Pandora (Book 1) written by Frank Miller and Emma Kubert with art by Anthony Maranville and Chris Silvestri (graphic novel review).

Annabeth is a fifteen-year-old stuck in an unhappy home and without real friends at school. Her mother makes ends meet running a low-end boarding house filled with misfits and petty criminals. When she’s not at school, Annabeth helps her mother out but gets little thanks for it. It’s no better at school, where she’s bullied by those she used to consider friends, and, despite her intelligence, her teachers do nothing to make her feel special.

Instead, it’s the internal world of her imagination and creativity that gives her respite from the unpleasantness of reality. This is where Frank Miller’s talent as a storyteller really shines through. Some of her doodles appear to be real things in another reality, one that is infiltrating our own through a mysterious artifact in the shape of a glowing pink flower. In the other reality, goblin-like creatures are trying to escape from an army of monsters. The forces persecuting these creatures bear similarities to those trapping Annabeth, and her old and dark house bears a resemblance to the underground passages where the goblins seek refuge. But which elements are under Annabeth’s control? Did she create the monsters or the goblins?

The monsters in Annabeth’s world are, of course, human, but merciless nonetheless. For starters, there are the bullies at school who physically assault her, and more subtly, there is a particularly sketchy lodger who symbolizes the threat of sexual abuse. To a young woman like Annabeth, the predatory Meeks is no less dangerous than any other sort of monster.

Miller makes sure that for all Annabeth’s challenges, she doesn’t lack agency. She is, in more ways than one, the author of her own destiny. When she comes across the strange artifact, her imagination, our world, and the world of the goblins begin to influence one another. To be fair to the reader, the explanation of what’s happening isn’t entirely clear at this point, and presumably, it will become clearer as the series progresses. Evidently, her grandmother vanished at one point, suggesting that, similar to Annabeth, she possessed some knowledge of this alternate reality. The sixth book in this collection has an adult version of someone who resembles Annabeth leading the armies of the chief antagonist; whether this is Annabeth’s grandmother or the older Annabeth herself isn’t yet clear.

Indeed, the sixth book is very different from the preceding five in this combined volume, taking place in the fantasy world that, in some way, Annabeth created. It introduces a number of new characters and settings, and the nature of the chief antagonist, Ling, becomes a little clearer. Even so, the ending is very much a cliffhanger that left this reviewer eager to find out more in volume two.

Miller’s team, including writer Emma Kubert and artists Anthony Maranville and Chris Silvestri, excels in crafting a complex young adult title that also appeals to older readers. Miller skillfully interweaves the themes of love, danger, family, desire, and control.

The hardback covers with a dust jacket present this collection well, despite its high price tag. Also included are six pages of development notes, plus several more pages of character studies, cover art, and short biographical notes on the authors and illustrators. The quality of the artwork and the charm of the story compensate for this slightly lower than average comic book collection. ‘Pandora’ introduces a captivating realm of storytelling, despite targeting teenage readers.

Neale Monks

November 2024

(pub: Abrams ComicArts, 2024. 208 page graphic novel hardback. Price: $24.99 (US). ISBN: 978-1-41977-723-3

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