A by turns epic, amusing, and tragic caper that’s even more toastworthy (for obvious reasons) than its 11 predecessors.
Discover “a new type of god” in this final installment in the outstanding Olympians series.
Depicted eerily as an enigmatic, unclothed figure wrapped in flames, Hestia, goddess of hearth and home—and the oldest of the Olympians—narrates this strange and wild tale of Dionysos’ birth and rise. The youngest of the gods, Dionysos is conceived by a human mother and raised first as a girl then as a boy before he goes on to invent wine, vanquish death itself, and ultimately claim his seat on Mount Olympus with the rest of his immortal clan. Though not immune to tender feelings (such as when he meets the spirit of his dead mother, Semele, in the realm of Hades and when he marries Ariadne after she’s dumped by that cad Theseus), Dionysos generally comes off as a slap-happy party animal. He cavorts through the illustrations shirtless, displaying appropriately godlike charm and charisma as he dispenses his marvelous beverage far and wide and gathers followers—of both the mythological and racially diverse human variety—for wild rumpuses. “The Olympians may be deathless, but no god is as alive as Dionysos,” Hestia observes. More than any of his fellow deities, he is “a god of the people. Of humans. Because he was born of them.” The pages of this well-conceived graphic novel are laid out using an irregular grid that emphasizes some panels while retaining flow. All major characters present as White.
A by turns epic, amusing, and tragic caper that’s even more toastworthy (for obvious reasons) than its 11 predecessors. (sources, resources, discussion questions, endnotes) (Graphic mythology. 10-14)Pub Date: March 8, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-62672-530-0
Page Count: 80
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2021
PERSPECTIVES
The dice are rolling readers’ way in this third outing.
Sunny, in seventh grade, finds her score on the Groovy Meter taking some wild swings as her friends’ interests move in different directions.
In a motif that haunts her throughout, Sunny succumbs to a teen magazine’s personality quiz and sees her tally seesaw radically. Her BF Deb has suddenly switched focus to boys, clothes, and bands such as the Bee Gees (this is 1977)—dismissing trick-or-treating and wearing galoshes on rainy days as “babyish.” Meanwhile, Sunny takes delight in joining nerdy neighbors Lev, Brian, and Arun in regular sessions of Dungeons and Dragons (as a fighter character, so cool). The storytelling is predominantly visual in this episodic outing, with just occasional snatches of dialogue and pithy labels to fill in details or mark the passage of time; frequent reaction shots deftly capture Sunny’s feelings of being pulled this way and that. Tellingly, in the Holms’ panels (colored by Pien), Sunny’s depicted as significantly smaller than Deb, visually underscoring her developmental awkwardness. Deb’s comment that “we’re too old to be playing games like that” leads Sunny to drop out of the D&D circle and even go to the school’s staggeringly dull spring dance. Sunny’s mostly white circle of peers expands and becomes more diverse as she continues to navigate her way through the dark chambers and misty passages of early adolescence. Lev is an Orthodox Jew, Arun is South Asian, and Regina, another female friend, has brown skin.
The dice are rolling readers’ way in this third outing. (Graphic historical fiction. 10-12)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-23314-8
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
Stylishly spooky and outrageously fun.
A novice witch invites the supernatural to her sleepy suburban town.
Trapped among “normies” most of the year, teenage Gwen rejoices when Halloween nears. After 11 months, the pink-haired witch’s skater besties can finally cross back over from the Hallowlands. The pair—vampire Miles and werewolf Sloane—come bearing enchanted objects, including a grimoire that will take Gwen’s “patchwork DIY magic” to the next level. When the trio prank a group of scaredy jocks, a “Helsing Jr” named Hiro seeks to expose them for his blog. “Spooky season’s about to go off!” as both spells and shenanigans fly. The playful turns dangerous, though, when Gwen’s magic goes haywire. Lawton flexes their skills as a storyboard artist to create a spooky but sweet story about the importance of relying on your friends, especially when you feel alone; Gwen’s frustration at having to conceal her magic from “normies” is palpable, but Miles and Sloane are supportive and encouraging. Though the tale is set in California, certain details—especially in the mall scenes—will feel delightfully familiar to mall rats and skate punks in many places. Dialogue grounds the story in the present and adds a touch of humor. Gwen has tan skin, Sloane is light-skinned (when in human form), Hiro has brown skin, and Miles has blue-tinged skin. The ending introduces a new character, teasing a sequel.
Stylishly spooky and outrageously fun. (Graphic fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Aug. 8, 2023
ISBN: 9780593524299
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2023
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