Gravity Falls Don’t Color This Book!: It’s Cursed! (Gravity Falls Coloring Book)

Author: Emmy  Cicierega

Illustrator: Stephanie Ramirez

My rating: 4 of 5

When Mabel finds a blank book in Dipper’s stuff, well, he can’t really expect her to NOT write in it, can he? Only, when she opens it up and starts her Mabelish ramblings, she finds Dipper actually stuck in the book, trapped by an extradimensional being demanding they give it colors. Which, okay, for Gravity Falls is basically Tuesday, but whatever. Naturally, Mabel and Dipper are going to be completely serious and compliant with this weirdo’s wishes. Oh, who am I kidding? When are the Pines twins ever serious or compliant?!

So, technically, this is a Gravity Falls coloring book. But it’s also basically a short graphic novel, so there’s that. The Pines twins’ character is all over this book, right from the sparkly pink ink and  stickers festooning the cover. The back and forth dialogue between Mabel, Dipper, and the color-sucking monster (Chamelius Pendraggin, “pigmentologist”) is amusingly in-character and funny. The pictures get quite goofy, but they are also very funny–classic Mabel whimsy makes up a huge portion of it (and how could that be anything but awesome?) with some amusing Dipper asides and lots of commentary from Dipper on Mabel’s pictures. This is one of those books that, although it’s clearly intended for kids as a coloring book, it manages to be a fun read for fans of the show, even if they’re waaaay over the intended age bracket. Recommended.

Gravity Falls: Lost Legends (Graphic Novel)

Author: Alex Hirsch

My rating: 5 of 5

Welcome back to the weird, wonderful town of Gravity Falls for a collection of never-before-told tales! Follow Dipper and Pacifica as they go where no human has been permitted before (not that they were actually invited) in a quest to retrieve . . . Mabel’s stolen face. Or join the gang as they dive into the wonderful world of comics, breaking all genre boundaries (and the fourth wall) in search of Grunkle Stan. Watch in wonder as Mabel faces the challenges of dealing with none other than . . . herself? And enjoy a peek into the childhood adventures of the older Pines twins. Weirdest of all? The whole thing is narrated by none other than Gravity Falls’ own Shmebulock!

I enjoy this graphic novel so much! I’ve read Lost Legends three times so far, and it has yet to grow old. Because honestly? This book is basically the series, and when does that ever grow old? Seriously, these four stories are slated as tales that were just a bit too weird to make the cut for the cartoon . . . but I could totally see them being there. Not that I’m sad they ended up as a graphic novel instead, though. They’re perfect for this medium, especially the story where they go into graphic novels as part of the plot. It’s hugely fun to see the various styles on the page, going from old-school comics to manga to gritty contemporary stuff to superhero comics–plus the visual effect when they fall into the margins and cut through the pages. It’s great–probably my favorite story of this set. Throughout all four stories, we see the characters being very much themselves and in character. But we also get character growth, which is also amazing. At least two of these stories take place late in the series (one of them post-Weirdmageddon), and it shows. Pacifica begins to come into her own and make choices that aren’t totally based on her family’s approval. Mabel begins to realize how over-the-top and kind-of selfish she can be. Just generally the characters are fabulous and the stories are a lot of fun. Highly recommended to fans of the cartoon.