A Storm of Reviews for Danica Novgorodoff’s Debut Graphic Novel

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Danica is in Louisville, Kentucky today (at Carmichael’s Bookstore) and in Chicago at Quimby’s on Saturday. 

“What
stands out about Novgorodoff’s book are the artistry of its pages — the
fine-art edge her watercolors give to illustrations that help propel the story
line — and the human themes of loneliness, spiritual meaning and connection to
the landscape of one’s home territory that are associated more with literature
or high-art cinema than with the comic-book form.” – The Kentucky Courier Journal

“A sharp,
often challenging story. . . . SLOW STORM works so well because of
Novgorodoff’s ability to almost constantly convey motion and movement. She
captures on the page even simple things like winds blowing, or people and
animals running, or cars and trucks driving, all with a flair.” – Book Reporter

bookreporter reviesw2“I read
several books last weekend, but one that won’t leave my head is Danica
Novgorodoff’s Slow Storm. This book was such a hit at Comic-Con that
I couldn’t get a copy, and now I understand why. The art is breathtaking. The
story intertwines a small-town female firefighter and an illegal immigrant who
works in a stable. When a storm hits, their lives change. I read the entire
thing while sitting on my back porch on a rainy day, and I can’t imagine a more
perfect setting.” – USA Today’s Pop Candy

“Slow Storm’s poignant themes, accompanied by Novgorodoff’s lush watercolor
washes and masterful linework, tell an emotionally-charged tale of homesickness
and horses, storms and saints.” – Quimby’s

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“Just like a Slow Storm, there’s a brooding atmosphere and mounting intensity
throughout Novgorodoff’s subtle, refreshingly different drama, as she shows how
these two people from very different worlds and worldviews, both adrift, with
secrets to hide, neither sure of their place in life, build a bond of
understanding and come to recognise the sensitivity and hope in each other.” –
Paul Gravett

“I admire the texture and ambition that Novgorodoff brings to this tale of lost
souls. . . . there are numerous moments in Slow Storm that betray a
Level 4 hurricane of talent.” – The
Oregonian

“Danica Novgorodoff’s graphic novel ‘Slow Storm’ is eerily relevant — and just
plain eerie.” – NY Magazine

“In the few gestures these characters exchange as they pass on their way
through different journeys, Novgoroff has captured as much or more as any novel
or movie. Clearly a contender for best graphic novel of the year.” – Omnivoracious/amazon.com book blog

“Slow Storm is a promising debut and a beautiful work of artistic
fiction. The author’s excellent grasp of dialogue works to establish the
characters’ voices as believable, and her atmospheric artwork and attention to
the story’s setting make for an immersing reading experience.” – Newsarama

“Novgorodoff is a genuine talent, an educated painter with style and
composition skills to spare. Her work is haunting and powerful, and the
character of Ursa really comes alive on the page… even as Ursa feels her life’s
energy slipping from her in a maze of pain and bad decisions. It’s a very
mature piece of work for someone putting out her first full-length graphic
novel.” – Comics Waiting Room

“A multifaceted story about a lonely female firefighter and the illegal
immigrant she tries to shelter.” – The
Onion AV Club

“First-time graphic novelists rarely display such grace and confidence as this
Eisner nominee. In a deliberately paced character study of two disenfranchised
souls — a complicated woman firefighter and a desperate illegal immigrant —
Novgorodoff leans on lovely watercolor panels, not necessarily words, to reveal
intimate details about her wounded characters and the stark Kentucky landscape
that surrounds and sometimes stifles them. “Slow Storm” is a sad
ballad about sorrow-prone people . . . it’s a joy to read.” – The Contra Costa Times

“Eisner and Isotope winner Danica Novgorodoff’s new work Slow Storm. . . . promises to be in the vein of books like Blankets and Palookaville
with its “literary graphic novel” pedigree.” – Broken Frontier

(bolds mine!)