Brielle and Bear
I won’t lie, seeing this book (or any) pitched as a retelling of The Beauty and the Beast is what caught my eye. I am what the kids call “a
sucker.” But we can unpack all that later.
Brielle and Bear might have the vague skeleton of the classic fairy tale it was based on, but it definitely has its own narrative—a fact that I think is a positive for the story.
That being said, this story is a little hard to get into. There is certainly a lot to like, but ultimately this book is the opposite of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.
Brielle is our heroine, and she knows it. She exudes Main Character Confidence and narrates her life using a set of rules that she pulled from her familiarity with fairy tales. She meets Atohi “Bear” Yona while at work at Once Upon A Time University’s bookshop. It’s charmed at first sight, and the story expands on their relationship and the friends they surround themselves with.
Before I get into criticism, let’s look at what slaps:
The art is gorgeous. Brielle and Bear is full of color, whimsy, visual motifs, and beautiful homage to both western-style animation and manga. The atmosphere (and names of every location and character) is very dreamy and perfect for this fairy tale-esque story.
The cast is very diverse. The author specifically wrote that she wanted to create a cast that reflected her time at university, and there was care taken to make every identity unique and specific.
There is some very kind and sympathetic discussion of neurodiversity and physical disability. Brielle has vitiligo, it is seen as running in her family. Bear has dyslexia. One of the things I thought was really beautiful about the story was how much Bear enjoys writing poetry and reading—passions that I do no typically see paired with this particular condition.
Unfortunately, each of these items tend to fall apart under close scrutiny. The art for the settings and environments and locations is so beautiful, but it tends not get center stage with lots of rendering and color. The line drawings are beautiful, but the structures sit with a selected color pallet for the page and remain, well, in the background. It is a logical choice, but it does feel like leaving free points on the floor.
The cast is diverse, but then what? Apart from some phrases in Spanish, this is an aspect of the story that is not referenced or acknowledged. Again, perhaps I have misinterpreted this choice. It might be nice to just see this as a way things are, without it being worthy of commentary.
The vitiligo and dyslexia do pertain to the plot, but it is incredibly minimal. Each character has already overcome the trauma and difficulty that comes with having these conditions. I would say this is consistent through the story as a whole – the stakes are incredibly low. I was never worried about a resolution to an issue, and each issue was small; the biggest one being 2 arguments between Brielle and Bear that are resolved through straightforward communication.
I fear this comic is trying to push its fairy tale origins into its pages, but there really is no need for that. There doesn’t seem to be any magical elements to this world—there are no spells, curses, prophecies, and certainly no beasts. I would have liked to see this story develop on its own, flown far from its magical origins. It sounds like more volumes are coming out, and maybe those books will address some of my concerns, but for now, this story is a slice of cake that is mostly frosting.
Although I personally didn’t enjoy this narrative, I would encourage everyone to look at Doku’s website to look at the visual development journey that these illustrations went on—they are simply gorgeous.
NOTE: Author is black and from England; African-American was picked as creator representation as this was the closest option that is available through NFNT.
Brielle and Bear
By Salomey Doku
Harper Collins, 2024
ISBN: 9780008617561
Company Age Rating: 13+
NFNT Age Recommendation: Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16)
Creator Representation: African-American,
Character Representation: African-American, First Nations or Indigenous, Disability,
