Morr Meroz is well known for creating the Youtube channel Blop Animation, which has over 250K subscribers. He is also responsible for making the Bloop Animation course available online. Aside from teaching animation, he is also a talented storyteller, and in 2021, he and artist Collin Fogel created their first graphic novel Snowlands Book One: Blood Moon. As for my thoughts, I hope this novel gets more attention because both Meroz and Fogel have made something extraordinary.
In the Snowlands, Feba is a white wolf ostracized by the other young wolves in the pack. The elder wolves think she is responsible for the lack of sheep to hunt and the missing or worse, murder of the wolf cubs as white wolves are believed to be a sign of bad luck. When Feba overhears the elder wolves that they may want to banish Feba from the pack, Feba runs away and tries to figure out how to start a new life on her own when she runs into a lone leopard named Usha. She reluctantly allows her to tag along to help Feba find her place in life. Little do they know that they are about to discover the mystery of the missing wolf cubs and what happened to the sheep. To make things worse, Feba and Usha encounter many dangers that will challenge their skills to survive.
The story takes much inspiration from other stories like “The Lion King” but introduces a lot of tweaks and exciting ideas to separate itself from the latter. Make no mistake, this narrative is not just a cutesy talking animal adventure; this story introduces itself with a hint of an edge by including some cumbersome moments and even light violence. It's very appreciated when a graphic novel mainly aimed at kids treats its audience like they are grown-up readers. It's not all sadness and violence though, as there are plenty of fun and uplifting moments. Still, it's impressive that the author Mor Meroz took a considerable risk to tell a story with emotional depth and violent stakes. While this story might be more suitable for older kids, it's still a great way to introduce young ones to poetic and adventurous storytelling.
The Characters are a lot of fun, and each has an identifiable trait that makes them interesting to follow. Feba is charming and determined, and her journey into accepting who she is and being ostracized from her pack is endearing. Usha the Leopard is the reluctant adult who learns to admire Feba’s motives and even harbors a few secrets of her own. Batu is the adorable little cute animal who can only speak one word, which is his own name, but thankfully, he doesn’t become too annoying and only involves himself when the time is right. The rest of the characters are either good or evil, and each has a hand in moving the adventure forward. These characters are well written, and it will be nice to see them go on more adventures in future novels.
The Illustrations feel like a combination of the Disney style with the style of realistic illustrations. Artist Collin Fogel does a great job creating engaging and atmospheric settings with well-designed characters roaming about. The character designs are more than just cute, especially regarding Feba, who, while adorable, can also be a strong-willed leader just by her actions and facial expressions. The backgrounds are perfectly snowy, but they can also get spiritual and mystical. There is also a few shots of violence with some blood in it. Parents need not worry, though, because it's not gory or like an adult comic book, and it's honestly okay to show kids some violence as long as it's not overly constant. These illustrations will engage kids and will even spark the imaginations of some adults reading along.
For the first book in the series, Morr Meroz and Collin Fogel have created an enchanting tale with heart, charm, and fantasy-like storytelling. It may be a little bit much for very young readers as there are some heavy topics and light violence. Still, it’s great to see a children's graphic novel that takes some bold risks and does not lend itself to being just a cutesy children's adventure, even though nothing is wrong with those. I enjoyed this story a lot, and I look forward to seeing more from Morr Meroz and company with new stories about the Snowlands if there are new books in the making.
(Final Grade: A-)