An intriguing and action-filled story populated with immensely appealing characters.
An engaging addition to a high school fighting competition series set in South Korea.
In this exciting second series entry, the God of High School tournament continues in Seoul with the disqualification of Mori Jin, who leaves the ring amid cheers. Fighting for the first-place position and a chance to have any wish granted by the executive committee, Mira Yoo and Daewi Han both have new matches. Mira fights a professional wrestler who has her eye on the committee members (“Aren’t they so cool? They’re all my type”), and Daewi fights an academic genius who wields a baseball bat. Meanwhile, readers learn more about the commissioners, the institution behind them, and Mori’s and his grandfather’s connections to it. Readers learn that Mori can rejoin the competition—if he can beat one of the commissioners by himself. As the stakes continue to rise, dark secrets behind the tournament start emerging, shedding light on political elements that were hinted at before. With expressive and colorful art that adds humor at the right times, this volume showcases myriad types of combat. Mori is an absolutely delightful lead at the center of a cast of lovable and three-dimensional characters. The story flows smoothly, and readers will be sure to devour the book in one sitting.
An intriguing and action-filled story populated with immensely appealing characters. (Graphic adventure. 13-18)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781990778933
Page Count: 256
Publisher: WEBTOON Unscrolled
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
A captivating read for teens, especially those who enjoy e-sports.
A talented gamer hides her identity and competes in an e-sports tournament.
Sixteen-year-old Vicky Tan lives in the shadow of her older brother, Virgil, an e-sports champion and her legal guardian. Virgil always speaks for her, believes she hates video games, and chooses food she doesn’t like, making it hard to communicate with him. Little does he know, Vicky has a secret: She not only loves playing Xenith Orion, the game he also plays, she’s extremely talented and dreams of one day playing on stage and winning a tournament. Between her brother’s unpredictability and the harassment and scrutiny women face in the male-dominated field, Vicky prefers playing as Aegis, her powerful alter ego. When the game developers announce an open tournament, Vicky and some new friends have the chance to realize their dreams. This is an emotion-filled story of family, friendship, growth, and identity based on a popular webcomic. Even readers unfamiliar with gaming will be able to enjoy it, as it includes enough explanation and background information. As the story develops, the misogynistic tendencies of the e-sports world are exposed, bringing awareness to the issue. Virgil and Vicky’s sibling relationship also portrays the fine line between being protective and overbearingly toxic. Vicky and Virgil are cued Chinese American; there is a diverse cast of secondary characters.
A captivating read for teens, especially those who enjoy e-sports. (Graphic fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Nov. 8, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5248-7649-4
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
Hinds adds another magnificent adaptation to his oeuvre (King Lear, 2009, etc.) with this stunning graphic retelling of Homer’s epic. Following Odysseus’s journey to return home to his beloved wife, Penelope, readers are transported into a world that easily combines the realistic and the fantastic. Gods mingle with the mortals, and not heeding their warnings could lead to quick danger; being mere men, Odysseus and his crew often make hasty errors in judgment and must face challenging consequences. Lush watercolors move with fluid lines throughout this reimagining. The artist’s use of color is especially striking: His battle scenes are ample, bloodily scarlet affairs, and Polyphemus’s cave is a stifling orange; he depicts the underworld as a colorless, mirthless void, domestic spaces in warm tans, the all-encircling sea in a light Mediterranean blue and some of the far-away islands in almost tangibly growing greens. Don’t confuse this hefty, respectful adaptation with some of the other recent ones; this one holds nothing back and is proudly, grittily realistic rather than cheerfully cartoonish. Big, bold, beautiful. (notes) (Graphic classic. YA)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-7636-4266-2
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2010
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