“Welcome to the dream factory…”

Lankosz’ Anastasia delves headfirst into the abuses and exploitation that characterized Tinseltown in its early years. The graphic novel boasts mature sexual content and may not be appropriate for all readers, but I have to admit an appreciation for how Lankosz' presented the material. Anastasia is a dark and difficult story, one that is carefully designed to make the reader question the unsettling nature of the material and how such experiences influence both the personal development and actions of the novel’s cast.

Though set in the 1920s, I found the historical detail thin at best and can't see myself recommending it to genre readers. That said, I’d have no trouble endorsing the inherent relevance of the novel's themes or the striking quality of Karpowicz' panels.

Anastasia is not a feel-good story, but I appreciated how the content made me think and will definitely be on the lookout for the next installment of the series.

A bit too terrible for terrible's sake, in my book. And a bit too titillated with BDSM without much of a true understanding of BDSM. And yet the art is compelling enough, and I felt enough for Anastasia, that I might be interested to see what happens next.

“Welcome to the dream factory, Bella” - Anastasia

Thank you to Europe Comics for making available a digital edition of ‘Anastasia: Part 1’ in exchange for an honest review. It was written by Magdalena Lankosz with art by Joanna Karpowicz.

In 1926 a mother and her young daughter come to Los Angeles chasing the mother’s dream to conquer Hollywood no matter the cost. She considers her daughter the perfect candidate to become the next child star. The story follows Anastasia’s journey into young adulthood.

I certainly have held no illusions about the realities of the so-called Golden Age of Hollywood and the abuses and exploitation of women that took place within the industry. Utilising the medium of the graphic novel proved here to be a very powerful way to express these aspects of the so-called dream factory. While names are changed there are hints towards real life scandals and individuals.

The artwork is stunning though quite explicit in places. Anastasia’s loss of innocence from the sad little girl to the hardened young woman in the final panels was so sad. I hope for some redemption as the story is continued.

Again kudos to Europe Comics for translating into English such a powerfully dark story that sadly is still relevant in today’s world as recent revelations have shown.

This graphic novel is definitely for older readers (16+) due to the themes and some of the more graphic (no pun intended) scenes which feature in it.

The art is beautiful and very detailed. The colours are well used to convey each sense of time and place (i.e. Kansas versus LA in the 1920s). Its not an 'easy' read in the emotional sense as it deals with themes of child abuse, emotional abuse (from her mother) and violence. However, it feels very authentic and tells an important story that is sadly all to believable.

⚠ Content Warnings: murder, rape, deception, drug abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse + explicit graphics/drawings
⚠ Read if: you are a fan of old Hollywood conspiracies.

Anastasia is a graphic novel showing how sexual exploitation and deception factored celebrity fame. It was set in 1920s Hollywood, but unfortunately, we all know it is relevant until today.

This graphic novel is Rated 16+ I guess for the explicitly drawn artwork.

The art style was commendable, as well as the delivery of an effective story.

★★★★✩

I really enjoyed this graphic novel.
The story is really interresting, exploring sexual exploitation of women in Hollywood in the 20’s and 30’s.
The artwork is amazing as well, but it was a bit explicit at times, so if you don’t like that this might not be for you.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel;s story and art. It's interesting to read about the way women were and are treated in Hollywood., especially with the emphasis on how men are the one who crave the power and possession over the women not the women themselves. As an actor I see the parallels between that time period and this. My favorite part of the art was dream/flashback scenes; the use of color and shape was very smooth and appealing to see/read. I'm excited to see where the next part of this series goes.

Anastasia tells the story of a small girl and her mother who dreams of her becoming an actress in order for them to have a better life. It is very dark and sadly-probably pretty realistic. The artwork was amazing and was able to express so much without having a lot of text. I would be interested in continuing this story.
TW: child abuse, violence, murder

One of the first Graphic Novels that I’ve read and I loved it! The art is beautiful and I want to reread it already!

This book was quite dark, due to the subject but the story was very important. The artwork is really well done and I'm looking forward to reading the next installment in this series!

This book explores the theme of sexual exploitation in Hollywood which sadly still has relevance today. It is a dark story and has some graphic images but the artwork is beautiful. I do feel it ended a bit too abruptly and I would love to see a positive light to Anastasia’s story in the next installment. Although it’s quite a topic heavy book, it highlights an important issue.

It's a dark story with beautiful artwork about the cost of being a star.

There was some graphic sexual violence. It was too much for me, and I almost put the book down without finishing it. I did finish it in the end, and while I'm curious where Anastasia's story will go from here, I think this series is just too violent for me.

Bleak, miserable, poignant; Lankosz's "Anastasia" is the story of the cost of dreams, the loss of innocence, the ontological emptiness that follows the exposure to trauma.

A sad timeless tale about the loss of innocence. Hope Anastasia finds a happier more fulfilling life in the next installment. Gorgeous artwork!