In the first volume of Goodnight Mrs. Goose, Jorge Santiago, Jr. puts a new twist on the idea of fairytales coming into the reality of the human world. Putting storybook characters into real life situations might seem cliche but Jorge brings forth a character not usually seen in fairytale spinoffs; the queen of nursery rhymes to combat these not-so-normal incidents, Mother Goose.

Valerie Z. Clark is the heroine chosen by Mother Goose to borrow her magical powers and help put the rampant fairytale creatures back into their stories and find out who is letting them loose.

Mrs. Clark is not just a hero in disguise, she is also lawyer, wife and mother struggling to balance her work with her family life and when she must add hero to her long list of roles, she may find it to be too much. She soon finds out she has no choice but to accept yet another role.

The start of Mrs. Clark’s troubles is when wins a case and her client rewards her with a gingerbread cookie that turns out to be not your average cookie. He may be sassy, but he also seems to be almost invincible. Mrs. Clark tries to crush him numerous times and also breaks him in half whenever she feels he needs to learn some respect towards her.

Mr. Brown, the cookie, has his work cut out for him when dealing with this high strung and highly stressed woman. Not only does she not know her nursery rhymes, which she needs to repeat in order to call upon her powers, but also has a very difficult time believing that all that she is going through is real and not just hallucinations brought on by her overly tired brain.

The art of Goodnight Mrs. Goose also adds to the overall enjoyability of the storyline. Although the artwork seems inconsistent throughout this manga, there are many instances when the reader can see the artist, who is also the author, developing his style and improving.

It is easy to tell where he took the time to really put his thoughts into images and convey the struggles and magical essences of the characters and where the figures and backgrounds seem rushed. There are times when the proportions of the characters become distracting and though there are times when they are appropriate, the hazy bubbles and other odd shapes in the background are overused.

Overall, this first volume is an excellent start to what looks to be an enjoyable series. Readers will find themselves wanting to see how Mrs. Clark deals with new fairytale critters and if she and Mr. Brown can keep her professional and family life separate from her magical life.  Also, the brief glimpses readers get of the artist behind the author will keep them in suspense of seeing what Jorge will bring into his art in future volumes.

Overall rating: 3.5/5

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It is a charming irony that the man whose appearance is best remembered as Frankenstein’s monster should be equally regarded for his mellifluous voice as narrator (and protagonist) in ‘Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!’

It is another irony that ‘Boris Karloff’ was never his legal name. William Henry Pratt signed his name as “William Henry Pratt AKA Boris Karloff.” He was the youngest of nine siblings; his older brothers were distinguished members of the British government. Mr. Karloff abandoned this career to become a more respectable monster.

He was born in London, England in 1887, with bow legs, a lisp, and a stutter. He shed the stutter, but the lisp remained and helped distinguish his usually soft voice. That distinctive voice has become most associated with the 1966 television production of Dr. Seuss’s ‘Grinch.’

In 1909, he toured Canada, performing theatre. Afterwards, Mr. Pratt became Mr. Karloff on stage. In 1912, a cyclone hit Regina, Saskatchewan, where he had been staying. He and other performers helped clean up the city.

He was cast in silent films when he first arrived in Hollywood. Mr. Karloff appeared in eighty films before playing the monster in James Whale’s version of ‘Frankenstein’ (1931). He was credited as “?” in the immensely successful feature.

Other roles followed swiftly, many that were in horror films. He appeared as Frankenstein’s monster in two more films: ‘Bride of Frankenstein’ (1935) and ‘Son of Frankenstein’ (1939). He also played Imhotep in ‘The Mummy’ and Dr. Fu Manchu in ‘The Mask of Fu Manchu,’ both roles in 1932.

Although he was first a silent film star, he made the transition to ‘talkies’ easily, and recorded several stories. He played ‘Cymbeline’ for the Shakespeare Recording Society and narrated ‘Peter and the Wolf’ with the Vienna State Opera Orchestra.

Other recordings were intended for children. Among these were ‘Just So Stories’ by Rudyard Kipling, ‘Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes,’ and ‘The Hunting of the Snark’ by Lewis Carroll.

Mr. Karloff had grown up quite poor; he is quoted as once having wished for an extra dime for a pair of doughnuts with his coffee. Perhaps because of his roots, he was charitable, kind and a gentleman. He donated particularly to children’s charities.

He was also interested in fair treatment for adults: he was a charter member of the Screen Actors Guild, which was formed as a reaction to the working conditions at the Hollywood Studios in the 1930s.

Boris Karloff continued acting until his death in 1969; a couple of films were released posthumously. Perhaps his greatest legacy is his narration of ‘Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!’ (1966), which has been at the top of Christmas specials’ popularity lists for many years since. It is a fitting finale for a monster with a big heart.

Image Courtesy of  Fr. Dougal McGuire

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