes are published it will establish itself but for the moment having the first 6 comics there isn't much to go on.

[Ky Zaldivar · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art is fantastic, what really drew me in. The story was a little chaotic and I felt like I was missing something the whole time...despite this, I was compelled to the end and have a feeling the story is out there somewhere just waiting for me to find it.

[Cassidy]

Thanks to Abrams ComicArts and NetGalley for this ARC! Frank Miller's Pandora (Book 1) comes out on October 8, 2024.

[Alexis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mauvais. Tout simplement mauvais.