A colorful and engrossing tale that will draw readers in and leave them wanting more.
Threats are looming for a team of iconic superheroes in this series-starting graphic novel, which reimagines a 1986 animated TV series.
Several years ago, the Defenders of the Earth won the war against planet Mongo, defeating its ruler Ming the Merciless. Since that time, Flash Gordon has kept busy overseeing the Defenders Organization in a towering high-rise. He apparently no longer has time for his son or any of his teammates, including Lothar, Mandrake the Magician, and the Phantom. Meanwhile, it hasn’t been easy for these men to trust Kro-Tan, Ming’s son, even if his powerful Barin Atomicshelped to rebuild war-ravaged Earth in record time. Because the world doesn’t seem to need them anymore, the Defenders make other plans: Lothar, a former chieftain, heads home to Africa, where the Seven Nations are “coming apart,” and Mandrake eyes a return to performing onstage. However, there’s word that the ferocious Singh Brotherhood has been scared into hiding by a more formidable menace. This first issue of writer DiDio’s series ably gets things started: Readers get a taste of the explosive war, as well as witness a shocking death before the gradual introduction of a vibrant cast of classic comic-book characters in the present day. As in the cartoon, at least some of the Defenders have children; there’s Flash’s son, Rick, who’s pals with L.J., Lothar’s son. The story, in addition to setting up a potential supervillain, aptly establishes character relationships to explore in future issues, including Rick’s resentment of his negligent father and the Phantom’s barely masked contempt for Kro-Tan. Calafiore’s artwork truly brings the panels to life; the action scenes are short but exhilarating and the facial expressions—most notably, the Phantom’s perpetual scowl—aptly establish character.
A colorful and engrossing tale that will draw readers in and leave them wanting more.Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Review Posted Online: April 25, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Even so, this remains Macbeth, arguably the Bard of Avon’s most durable and multilayered tragedy, and overall, this enhanced...
A pairing of the text of the Scottish Play with a filmed performance, designed with the Shakespeare novice in mind.
The left side of the screen of this enhanced e-book contains a full version of Macbeth, while the right side includes a performance of the dialogue shown (approximately 20 lines’ worth per page). This granular focus allows newcomers to experience the nuances of the play, which is rich in irony, hidden intentions and sudden shifts in emotional temperature. The set and costuming are deliberately simple: The background is white, and Macbeth’s “armor” is a leather jacket. But nobody’s dumbing down their performances. Francesca Faridany is particularly good as a tightly coiled Lady Macbeth; Raphael Nash-Thompson gives his roles as the drunken porter and a witch a garrulousness that carries an entertainingly sinister edge. The presentation is not without its hiccups. Matching the video on the right with the text on the left means routinely cutting off dramatic moments; at one point, users have to swipe to see and read the second half of a scene’s closing couplet—presumably an easy fix. A “tap to translate” button on each page puts the text into plain English, but the pop-up text covers up Shakespeare’s original, denying any attempts at comparison; moreover, the translation mainly redefines more obscure words, suggesting that smaller pop-ups for individual terms might be more meaningful.
Even so, this remains Macbeth, arguably the Bard of Avon’s most durable and multilayered tragedy, and overall, this enhanced e-book makes the play appealing and graspable to students . (Enhanced e-book. 12 & up)Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2013
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: The New Book Press LLC
Review Posted Online: Nov. 6, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2013
Using modern language, McDonald spins the well-known tale of the two young, unrequited lovers. Set against Nagar’s at-times...
A bland, uninspired graphic adaptation of the Bard’s renowned love story.
Using modern language, McDonald spins the well-known tale of the two young, unrequited lovers. Set against Nagar’s at-times oddly psychedelic-tinged backgrounds of cool blues and purples, the mood is strange, and the overall ambiance of the story markedly absent. Appealing to what could only be a high-interest/low–reading level audience, McDonald falls short of the mark. He explains a scene in an open-air tavern with a footnote—“a place where people gather to drink”—but he declines to offer definitions for more difficult words, such as “dirges.” While the adaptation does follow the foundation of the play, the contemporary language offers nothing; cringeworthy lines include Benvolio saying to Romeo at the party where he first meets Juliet, “Let’s go. It’s best to leave now, while the party’s in full swing.” Nagar’s faces swirl between dishwater and grotesque, adding another layer of lost passion in a story that should boil with romantic intensity. Each page number is enclosed in a little red heart; while the object of this little nuance is obvious, it’s also unpleasantly saccharine. Notes after the story include such edifying tidbits about Taylor Swift and “ ‘Wow’ dialogs from the play” (which culls out the famous quotes).Pub Date: May 10, 2011
ISBN: 978-93-80028-58-3
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Campfire
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2011
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