Readers should be eager for further developments in this promising superhero series.
This graphic novel tells the origin story of how two Black teenage brothers become superhero fighters for justice.
In 1999, Los Angeles fire battalion chief Ashley “Ashtray” Jones dies of his injuries after heading back into a blazing apartment to perform a final rescue. He leaves behind his wife, Inez, and two boys, Romeo and Jay. That was 14 years ago. Now it’s 2013, and drug kingpin Dexter Dre is finally going on trial for arson (retaliation against a rival dealer) and manslaughter charges in the fire that killed Ashtray. The brothers are in high school, where Jay is quarterback on the football team while Romeo produces rap music with his best friend. A new drug on the scene called Maze can grant different powers to its users, such as walking through walls or superstrength. Jay’s pressured by team members to try it, but his father’s spirit talks him out of it. When Maze-enhanced thieves violently strike chez Inez, the brothers vow to take revenge. They face a learning curve—but they’re just getting started. The Johnson brothers, who have collaborated on other creative projects, now offer this first installment of a graphic novel series. The setup is intriguing, providing a potent motivation for the Jones brothers and whetting readers’ interest in learning more about the storyline’s several strands. Dialogue, too, is a strength, deftly revealing plot and character across a range of voices: firefighters, a pastor, urban teenagers, a TV broadcaster, and more. The artists provide cinematically dynamic, varied compositions in rich, crisp colors that portray emotions, actions, and momentum with great effect. Lettering, too, is skillful; a villain’s acoustic attacks, rendered with soundwavelike jaggedness, are practically audible.
Readers should be eager for further developments in this promising superhero series.Pub Date: July 16, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5255-7837-3
Page Count: 36
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2020
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
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
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
