This was a big change of pace from most of the graphic novels/comic books I've read so far. Its art style is simple yet captivating. The dialogue is snappy and complex. I don't know just yet what to make of it all, but my reading experience was generally good. ( )

This is a beautiful comic book with deft characterization and excellent coloring with lots of neat moments, but I'll be damned if I could tell you what was actually happening 50% of the time. Lots of neat stuff, but I wish it had been a little more obvious. I don't mind working hard, but I couldn't even tell you where to begin with this one! It seems like it would be worth the effort, though.

What a graphic novel! I didn’t know what to expect, except that Moving Pictures had to do with art and World War II. But one glance at that cover and I knew I had to take it home with me (well first requesting it from the library and then when it got to my branch could I actually take it home). The illustrations within were equally captivating. Black and white. Full of shadows. Stark and yet evocative, which fits the rather bleak setting. This graphic novel is worth a look just for the illustrations alone. Utterly gorgeous.

Of course a graphic novel isn’t just about the images, so I suppose I should tell you a bit about the story. Ila Gardner is a Canadian art curator working in France during the occupation by Germany. She’s cataloguing the museum’s inventory as France attempts to hide important works from the Germans. The Germans are doing the same at the same time, and Ila is being interviewed by German officer Rolf Hauptmann, who is working to trace all the artwork. But this is merely a backstory to the relationships that Ila has with Rolf and the art and the city.

In an interview with Torontoist, Kathryn Immonen said she was inspired after reading Janet Flanner’s Letters from Paris, which mentioned the cleaning of the Louvre was a by-product of the efforts to protect the individual works: “It was just so strange and funny. But I really started thinking about those guys with the rags and the cans of Pledge and the buckets of ammonia water, the small domestic activities that were a side effect of enormous global acts of violence.” I really liked how the spectre of the war looms over much of this graphic novel but is never central to the story. It is not about the military fighting the war or politicians planning their next move, but about these people living in Paris, trying to figure out how to get by and maintain some sort of semblance of their normal lives. ( )

The narration got a little messy in certain spots and I got a little lost but this was a good book. When someone asked me to describe the book I was reading the synopsis sounds a little dull so for the two authors to make a story out of what sounds like a boring premise shows their talent. Their illustrations were good as well as the framing they use for their characters really gives the story it's mood. However, I could see what themes and feelings they were trying to give their characters but I feel like they did not flesh them out enough. ( )

So I read this and I enjoyed it but I was quite sure at the end that I'd missed something very significant. So I read it again (it's short) and that didn't help. So I had my husband read it and he was equally perplexed. So then I read a handful of reviews, relying in particular on Douglas Wolk. And my conclusion is that I didn't miss anything. The book simply disregards formula and has a misleading official description hinting at cliches that don't exist. So then I felt much better about both it and myself.

I bought this because I buy most things from the Immonens. And everything that isn't Marvel. It was a given that I'd love the art. The writing is less certain but it was gorgeous as well. Immonen's writing seems to always jump around a lot, so it works better (for me) in stories where the scenes keep jumping as well. The alternative is irritatingly unfocused, hyperactive characters. But everyone was very deliberate here. With some very thought-provoking perspectives. This is a good discussion book. Once you accept where the action is. ( )