Ten Tidal Tales Starring Larry & the Sea Sprite by Nick Vianna
Published: 2021
Buy on Amazon
Ten seafaring stories featuring Larry the seagull. This collection of poems, letters, and short yarns have echoes of a Shel Silverstein book with eye-popping color.
The focus is author/illustrator Nick Vianna’s cartoons, a saturated assortment of full layouts, spot illustrations, landscapes and bordered snapshots. The drawings are indie to the hilt, reminiscent of 1960s underground fanzines.
In a similar way, the stories read like beat poetry. Scenes like “I’m a love nest, at rest, and I’m truly blessed” are illustrated but otherwise without context. They’re interesting to read but their meaning is up for interpretation.
I had some issues with the formatting. Each section of the book uses different fonts and colors, preventing the book from feeling like a cohesive finished product. Some of the fonts were difficult to read and placing yellow text on a lavender background tended to blend elements together.
The most compelling component was the illustrations and some were truly inspired. The crab scene is lovely and I particularly liked the beached white whale. Ten Tidal Tales is a unique work with interesting pictures, but the storytelling can be uneven.