There's a tender and sad, but still somehow more than a little snarky, cynicism to these two little stories, which Russell's always excellent art and layouts accentuate by being lush, lovely and reassuringly fairy tale-looking. I have no other experience with Wilde's writings, but these adaptations of Russell's have been well worth reading, and "The Devoted Friend & The Nightingale and the Rose" is one of the stronger volumes. ( )

This graphic novel contains two of Oscar Wilde's fairy tales: "The Devoted Friend," about a "friend" who consistently takes unfair advantage of the innocent hero, and "The Nightingale and The Rose," about a bird who sacrifices himself to help unappreciative humans. The illustrations are well-done. ( )