(Photo Source Goodreads)
Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley.
“The
Little Mermaid” is, perhaps, one of Anderson’s most well-known tales, though
most people I would wager, do not know the source material and cling to the
Disney version. The duo of Metaphrog
does not do Disney.
Which
is a good thing.
Anderson’s
tale left me conflicted when I re-read it as an adult, leaves me conflicted
whenever I read it know. It isn’t the
stepping on knives bit; it’s how the prince treats the mermaid. She sleeps at the foot of his bed, he pets
her, she is his dog – faithful to the end.
But in fairness to the prince, it isn’t that the mermaid wants him; she
really wants a soul. He is a way to gain
a story. The whole relationship is
strange, yet the mermaid succeeds to a degree because she has more of the
“Christian virtues” that the prince should have.
In some
ways, this excellent adaption of the story shies away from those issues. The Little Mermaid here is in love with the
prince (and perhaps legs). The
adaption’s ending is faithful to the choice that Anderson’s character makes.
Yet, the image is subtly different for the choice occurs before the
wedding. Despite the use of legs,
including slit dresses, Metaphrog seem to have tamped down the sexual elements
of the story as well as the idea of a soul -the term immortal is used instead,
which means the original mermaid might not have had a problem with that.
Those
issues aside there is much to love in this.
The artwork – blues and greens – is wonderful. The paneling of the story is great.
There are people of color, though the two central characters are
white. The Sea Witch is not an Ursula
type and comes across as a helper.
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