I saw Edward Scissorhands in its original run in the theaters in 1990 (I don’t know why I thought it was released a few years earlier than that). I like it well enough, but it was never one of my favorites. Maybe that’s because the ending is so bittersweet. It certainly is a cult classic, though, so it makes sense that someone decided to extend the story…in this case, through graphic novel format. This is the first volume of combined individual issues that, I believe, started releasing last fall.
Edward Scissorhands: Parts Unknown Volume 1 Front Cover (Idea & Design Works, LLC)
THE PLOT: Megs has always believed in her grandmother Kim’s stories about the man everyone else believes is a murderer. Megs’s mother believes her own mother was deranged, and they were not on good terms when Kim passed away. Megs is obsessed with finding Edward, despite her mother’s nagging that she forget him AND her grandmother. At the same time, Edward, alone in his mansion, finds an earlier prototype with some missing parts, whom he activates and names Eli. Eli becomes the same sort of monster everyone believes Edward is. Together, Megs and Edward work to track down Eli and clear Edward’s name.
MY TWO CENTS: The art is colorful, but the style is not to my taste. Everyone is drawn to look very unattractive in a cartoony way, which may be deliberate. Megs is definitely not the pretty popular girl her grandmother was. That’s okay (she reminds me a bit of Amy Farrah Fowler), but she is also drawn to look a bit abrasive. The story is engaging, but why does all the action start at this moment in time? Is it because Kim has just died, which makes both Edward and Megs lonelier than ever? With their one link gone, all that remains is for Megs and Edward to connect with each other. Their relationship does seem to be more about friendship than romance at this point…which is also just fine.
BOTTOM LINE: An interesting continuation of a classic movie, definitely worth checking out for dedicated fans. I’m interested in reading the next volume.
TEACUP RATING: Three-and-a-half out of five teacups.
ON SALE DATE: Available May 19, 2015, in paperback. (Individual issues are available now.)
Note: Review is based on an ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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