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
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
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