A work with vivid characters, engaging humor, and heavy discourse about Chinese society.
A graphic novel looks at race and foreign relations in China’s fraught job market.
Flanagan and Voutas’ graphic novel tells a story of a modern Chinese workplace that employs “face jobbers”—mostly White, middle-aged American men who act as the public faces of the Asian companies and corporations to instill faith and trust from racist international consumers who’d respond negatively to non-White employees. These workers get paid solely for their presence at functions without actually doing any meaningful work for the company. Stan, the protagonist, is hired on for different gigs, appearing in photos and attending meetings. On the surface, the story is about Stan’s face-job gigs and his relationship with a man he tricks into accompanying him, but it also explores the gritty world of deceit, con-artistry, and prejudice that goes along with the practice. The juxtaposition of social commentary and McEvenue’s muted artwork in a comic-book style adds another intriguing layer: Dialogue is limited, so the drawings take center stage, allowing their bleak mood to shine through. Despite the drabness, the characters’ expressions are particularly impressive, conveying subtle undertones that aren’t stated in dialogue. The conversations are funny and relatable, which gives the story nuance and dimension. Flanagan and Voutas’ commentary about the real-life career at the heart of the story comes across as well researched and realistic; the American authors and Australian artist all spent time living in China. Overall, this work is informative, genuine, unflinching, and original in its examination of race and privilege, and how con artists can thrive in corrupted environments.
A work with vivid characters, engaging humor, and heavy discourse about Chinese society.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-9980896-1-4
Page Count: 255
Publisher: Writing Rooster Media
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A clever and timely conversation on reclaiming identity and acknowledging one’s full worth.
Superman confronts racism and learns to accept himself with the help of new friends.
In this graphic-novel adaptation of the 1940s storyline entitled “The Clan of the Fiery Cross” from The Adventures of Superman radio show, readers are reintroduced to the hero who regularly saves the day but is unsure of himself and his origins. The story also focuses on Roberta Lee, a young Chinese girl. She and her family have just moved from Chinatown to Metropolis proper, and mixed feelings abound. Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane’s colleague from the Daily Planet, takes a larger role here, befriending his new neighbors, the Lees. An altercation following racial slurs directed at Roberta’s brother after he joins the local baseball team escalates into an act of terrorism by the Klan of the Fiery Kross. What starts off as a run-of-the-mill superhero story then becomes a nuanced and personal exploration of the immigrant experience and blatant and internalized racism. Other main characters are White, but Black police inspector William Henderson fights his own battles against prejudice. Clean lines, less-saturated coloring, and character designs reminiscent of vintage comics help set the tone of this period piece while the varied panel cuts and action scenes give it a more modern sensibility. Cantonese dialogue is indicated through red speech bubbles; alien speech is in green.
A clever and timely conversation on reclaiming identity and acknowledging one’s full worth. (author’s note, bibliography) (Graphic fiction. 13-adult)Pub Date: May 12, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-77950-421-0
Page Count: 240
Publisher: DC
Review Posted Online: Feb. 29, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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