Hilda and the Troll: Hilda Book 1

Hilda #1

by Luke Pearson

Meet Hilda. She can never sit still for long without setting off on another adventure.

Wandering sea spirits, lost giants and strange wooden men; Hilda's outings never quite fall into the realm of the ordinary. When she stumbles upon a mysterious troll-shaped stone, however, things take a dramatic turn for the unexpected, even by her standards. But of course, as Hilda so adeptly points out: "Such is the life of an adventurer!"

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Childrens, Fiction, Adventure

40 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Luke Pearson is a British illustrator, cartoonist, and comic book writer best known for the Hilda series of comics for Nobrow Press, and Hilda, the Netflix series based on the comics. He has also storyboarded episodes of the Cartoon Network series Adventure Time, during its fifth and seventh seasons.

Reviews

[Seth T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the things missing from too much of our narrative experiences is a sense of whimsy. It's not so much that everything should be whimsical, but more that it seems the vast majority of respected works are serious-minded, somber affairs. Much of what are considered to be the best examples of the storytelling mediums are works that challenge the reader's sense of the world or delve into the not-so-sunny depths of the human condition. As readers of Great Literature, we've become suspicious of happy endings. We've come up against this great wall of human woe. And because it is valuable to consider the suffering that pours from its gates, we may have focused our attentions too narrowly in our search for literary worth and merit.

Whimsy doesn't come off so well in the critical eye when compared to the towering works of the literary canon. As wonderful as some of us know The House on Pooh Corner to be, it's hard to compare Milne with the likes of Kafka, Proust, Hemmingway, Joyce, and Conrad. Serious works just feel more literary, more artistically viable. Whimsy too is often mistaken for escapism and escapism (justly or not) has been targeted as the opponent of worthwhile artistic achievement. And if escapist narrative, by its nature, ignores with braggadocio the primary concerns of the Great Writers, then certainly books suffused with the whimsical must also be suspect.



But if we're willing at all to investigate these matters, we'll find that this is just not a helpful way to look at things. Especially as game studies begin to propagate, we're finding more and more that play is not just fun and not just good, but important. All of a life is worthy of consideration for those of attentive eye. The human condition is fraught with every manner of depravity but it is also marked by a resilience of pleasures. And really, as much as our literary examples of the whimsical betray a yen for the fantastic, so too do our more morose books — those books that detail the collapse of families due to lies and betrayals or the existential crises of characters burdened by self-inflicted woes. The novel is, in all cases, the bastion of fantasy. Story is, in its nature, a carefully composed unreality. And to miss that fact is to miss out on the value of even whimsy. And to miss out on whimsy would be to miss out on Luke Pearson's Hildafolk. And to miss out on Hildafolk would be a damned shame.

I picked up Hildafolk knowing that I'd love its art and design. I saw a press release for Hilda and the Midnight Giant (slated for release in May 2012) and was wowed by photographs of the book's interior art. Knowing that I'd want to get my hands on The Midnight Giant, I thought I'd better acquaint myself with whatever Hilda-mythos already existed, so I picked up Pearson's earlier work, the slim, elegant Hildafolk. Also known as Whimsy Central.

Hildafolk presents a terse tale of the precocious, blue-haired child, Hilda — and essentially just follows her around for a couple of days as she plays and explores and draws. Hilda lives in a mountainous hills-are-alive-with kind of setting and, as she is a child, has few responsibilities beyond staying out of Deep Trouble. Her current interests include reading about the different varieties of local trolls and scribbling in her sketchbook. Her companion is a blue-coated fox with adorable little antlers and her house is visited frequently and to her annoyance by a small man made of wood.


[It happens.]

All of that is well and good, but the great joy in Hildafolk lies in its visual expression of the girl's life. Pearson's art is playful and perfectly rendered and evokes the kind of easy familiarity one finds in Carl Barks' Donald Duck or Jeff Smith's Bone. Pearson's palette is striking — perhaps one of the best I've seen in comics — and he uses the book's sense of colour to suffuse the reader in the book's unique mood. While Pearson generally maintains traditional paneling, some of my favourite of Hildafolk's pages were departures that utilized elements of the hilly topography to present a picture of how Hilda is spending her afternoon.

Hildafolk's story, while slight, exhibits a sense of humour that keeps even the book's darker moments from infringing too deeply on its sense of place. Actually, if I have one real complaint about Hildafolk, it's in regard to the book's brevity. It's not so much that Pearson didn't finish the story he was telling but more that I simply want a 400-page tome of Hilda. At forty-four pages Hilda and the Midnight Giant, when it comes, won't scratch that itch either. But I'm patient. If I live to life-expectancy, Pearson's got another forty years to satisfy me. For something this enjoyable, I'll wait.
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[Review courtesy of Good Ok Bad]

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice short little fantasy graphic novel for Middle grade readers and those children just starting off. Hilda is our girl and she has some sort of fox deer as a pet. This is a short story. Hilda goes out in the world and she finds a rock that looks like a troll. She hangs a bell off it’s nose to know if it will wake up. Problem is she falls asleep close to it and when she wakes, night is on its way. She makes it home only to hear the troll followed her home.

It’s a very cute story and Hilda and her pet deox (deer + fox) are great characters. The story is short but it does an entertaining job. It’s a nice land Luke creates and he has a great imagination. I wonder if there will be more. This was good.

[Spencer Orey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet. Great artwork and magical atmosphere. I wanted a bit more story, but my kid loved it and immediately wanted the sequel.

[Scottsdale Public Library]

My two sons and I love the Hildafolk books! Hilda is a fierce and plucky little girl who always stays true to herself. She lives in Trolberg, a magical world of midnight giants, trolls, sprites, and the woodman. She has cool blue hair and is as empathetic as she is tenacious. She gets into wild adventures in her never-ending quest to help creatures big and small. The illustrations are magical and the comic book / graphic novel form, splendid. My sons and I rolled in laughter upon seeing an illustration of a small dog in “Hilda and the Bird Parade”. You may also like the magical, “Nightlights” by Lorena Alvarez and the “Bone” series. -Lisanne E.

[Zuzana Malá · Rating 5 out of 5]

Asi se obarvím na modro, dám kocourovi parůžky a půjdu kreslit šutry (v tom mám praxi, mám přece zkoušku z geologie :D)!!

[Cameron Chaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this while working on the Bookmobile one day and I have to say, it is one of my favorite graphic novels right now. Well... "novel" is a loose term as this is only about 25 pages long. But still, the story, characters, and art is amazing. Very heartfelt stuff, right here. It is adorable and can appeal to kids and adults alike. I only subtracted a star because I wish it was a bit longer, but the other books in the series seem to fix that issue. Recommended!

[Tijana]

Simpatičan i uvrnuto maštovit strip za decu&odrasle - jeste da na koricama piše 8+, ali mogu i mlađi da prate radnju. S jedne strane, Hilda i njena mama su sasvim savremene i vode naoko standardni život, a s druge strane žive u nedođiji okružene raznim bićima manje ili više zasnovanim na čudnom susretu skandinavskog folklora, Mijazakija i Tuve Janson. Izdvojila bih Drvenka kao najboljeg namćorastog druga od drveta :)

[Hilary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Hildafolk series and although the storyline is not as complex as the later book we have read, it certainly doesn't dissapoint. The book begins with a map of Hilda's valley where she lives with her mum. The colours of this series are beautiful, muted shades of turquoise blues, olive green, mustard, peach and burgundy. The story follows Hilda and her mum and their life in a mountain valley. There is a mix of real everyday life and magical creatures that works very well. The creatures are cleverly thought out and have interesting little storylines of their own. We liked the woodsman and Hilda's pet white fox cross deer is very appealing These are lovely books and the sort to read over and over again.

[Inna · Rating 4 out of 5]

"-Не бійся заглядати у книжки, там пишний сад, а не сумне прова...
-Замовкни!"

Обожнюю, коли переклад адаптується під культурні особливості країни!
Чарівна річ)))

[Arie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeously whimsical, with some lovely philosophical moments too. And the art is wonderful:

[Melki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, boogers! I read these W-A-Y out of order. Ah, anyway . . . it's always good to visit with my favorite little blue-haired girl.

[Raina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I flip through these pages and fall deeper and deeper in love with the LAYOUTS! The COLORS! The adorable cute and creepy WORLDBUILDING!

This first story in the Hilda universe is notably void of exposition - Pearson wastes no time explaining this little world he's created and just throws us right into a little story about Hilda, a Troll Rock, and the Wood Man.

Obv her companion fox-with-antlers is freaking insanely adorbz. I know lots of quirky, hipster* librarians who would wear his pages as a dress. Every page has at least one little detail that made me doubletake at the clever, slightly twisted, greatness.

Although the primary keyword here is CUTE (or adorable, as I'm sure you've noticed), there is a bit of the creepy here too. The effect is not unsimilar to how Coraline makes me feel, although this in-no-way approaches horror.

A winner**, and definitely one I'm thinking of taking out to local elementary schools (unless anyone else has already cried dibs, TRL YS folks?).


*in a good way
**seriously tempted to give this one five stars, but can't quite do it

[Nofreeusernames Nofreeusernames · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kde ses schovávala Hildo, má nová nejlepší kamarádko? Je mi skoro třicet a jsem zamilovaná do komiksu pro děti. Už prostě nemám věk na to, abych si jen tak obarvila vlasy na modro, bloumala po lese a kreslila kameny. A místo hodného Větvíka jsem si pořídila kupu zkázu přinášejících chlupů jménem Voldemort. Hilda je superroztomilá, akčně namalovaná potížistka, která to ale myslí hrozně dobře. Jestli si už na 3. stránce Hildu nezamilujete, neměli by vás pouštět ani do blízkostí dětí, štěňátek, koťátek a cukrové vaty. Čtení na doma, do postele, s hrnkem horké čokolády a pěti maršmelounama.

[Book's Calling · Rating 5 out of 5]

No, co dodat... Hilda je kouzelná a jsem rád, že jsem si ji konečně přečetl a prolistoval ty krásné ilustrace. Už mám i druhý díl, ale přečtu si ho až třeba zítra, abych se o Hildu hned nepřipravil :D Další díl vyjde brzy.

[Mollyvknize · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tak tohle je vážně kouzelný!

[Chi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is meant to encompass all 5 books out thus far.

What if our world was a lot more? More unknown creatures, some benevolent, some a little scary, but what if you had the heart to realise that there's always the good mixed in with the not-so-good?

Hilda, the eponymous heroine of the series of graphic novels, just so happens to have the heart and insight to treat people and creatures alike with kindness, no matter how outwardly scary they might be.

What I really liked, was that as much as the books are about Hilda's adventures, it's still nice to see the progression of the relationship between her and her mother, especially on moving to the city, where they're in closer proximity. It's interesting that they seem to be trying to find their own middle ground, and especially tough for Hilda I think, given much leeway and freedom when they were living in the countryside, to being a lot more curtailed after their move to Trollberg.

I can't wait to see what'll happen to Hilda, since we were left in a cliffhanger at the end of Hilda and the Stone Forest. I also really should finish the rest of the Netflix series. :)

[Erik Fazekas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bože, toto je také strašne kjút! Úplná lakocinka! Odporúčam ;)

[Willinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

...aneb když čtete vánoční dárky, které chystáte dětem v rodině. :D

[The Captain · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ahoy there mateys! I just don’t get it. How is there a story here? I actually did enjoy the artwork but the story was fragmented. The blurb says that ” The magic and folklore of the wild, windswept North come alive in this book about an adventurous little girl and her habit of befriending anything, no matter how curious it might seem.” Hilda doesn’t befriend the troll and runs away from it and is scared. She also doesn’t like the little wooden man either. She learns the error of her ways because a) wooden man is nice to her and b) she hurts the troll because she failed to read the whole book before doing something impulsive.

Is this a trend with comics and graphic novels that I am unaware of? That the storytelling jumps around and I am supposed to somehow connect the dots? Perhaps it is just me weird non-visual noggin. I am beginning to think that graphic novels and I are not friends. But I am willing to take suggestions from the crew of graphic novels with a story in order to try again. I may like a different one but I am not holding me breath. Arrrr!

Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...

[Abyss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Už plně chápu, proč si ji tolik lidí zamilovalo O:-)

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Неймовірно мило, попри те, що ілюстратор скомуниздив усі креативні фішки Міядзакі (Пустище, Морський дух, Дикий праліс). Але загалом класно, дівчачий пригодницький комікс, жаль, що такий короткий.

[Hymerka · Rating 4 out of 5]

«Гільда і троль» — це перший том дитячої коміксової серії від британського автора Люка Пірсона. Серія стала успішною, за її мотивами вийшов класний мультсеріал на "Нетфліксі", а цієї осені виходить уже шоста частина книжкових пригод Гільди і її незмінного супутника — рогатого лиса Живчика.

Я вже прочитала усі п'ять томів походеньок Гільди (з них українською вийшло поки три), тож мені було цікаво повернутися назад і пригадати те, що я підзабула. Мене здивувало те, як змінився дизайн і самої Гільди (у першому томі вона виглядає "гостріше", у пізніших лінії більш плавні), і Живчика (він із блакитного став білим).

Сама ж історія, розказана у «Гільді і тролі» дуже простенька: Гільда, яка любить робити замальовки на природі, натикається на троля у "закам'янілому" стані, просить Живчика почепити на його довгого носа дзвоника, щоб знати, коли той раптом почне рухатися, і йде своєю дорогою. Натомість бідолашний троль, оживши, ніяк не може позбутися нав'язливого дзвону і розгніваний приходить до дому Гільди.

Мені у цьому коміксі подобається і малюнок, і затишність світу, і прекрасний переклад. До речі, про переклад: хочу особливо відмітити, як класно перекладач вставив видозмінений рядок із класики ("це пишний яр, а не сумне провалля"), щоразу всміхаюся, коли натрапляю на нього.

[Kristie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Velice milý komiks, který rozhodně vyniká svou kresbou a zaměřením na severskou mytologii. Druhý příběh - Hilda a Půlnoční obr si mě získal víc než ten první. Nicméně autor představil svou sérii vskutku zdařile a já se těším na další díl. :)

Delší názor na blogu.

[Melina Souza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Que livro mais amorzinho <3
A história, apesar de curta, é uma graça e a arte + as cores são *-*
Sério! Ainda bem que já tenho a continuação aqui pra conhecer um pouco mais da história da Hilda aventureira :)

[Rachel (Kalanadi) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this was adorable and sweet!

[Dominika Žáková · Rating 4 out of 5]

Očarujúce, prikrátke, a osobné špecifikum: nájdené na chate a zvládnuteľné aj vo francúzštine ✨

[Kayla (onthefritz) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hilda is a girl who lives in this secluded land with her mother and other creatures. Creatures include a woodman who is constantly entering their house uninvited, a horned fox pet, and large rock trolls that eat humans.

That's about it, lol. Not a ton happens here, it kind of read like this was all in the child's imagination, but it wasn't. This is targeted for children, which I get, but the plot and dialog had a dry adult humor to it, and there is one character in here that says "Damn It" so.... yeah idk.

I absolutely love the artwork and do like the whimsy, so I will continue on when I can pick these up. Just yeah, not sure if kids will enjoy this one I didn't have the chance to read this with my daughter.

[Arie ☂ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Whimsy and wistful with little moments of bittersweet. The art is also beautiful. It's so COZY and SNUG that you'll be reaching for a blanket and a cup of cocoa to curl up with on the couch while you read some more of Hilda's adventures.

[Marc *Dark Reader with a Thousand Young! Iä!* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the rest of the series gets so much better, this first book is lovely and engaging. We are introduced to Hilda, a young blue-haired girl (perhaps around 10 years old in conception) who defines herself as an adventurer, taking every opportunity to explore the wild and put herself in perceived-but-safe harms' way. Fortunately, she lives in a fantasy land, with trolls that turn to stone in daylight and giant floating puffball mammal creatures, and the woodman. She lives in a remote cabin with her mother, who appears to be an artist or designer or architect of some kind. She does not show particularly good sense, nor does she think well in advance, in a way that is typical for her age but which is not reflected in children's books very well, I think, given how frustrating and terrifying this behavior is to adults.

This is the shortest of the Hilda books, each of which is a self-contained but continuing story so they should be read in order. The art develops over the course of the books, so if there is anything that irks you visually here, rest assured that it will likely change. The character models (Hilda, her mother, and Twig) change notably across the first three to four books, softening overall and becoming more animation-friendly, I think. The later depictions are what you will see in the animated Hilda series.

[kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

a warm and exciting adventure that’s short but sweet, however if you’re a fan of the tv show (it’s one of my favourites) be warned that this is identical its episode, just not quite as fleshed out.