The Ghost of Wreckers Cove by Angelica Del Campo (Author), John Lind (Editor), Liniers (Cover Art, Artist, Letterer), Christian Argiz (Colorist)
This mystery graphic novel about two young sisters, Cristina and Martha, -who have decided to move to the coast of Maine for the summer and live near a lighthouse- has been, by far, the best YA graphic novel I′ve read this year.
Filled with pirates, ghosts, sea shells, and caves, it is a fantastic blend between the historical and the magical, with a lovely feeling for the mysteries surrounding the coasts -one that Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez managed for Locke and Key, with none of its horrors.
The ghost is friendly and young, has a beautiful and mysterious necklace, and has a romantic past. The fact that they can identify her with the help of microfilm and local gossip is a true homage to middle-grade detective series, and the different clues the sisters manage to pick up are informative and meaningful. The watercolors are astonishing (shout out to Christian Argiz) and I hope this is not the last of the collaborations between Angela and Liniers.
The married couple embarked on this project a couple of years ago:
We have always been fascinated with the lighthouses on the coast of Maine and the fact that there were so many women lighthouse keepers and that there are so many shipwrecks still at the bottom of the sea on the eastern seaboard.
All those things inspired us to create a story of how two young girls cope with the loss of their mother through a magical friendship with a ghost that has grains of historical truth that the children can then investigate. It’s an inverted take on the classic detective genre, instead of logic and deduction saving the day, magic and the supernatural are at the heart of the story.
Liniers and del Campo
The story portrays well the love of two sisters for each other and I love the fact that the father can leave them to explore the town and lighthouse alone, in a summer that they will never forget, where they will be able to help a very unlikely friend. I feel that this will become an instant classic, mainly because the drawings are so vivid, just the hat-shop alone deserves an award!
′The Ghost of Wreckers Cove′ is available since November 8, 2022.
Genres: Fantasy
Page Count: 185 pages
Imprint: John Lind Publishing and Media
ASIN : B0BFRZWRMC
Featured image by Liniers, all images belong to Comixology Originals
