Beautiful Beasts

Nightmares & Fairy Tales #2

by Serena Valentino, FSc (Artist)

Nightmares and Fairy Tales is a continuing series filled with dark fairy tales and horror stories, all narrated by Annabelle, a disturbingly creepy-cute little doll. Each person who possesses Annabelle falls into horrible circumstances, and Annabelle isn't sure if she's merely witnessing the horror or causing it.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Horror, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Manga

24 pages, Comic

First published July 6, 2005

About the author

Serena Valentino is best known for weaving tales that combine mythos and guile with her work on the comic book series GloomCookie and Nightmares & Fairy Tales, and her best selling Disney Villain Novels which have earned her critical acclaim for her unique style of storytelling, bringing her readers into exquisitely frightening worlds filled with terror, beauty and extraordinary female protagonists.

Her Disney Villain novel series would be best enjoyed if read in this order: Fairest of All: The Story of the Wicked Queen, The Beast Within: The Story of Belle’s Prince, Poor Unfortunate Soul: A Tale of the Sea Witch, Mistress of All Evil: A Tale of the Dark Fairy. Mother Knows Best: A Tale of the Old Witch and The Odd Sisters: A Villains Book to be released in Summer 2019. Book 7 will be out Summer 2020, Book 8 summer of 2021, and Book 9 Summer of 2022.

Serena lives in New Orleans with her dog Gozer, and a very tiny kitty named Momma.



Contact: Serena@serenavalentino.com

Reviews

[Arnela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Art is great, stories great, twists while foreseeable still fun.

Now that Annabelle has found a new home with Gwen she regales the girl with her tales, while some do not end happy they are entertaining.

In this one you meet a flapper with a ghost of a beau, we meet little red and her true ancestry, Gwen meets a magic tree and a bunch of fairy friends, in beauty and the beast the beast is named Rose and she and Belle have a lovely relationship, the last story is a 2 parter [maybe a 3 parter, I don't have the third volume to check] in a woman possessed a wife is ill and is jealous of her pretty nurse, assuming that her husband has been canoodling with the nurse she is slowly driven mad, only to return and haunt the lady from beyond the grave.

My 2 favorite things about this series of stories, the entire Nightmares & Fairy Tales series, is that there are both men and women in love and women and women in love, we have platonic love between Gwen and Annabelle and Gwen and aunt Bea, now I'm just waiting for two men to fall in love and we will on the road to representing the various types of love [I'm not saying those are all the types of love, I'm just saying we're at the forefront of variety, let's keep it going].

SPOILERS DEAD AHEAD

My second favorite thing is the final story, A Woman Possessed, in one panel, after the wife fires the nurse and the husband goes to talk to her and forbid her from doing so, there is a small panel of the nurse smirking. We can all take this to mean that the nurse is either actively attempting to murder the wife to get the rich husband, or she is simply biding her time, letting the jealousy consume and eventually be too much for the poor wife's ill body to bear, wherein she can just swoop in and take her place without any blood on her actual hands.

Here's the kicker though, we see the wife left home alone and on the next page both the husband and the nurse find her dead, police are there as well, making sure there's no foul play. Naturally everyone assumes that the nurse somehow killed her. But she screams her innocence until the very end.

Now let's think about this:
1. Yes it seemed that the nurse wanted the wife out of the way

2. In every other story, when someone killed a person, we- the audience, got front row seats to it [except the very first story in the in the first book]. But besides that, we always saw who the killer was. In this one we don't see who killed her, it's never even fully clear that there was an active murder which occurred.

3. Did a murder really happen? Or was the dead wife that filled with jealousy, that even after she died she was willing to do ANYTHING, to ruin the nurses life?

I love that vagueness where it can literally go either way, and I love it more when it's well done. Kudos.

If you like creepy artwork and spooky-ish re-tellings of fairy tales, which were pretty weird originally, pick this series up, give it a chance

[Samsalaqueen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book from the reduced section which is a shame. Well, it's my gain but usually only unpopular and bad books end up there. This book most definitely doesn't deserve that box!

[Ophelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore both of the Nightmares and Fairytales volumes, but Beautiful Beasts really blows me away. These books have been on my shelf for years and I consistently go back to them. SLG never fails.
Serena Valentino’s ability to tell a rich and twisted story in such a short format is exceptional, not to mention her unique visions of classic fairytales (lesbian beauty and the beast is a personal favourite retelling). I’ve also been following Foo Swee Chin’s career ever since I first read Nightmares, as her skill and style have never failed to inspire me. The combination of artist and writer are near perfect for me, and this volume represents so much of what I personally love about alternative comics and graphic novels.

[Magen - Inquiring Professional Dog Trainer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was better than the first volume. The stories are less gorey and better thought out. I particularly enjoyed the fairy tale retellings and would enjoy this series more if it focused more on those stories. The retelling of Cinderella was wonderful. I did not think I would want to continue with this series after the first volume, but now that I see how masterfully Valentino rewrites fairy tales, I'm much more excited about the next volume.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it was an AMAZING book and I would read it a MILLION times if I had the time and the stories were just beautiful and that the stories were off the Disney princess but in a twisted sorta way i LOVED it

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories are well done twists on tired-out fairy tales, and I adore the 2000-era ‘Americanized Manga’ look that the art has. It invokes a lot of nostalgia for me, and it makes me wish I actually was able to read this growing up

[Marques October · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book from my teendom that really holds up!!
As a closeted bi teen to abusive Christian parents- the Beauty and the Beast adaptation was my favorite then. Very cathartic & the happy ending I wished I had.
As an adult? I still love it.

[Emily Stiffler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this graphic novel series. This definitely is one of my favorites though. I love the retellings of classic fairytales, with a horror twist— especially Beauty and the Beast. 5/5 would recommend these!

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the stories and the artwork and the characters are great!

[Hokunani Sorci · Rating 5 out of 5]

graphic novel review
Title: Nightmares & Fairy Tales Vol 2: Beautiful Beasts
Author: Serena Valentino
Artist: FSc
Pub Year: 2005 (1st ed)
Platform: Owned Graphic Novels
Genre: short story collection, dark fantasy/horror
Stars: 5

Vol 2 I’ve never read and received as a late Xmas gift. I loved the continuation. New original stories and retellings with art just as terribly wonderful as before. These are short sweet stories that any dark fantasy/horror lover will enjoy.

[Jenika Ioffreda · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, interesting and original gothic fairy tales with very well made drawings. Very much enjoyed it.

[#ReadAllTheBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of some of Valentino's other works (Gloom Cookie, N&FT 1) I was happy to get my hands on this second volume. The artwork is gorgeous & the storylines are well done. I agree with another review when she said that the stories weren't as well done in this volume as they were in previous volumes, but it doesn't diminish the entertainment value of the book. It's still highly rereadable & it's one of the books that's survived several spring cleanings of my comic/manga collection.

I'd pretty much recommend this to just about any fan of off-beat or indie comics. Some people (action fans, mostly) may not get as involved in the series, though, since there's a huge lack of action & buxom girls to drool over.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art is kind of messy, and since I blindly ordered it from the library without seeing inside of it, I was a little put-off about reading a book with illustrations in an anime style. (Don't get me wrong, I loved my days of watching anime in high school, but it has been a while.) Despite occasionally having a hard time figuring out what was going on in certain panels, I was quickly entranced. Sure, the lesbian beauty and the beast thing has been done before (Emma Donoghue) and the stories were a wee bit predictable, but they were also delightfully weird. I really loved the Little Red Riding Hood one and the Oberon one.

[Sarai · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains five traditional tales which have each been given a twist. For example, Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother is a wolf herself, and Beauty and the Beast tells of forbidden romance between two women.

I checked this out because I really enjoyed the author's other Nightmares & Fairy Tales: 1140 Rue Royale. This one was also good, though I did enjoy the other one more. The art is similarly dark and eerie and the doll from the other book is also present in the stories. I would recommend this one.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the same review that I left for the first volume and I strongly believe it to be true for the second, as well. I am in absolute love with Serena Valentino's stories, and even more so with Foo Swee Chin's (FSc) artwork.

Serena Valentino's take on well known fair-tales and gory-nightmares
enhanced by the passionate, confident, morbidly-dark yet adorably whimsical art-style which only Foo Swee Chin (FSc) can deliver, Nightmares & Fairy Tales Vol. 2 (as well as Vol. 1!) is sure to please anyone with a taste for the macabre.

[Donald Armfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

Black and white artwork makes me want to pull out my crayons box and some of art is messy, hard to determine what it is. And I still have the other 3 volumes coming from library.

The story line is rather fast pace. Paige and Gwen's story being the best out of the four. Although I did enjoy the endings to all four stories.

Told by a little rag doll to a little girl. The four stories of what she has seen during her 100+ years alive. All ending in death. 3 stars. need some color with this cutesy animation.

[Erika · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the ideas of Annabelle tying the stories together and the twists within the stories were interesting but for the most part they all felt cut short, like something was missing and the story was rushed to get to the end. I would have preferred perhaps one less story if it would mean more time spent on some of the others. The art was also very inconsistent within each story making it hard for me to get into the stories that way.

So far, out of the three I've read this is the weakest offering. Interesting ideas but it falls short on execution.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volumne focues more on love stories. The best story, to my mind, being Valention's retelling of "Beauty and the Beast". The stories are ones that Annabelle tells to Gwen, her newest owner, but also includes one about Gwen herself. Totally enjoyable. I know everyone raves about the Fables series, but so far, at least in the two volumes I've read, I enjoy this series far more. It's darker and more true.

[Jamie R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Valentino is at her best when she retells fairy tales. In this volume, I love her creepy version of Little Red Riding Hood.

The artwork isn't my favourite. It's expressive, and well thought out, but it's messy and I often have to study a picture to understand what's happening in it, which ruins the flow of the story.

[Shanon · Rating 3 out of 5]

My biggest problem with the first set in this series was the art. It is much improved in these issues though still a little messy and hard to interpret. I enjoyed the stories in each but the last one left me with a 'huh?' feeling. There was NO progression, or even mention, of the characters from the first issues.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my favorite volume of these stories so far. I like the twists on common fairy tales, I think my favorite is Beauty and the Beast.

[AJ LeBlanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

A not for kids collection of faerie tales. Contains issues 7-12 of Nightmares & Fairy Tales. This is the first I've seen of the series, and I liked both the writing and the art work. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys adult faerie tales.

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting take on some classic fairy tales and some great other stories. Some horror like, book title is an apt description. Most told by a doll, Annabelle, to her current owner Gwen. Black and white illustrations, sometimes well done and sometimes make the story rather confusing.

[Stay Fetters · Rating 2 out of 5]

Annabelle is back with more chilling tales that will boil your blood.
They really fall flat. Seems like the same stories repeated from the earlier collection.
The illustrations are gloriously haunting.

[Jarime · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 8 year old daughter asked me if she could read this book. Due to the nature of some of the stories contained in it, I think I will until she is 14 or so. At least old enough to handle murder and possession. However it was a good story and I enjoyed the read myself.

[Earline · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art is pretty but this volume was nothing compared to volume 3. I'd suggest just skipping ahead to that brilliant collection.

[Adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

my favorite comic =)

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book two in the Nightmares and Fairy Tales series.

Annabelle the rag doll continues telling the stories of those she's loved. Horror stories mixed with fairy tale retellings.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nightmares and Fairy Tales, Vol. 2 by Serena Valentino (2005)

[Naomi Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know.... It was. Odd? I can't really decide. But sometimes I felt a little confused.