Broken Frontier

Writer and artist Faith Erin Hicks produced a hit with her first print-based graphic novel Zombies Calling. Now she follows up with the different but enchanting The War at Ellsmere.

While Zombies Calling took an irreverent poke at zombie movies and the high cost of a college education, The War at Ellsmere takes a different tack; although readers can find some familiar themes along with all of the heart, charm and drama that Hicks is rapidly becoming even more well-known for.

Juniper, "Jun" for short, has been given what she sees as the chance of a lifetime. Coming from a lower-class background she has earned a scholarship to the expensive and prestigious bording school the Ellsmere Academy. Jun is smart and she thinks she’s prepared for her new life but is she really? Thrust into a world of incredibly high academic standards and wealthy schoolmates, Jun’s life is even more complicated by Emily – Ellsmere’s resident "queen bee". Emily sees Jun as first a target and then a potential threat. Jun has her intelligence and spirit as well as her roommate and friend Cassie – who seems to know more about Ellsmere and it’s mysterious past than she lets on. Graduating from Ellsmere will open a lot of doors for Jun but in order to do that she has to stick it out and Emily is willing to go to the limit to make sure she doesn’t.

If there is one word that can best sum up Hicks’ work it is "charm". She has an uncanny knack of creating not just charming characters but also charming settings and plots as well. And I mean "charm" in the magical sense of the word as well. The story draws the reader in and casts a spell that is woven quickly and seemingly effortlessly.

It must be admitted for the sake of truth that many of the elements of the story are ones that have been seen before: two girls with different backgrounds who become fast friends; the mean girl who rules the "in-crowd" and tries to run out the intelligent, good-hearted new girl, etc. The familiarity of the plot, however, is transcended by the characters and the emotion Hicks infuses them with. Jun’s intelligence, spunk, and determination endear her just as Cassie’s pure soul and blossoming confidence do. And of course, in Emily, there is the deliciously hissable villain that every good story needs. Hicks also adds some surprising elements, including a twist that I won’t reveal here but that suddenly and unexpectedly changes the entire tone of the graphic novel and yet, somehow, does not feel tacked on or odd.

As with Zombies Calling, Hicks also provides all of the artwork for the story. With an open, rounded style, the art work really feels all-ages friendly. The figures are instantly recognizable and their looks and facial expressions factor in perfectly with the rest of their characterization. There is no skimping on the details either as Hicks does a great a job of making Ellsmere and its grounds feel like a real place. She also has a cinematic eye and a way of making the story flow that truly leaves the reader feeling as though they were watching a movie instead of looking at drawings on a page.

Faith Erin Hicks manages to do something that few really accomplish all that well – she crafts and all-ages comic that really will appeal to girls and women of all ages. Jun and Cassie are excellent protagonists – being characters who are inspiring without being saccharine. There are gentle lessons imparted in the course of a story that provides triumphs and tragedies, comedy and tears in equal measures. The War at Ellsmere is a beautifully told, well-rounded story that is not just thoroughly enjoyable but also eminently re-readable. If you open the pages you’ll find yourself coming under the spell of Faith Erin Hicks’ wonderful characters in the strange and magical place that is Ellsmere Academy.

The War at Ellsmereis published by Slave Labor Graphics priced $12.95.