Halloween Tales

by Olivier Boiscommun, Denis-Pierre Filippi

Overview

This spooky - yet sensitive - trilogy reveals that, on Halloween, it’s always darkest before the dawn.

In Halloween, immerse yourself in the great book of the night. And if, at a street corner, you meet a ghost, take a walk with him. You may just recognize him — and if melancholy torments you — he could be the one to make you smile again. Then, in The Story of Joe, a solitary boy finds refuge with the creatures of the night. But consumed by his imagination, he loses touch with reality and undergoes a strange transformation... Finally, in The Book of Jack, braving a haunted house, young Jack discovers a mysterious book, a book that tells the story of his life. But what dark twists could others write into the blank pages that remain? Follow these young characters in stories that span from the dusk of childhood to the dawn of adolescence, as they explore the darkness and light in us all.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781594656545
Publisher:	Humanoids, Inc.
Publication date:	09/13/2017
Pages:	156
Product dimensions:	7.80(w) x 10.40(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Born in 1971, Olivier Boiscommun studied Graphic Arts in Paris. Initially a fashion designer, he switched to studying Fine Arts in Angoulême in 1993. He created a story for the Enfants du Nil anthology in 1994, followed by a small black and white album at Le Cycliste. He worked on the animated film Bamboo Bears before joining Delcourt publishers, where he began the Troll series with Joann Sfar and Jean-David Morvan. In 2001, he produced Anges with writer Dieter, as well as creating The Book of Jack and The Book of Sam with writer Denis-Pierre Filippi.

Denis-Pierre was born in France. Very early he geared his work towards children and YA. During a book show, Filippi asked Tiburce Oger, author of Gorn, to read one of his tale. Oger et Filippi then created Orull, published by Delcourt. Later, Filippi joined Boiscommun on the Book of Jack then the Book of Sam, 2 stories from the trilogy Halloween Tales. Since then, Denis-Pierre has worked on John Lord, Muse (with Terry Dodson), Marshals and Gregory & The Gargoyles, all published by Humanoids.

Editorial Reviews

09/04/2017
In a collection originally published in France, Boiscommun and Filippi share three tales of monstrous and dark transformations that also speak to existential fears about unexpected or unwanted change. In “Halloween,” a ghost that speaks in rhyme helps Asphodel face the death of her older brother as she walks around a lonely Old World town dressed as a skeleton; the gorgeously atmospheric artwork will draw readers in, but the stilted, esoteric text is just as likely to push them away (“Don’t let others treat you just as they see fit,/ like a child’s toy you play with, and then abandon or quit,” the ghost advises her). Odd, angular caricatures drawn in black and white recount “The Story of Joe,” a disjointed tale about a boy’s transformation into a vampire. And the protagonist in “The Book of Jack,” ventures into an exquisite abandoned mansion, where he discovers a book that narrates his life as it unfolds, but he turns into a monster after it falls into the wrong hands. An unusual and unsettling collection, but one whose audience is likely to be limited. Ages 10–16. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"The stories flow wonderfully together and all three stand alone very well too. This is a great addition to the Humanoids collection of works."

- AiPT!

"With the targeting of a YA audience, Halloween Tales veers more towards the mystique and beauty of the holiday rather than opting for horror or graphic violence."

- ICv2

"These may not be the kind of stories you tell your friends with a flashlight under your chin, but they are certainly the kind you can enjoy with your loved ones, curled up under a blanket with a mug of hot cider. Perfect for September, when the air begins to grow cooler and the shadows are cast just a bit longer."

- DoomRocket

From the Publisher