Review by Booklist Review
While trumpeter Rice Duck flies high onstage at the Tequila Sunrise, girlfriend Betty Blues (some bird!) struggles for liftoff with glass after glass of champagne. So, does Rice love music or her? In slinks fat-cat (literally) James Patton and, promising cases of top-shelf bubbly, gets Betty to ditch the trumpeter. Rice doesn't notice while he's blowing, and soon he plummets to the depths he tosses his horn off a bridge (not, providentially, into the drink); hits the road; winds up shoveling coal at a clear-cutting camp; and befriends a big owl of a fellow worker who is planning to spike the lumber operation. Meanwhile, Betty, decked out in ice by her benefactor, is still drinking, but she's also rethinking. Though Dillies' (Bubbles and Gondola, 2011) line is more nervously energetic and his work's aura less heroic (though no less romantic), his noirish plot most resembles the work of Dillie's fellow French graphic novelist Christophe Blain (Isaac the Pirate, 2003). Not even fire glares in this dusky mixture of anthropomorphic animal comics and noir lighting.--Olson, Ray Copyright 2014 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A moody story of anthropomorphized animal romance from the creator of Abelard. Little Rice Duck is one of the best trumpeters in the West Wood's various jazz dives. But he's such a dedicated player that his girl Betty, a real glam looker, is starved for attention. So when a (literal) fat cat shows up and promises Betty all the champagne and high living she wants, that's it for her. The already-anger-prone Rice spirals down fast, announcing that he's "fed up with this life of monomaniacal musical has-beens." He then renounces jazz for a life of wandering. Dillies's autumnal-toned art is awash in smoky ambience, with its tangled alleyways and grimy clubs. The patter is straight painted-on noir, which makes it all seem like something of a gimmick. But Dillies tries to leaven the mood with the occasional romantic aside and comic detail: when a dog gets knocked unconscious, little fish circle his head instead of birds. The art is as lovely as it is irresistible. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
After spending another night sitting alone at a seedy bar, Betty decides to follow the champagne and leave her trumpet playing boyfriend, Rice Duck, behind. When Rice discovers she is gone, he decides to leave the musician's struggle behind and he tosses his trumpet in the river. However, it is not as easy to walk away as either would have hoped. Like his Eisner nominated Abelard, Dillies's first published graphic novel (being released here for the first time in English), winner of Best Debut at the Angouleme Comics, features anthropomorphic animals as the main characters. At times, this feels awkward as species are hard to discern and the noir tone seems thrown off by their presence. Dillies is a skilled artist and storyteller though. The art features a limited palette, strong textures, and measured panel pacing. The story is poetic and delicately balanced; even though the mood turns despairing at times, there is an almost naive belief in the power of love. Verdict Fans of Dillies's other works and similar lyrical authors will enjoy this one.-E.W. Goodman, Art Inst. of Pittsburgh (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 10 Up-In this noir-inspired graphic novel, Rice Duck is one of the best trumpet players in the West Wood. When his girlfriend, Betty, leaves him for a slick millionaire, he throws away his horn and skips town to try and cope with his loss. With little backstory, it's hard to get truly invested in these characters and their relationships, but some dream sequences do provide background in an abstract way. However, once the main characters really start to develop and learn about what they have taken for granted, the story abruptly ends, which readers will find either poignant or frustrating. Though the story is lacking in parts, the illustrations are flawless; drawings are heavily shaded, leaving a bit of grit and rawness that perfectly matches the dismal tone and filthy settings. Slinky characters with oblong angles bring jazz-fueled craziness to life. Like a jazz song, Betty Blues is a short but wild ride that doesn't hit all the notes just right but comes together in the end and lingers well after the music is over.-Peter Blenski, Greenfield Public Library, WI (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
