Coraline (2008)
Neil Gaiman and P. Craig Russell
Aside from the illustration work by P. Craig Russell, which is outstanding (and almost immediately endearing), my first reaction to the story line of this Neil Gaiman piece was not an entirely appreciative one. The premise felt weak and under-articulated and the characters, while distinct (especially in provoking that mental “I better remember this” token), were not necessarily enjoyable.
Perhaps it was the complete interconnection between later parts in the book and Russell’s art (seriously, his character lines are great!) or (more likely) it was my finding out this particular book was an adaptation for younger audiences and not the actual Gaiman novel, but my appreciation for the literary piece as a whole is much higher now. In fact, by the end of the book I found myself excitedly searching online for more details on when the animated feature film adaptation was going to be released. If after reading it you find yourself in the same predicament, this is where you want to be.