Helena and Mr. Big Bad Wolf is a homage to the creative spirit and how it can get people through tough times. Helena is a little girl with a big imagination who likes to draw and tell stories. Her family seems close, but then tragedy after tragedy stalks them, and Helena ends up in an orphanage.
Besides creating her own little works, Helena likes picture books, and she gets an opportunity to go to a book signing by her favorite picture book creator. To say he’s eccentric would be putting it lightly. He calls himself Mr. Big Bad Wolf and he wears a wolf’s mask. And while creativity has also helped him, the manga shows how his neurotic insecurities about his art can also torture him. Even when Mr. Big Bad Wolf is shown without his mask in a few panels, his face is darkened so you can’t see what he really looks like.
There’s a further twist that connects Mr. Big Bad Wolf with Helena’s world, though the first volume makes sure to keep Mr. Big Bad Wolf as a mostly mysterious character. We know bad things happened in his past from some flashbacks, though we’re still waiting on details.
Helena and Mr. Big Bad Wolf is a simply told story, but it touches on deep and timeless themes. It also moves at a somewhat languid pace, and yet it does a good job of covering so much ground. It has that fairy tale/children’s storybook feeling to it. The artwork is straight and clean, and when Mr. Big Bad Wolf’s artwork is displayed, it’s done in a much more detailed, intrinsic style. Helena is a very likable protagonist, and though she’s quite young, the manga is rated Teen, so it’s not an example of an all-ages manga because of the main character’s age. This endearing manga would be an especially good read for people who like children’s literature and the power of creativity being explored.
Story & Art: BliSS
Publisher: Yen Press
Translator: Xiao
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.