A social justice–minded superhero for the Black Lives Matter era.
A DEI promoter turns vigilante in Washington’s debut graphic novel.
A rash of kidnappings has rocked Dale City, and Dr. Chris Withers has noticed a double standard when it comes to working the cases: When the missing girl is white, the city often gets superheroes involved to bring them home safely, but when the missing girl is Black or brown, the police handle it themselves—which usually means not handling it at all. Chris, a former special forces soldier turned social psychologist, operates a lucrative consulting firm and gives presentations about the effects of privilege in the justice system. When his wife, a reporter who’s been investigating the police’s handling of the disappearances, is found dead of a supposed drug overdose in the neighborhood where several girls have gone missing, he knows someone murdered her to shut her up. A skilled martial artist with plenty of resources at his disposal—including the lab of his friend, science prodigy and weapons manufacturer Dr. Alicia Johnson—Chris takes to the street to find answers. He may not be an enhanced human like most of the superheroes, but his need to avenge his wife is enough to fuel his new alter ego: Black Defender. But does this vigilante really have what it takes to go up against the trafficking syndicate responsible for the kidnappings and his wife’s murder—a syndicate led by a shadowy figure known only as the Overlord? Washington succeeds in revising the classic superhero formula to highlight inequities in the justice system. (Chris complains about Hammer Jack, a superhero who was put in jail because “he selectively patrolled Black and brown communities, and operated with a sense of impunity.”) There’s nothing subtle or arch about Washington’s treatment of the topic, which actually works in the book’s favor; by the time Black Defender squares off with a clueless white superhero who has just reflexively rescued a crooked cop, the reader has totally bought in. Paired with excellent illustrations by Tasbolatov, this graphic novel more than delivers on the promise of its premise.
A social justice–minded superhero for the Black Lives Matter era.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES
Lush visuals bring this thoughtfully constructed tale to life.
Wondrous visitors encounter a desperate pocket of humanity.
Lori, a white orphaned teen who’s finally been adopted after bouncing around various foster homes, awakens to discover that nearly everyone has disappeared. The rapture? Maybe. She runs into her classmate Annette, who has brown skin and curly black hair, and they partner up to scavenge for food. The pair tries to evade several threats, such as the large Wolves and a gang called The Dogs. Supernatural Giants arrive, seemingly from space, speaking an impenetrable language of “musical chiming and weird bass-rhythms.” Lori and Annette then meet Beatrice, an older white woman who shares important observations about the Giants and Wolves. The tone of the story then subtly shifts from post-apocalyptic desperation to one that’s somewhat playful. After a certain point, a visual element that appears early on takes on clear significance and meaning in the context of the story at large, offering a subversively humorous twist for readers to consider and a creative element that deviates from other alien invasion narratives. Hans’ artwork and paneling fill each scene with wonders. An interaction with a giant sees the red, violet, and pink figure standing against a bright, otherworldly white-and-blue backdrop with dark contours. Elsewhere, Lori and Annette pause at night as they behold ominous shadows, their foggy breath forming clouds, and they hear a “KRRNCH” sound. The quick-moving plot wraps everything up neatly.
Lush visuals bring this thoughtfully constructed tale to life. (character designs) (Graphic science fiction. 14-adult)Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2024
ISBN: 9781534387072
Page Count: 104
Publisher: Image Comics
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2024
Immensely enjoyable.
The debut graphic novel from Mohamed presents a modern Egypt full of magical realism where wishes have been industrialized and heavily regulated.
The story opens with a televised public service announcement from the General Committee of Wish Supervision and Licensing about the dangers of “third-class wishes”—wishes that come in soda cans and tend to backfire on wishers who aren’t specific enough (like a wish to lose weight resulting in limbs falling from the wisher’s body). Thus begins a brilliant play among magic, the mundane, and bureaucracy that centers around a newsstand kiosk where a devout Muslim is trying to unload the three “first-class wishes” (contained in elegant glass bottles and properly licensed by the government) that have come into his possession, since he believes his religion forbids him to use them. As he gradually unloads the first-class wishes on a poor, regretful widow (who then runs afoul of authorities determined to manipulate her out of her valuable commodity) and a university student who seeks a possibly magical solution to their mental health crisis (but struggles with whether a wish to always be happy might have unintended consequences), interstitials give infographic histories of wishes, showing how the Western wish-industrial complex has exploited the countries where wishes are mined (largely in the Middle East). The book is exceptionally imaginative while also being wonderfully grounded in touching human relationships, existential quandaries, and familiar geopolitical and socio-economic dynamics. Mohamed’s art balances perfectly between cartoon and realism, powerfully conveying emotions, and her strong, clean lines gorgeously depict everything from an anguished face to an ornate bottle. Charts and graphs nicely break up the reading experience while also concisely building this larger world of everyday wishes. Mohamed has a great sense of humor, which comes out in footnotes and casual asides throughout.
Immensely enjoyable.Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-524-74841-8
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Pantheon
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES
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