Eleanor & the Egret is a short series from the minds of Sam Keith (The Maxx, Zero Girl) and John Layman (Chew). It was the cover that initially caught my attention for this series – the Victorian style dress with the light color palette complimented by a giant Egret. Wait, what? Yep, that’s Eleanor & the Egret all right. If you’re looking to dive into a fantasy world of the nonsensical variety, then I highly suggest you give this series a try.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this series, if I’m being honest. Yes, I knew it was about Eleanor and how she and her Egret stole paintings. I didn’t really know the why yet, or really even the how. Surely there had to be a reason for a girl and her pet to end up this way? Unless she’s a criminal straight out of the Pink Panther universe (on second thought…I’d be okay with that).
Upon looking at the cover of the graphic novel (and really, any of the issue covers as well) I pictured an elegant and classical art thief. Which considering the sorts of outfits we see her wearing on the cover, I feel justified in this assumption. However Eleanor dressed very differently inside the covers of this comic, which was a little surprising, but it ended up just adding to her charm.
So as the title indicates, Eleanor has a pet Egret (named Ellis, for those that are curious). While this is certainly odd, it’s hardly story worthy. What makes it a standout series is the fact that little miss Eleanor and her great white Egret are actually master criminals. They steal art, and the reasons for their thievery are even more intriguing than the thefts themselves.
As little details are unveiled to tell us this enchanting story, I found myself enjoying it more and more. There’s a whole world that Eleanor resides in, and that world has rules – though naturally that means some are compelled to break them.
The world itself is endearing to say the least – many (if not all) of the characters can be seen with an animal companion by their side. Rarely do we see anyone without, though it also doesn’t appear to be a requirement (of the magical sort) to have one either. It’s a small touch, to be sure, but for me it enhanced the world significantly, and I imagine many other animal lovers would agree.
As for the mystery of the art thieves and why they do what they do…now that is an interesting tale. I’ll let you read it, as it’s better told in graphic novel form, but trust me when I say it’s worth giving it a shot.
The artwork for this series was wonderful – in many ways it reminded me of the Steampunk style of drawings, but at the same time it held its own and managed to stay different at the same time. The color palette is light, almost sepia toned. It’s actually a wonderful combination, on the whole.

I got an ARC in return for an honest review from NetGalley.

I am doing a reading bingo challenge with my friends and one of the squares is "avian antagonist". I grabbed this book because I wanted to complete that square. This book has creators from two series I really Enjoy, but this book was not one that I will be bragging about anytime soon. 

The plot is pretty simple and goofy, which I can enjoy in the right context. This book didn't do it for me. I think if I didn't know who the creators were I would be able to rate this book much higher. I am a big fan of Chew, even have the board game, but this book wasn't quite as seriously silly as that book was. There was a focus on animal partners but that wasn't really explored outside of the egret, Ellis. There are so many unanswered questions that I just don't care about like where did Ellis come from, are magical powers real in this universe, why are there so many animals. None of that really mattered. The story continued without answering any of them.

The other series that could have influenced my ability to be objective is Sandman. The art in this book is nothing to sneeze at, I really did enjoy that. The plot just wasn't enough to support the art. When I have beautiful art, I want a story that is on par with it. Terrible art can have a wonderful story and I am fine with that. The other way just feels wrong. It feels like the artist was cheated. Their art is not showcased because the story detracts from it. 

The book itself could  be fun to others and I would understand why. I just don't like it. I wish I did because the story has real potential to be interesting and weird and gorgeous. I just don't care enough to keep reading.

Strange and quirky, Eleanor and Her Egret is a winning team! This short story did not unfold with anything like predictability. I enjoyed every twist and turn.

A comic book review by someone who never reads comics: Eleanor and the Egret. Well that is not completely correct as I do have a subscription on the Donald Duck and own a lot of Suske and Wiskes but I hardly ever read a comic book for grown ups. The early 1900-design and the story synopsis that is what about art thievery however made me pick exactly this comic book to write a review about it.

It is beautifully done with all kind of 1900 (Art Nouveau (?) ) elements in the drawing.

It made me wonder in the beginning what time period is was supposed to be in. One moment a guy in a hat and suit oozing 1900 walks in, the next moment Eleanor is wearing Uggs.

But it seems to be a kind of fantasy Paris or alternative Paris as this review voiced it: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/why-eleanor-egret-is-perfect-title-new-comic-book-fans-992141

Interesting to see was that most characters were accompanied by a pet what represented their personality (influence of Native American spirit animals?).

However to me the book was something like looking at a beautiful picture and not totally getting what it was about. A bird who feeds on art, a kind of art succubus who steals people's talents? And the end left me with many questions. Maybe that is part of the charm.

Two and a half stars from me, for this comic seemed a little too bonkers for its own good. The fantasia on the creative spirit looked nice, but with its wackiness a little out of, er, whack, and the arts and crafts/deco framing used, it all seemed to be trying a little too hard.

A WONDERFUL comics, really. I loved how the mystery plot combined with humour and art (and yes, I got the hint with the Art Nouveau cat! :D).
The drawings are good, but I think the colourist made a splendid work with this volume. And I really appreciated the balloons' design: truly original!
But most important of all: I fell in love with Ellis the egret. Funny, loyal, lovely and... an art-lover, hahaha. I'm looking forward to read more stories about him in the future, even tho the last pages suggest something different.

A very interesting art style and a nice duo of a storyline.