Captures all of the charms of the animated show.
A graphic-novel incarnation of Netflix’s She-Ra and the Princesses of Power reboot.
While the story assumes familiarity with the source material—it fits into the show’s timeline some unspecified time after the first season—dialogue aided by visual coding (color palettes and characters’ body language) allows total newcomers to quickly infer that Hordak’s bad guys are battling the heroic Rebellion for the fate of Etheria. Both groups are headed to the ruined and abandoned city of Candila in search of a magical runestone, the Spirit Ember. The heroes, rallied by enthusiastic Glimmer, hope that recovering it first will enable Adora to use She-Ra’s magic to heal the corrupted magic—and at the least, they must stop the Horde from gaining its power. The art style matches the show’s animation and displays the characters as diverse both racially and in terms of body shape. Additionally, the visuals are mapped out through the various beats of the lengthy action, emulating the pacing of a typical episode. While there is no overt romance, there’s plenty of subtext (especially in Scorpia’s desire to give Catra a pleasant picnic outing) for those who want it. What will really satisfy She-Ra fans is the space given to Adora and Catra’s emotional conflict and broken friendship.
Captures all of the charms of the animated show. (Graphic fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-338-62716-9
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Kibuishi gives his epic tale a hefty nudge toward its long-building climax while giving readers plenty of reasons to stick...
Stonekeeper Emily frees the elves from their monstrous masked ruler and sets out to rejoin her brother and mother in the series’ penultimate episode.
The multistranded storyline picks up with Emily’s return to the world of Alledia. Now a fiery, destructive phoenix struggling to regain control of her actions, Emily goes on to follow her brother Navin and allies as they battle invading shadows on the nearby world of Typhon, then switches back to human form for a climactic confrontation with the Elf King—in the course of which Emily rips off his mask to a chorus of “ERGH!! NO!!! GRAH! RRGH!! AAAGH!” to expose a rousingly hideous face. Cute animal heads on many figures (the result of a curse) and a scene with benevolent-looking trees provide at least a bit of relief from the grim expressions that all the human and humanoid elven characters almost invariably wear. But along with emphatic sound effects, the battle and action scenes in the cleanly drawn, if sometimes cramped, panels feature huge blasts of fire or energy, intricately detailed giant robots, weirdly eyeless monsters, and wild escapades aplenty to keep the pace’s pedal to the metal. Aliens and AIs in the cast come in a variety of hues, elves are a uniform gray, and except for a brief encounter between Emily and a slightly darker lad, the (uncursed) humans default to white.
Kibuishi gives his epic tale a hefty nudge toward its long-building climax while giving readers plenty of reasons to stick around for it. (Graphic fantasy. 10-12)Pub Date: Sept. 25, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-545-85002-5
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
A poignant account of journeying through life while navigating mental health and friendships.
Rising sixth grader Katie is different from other kids, what with her freckles, being home-schooled, and the worries constantly buzzing in her head.
Katie is excited to start the summer at her first sleep-away camp with Kacey, her best friend from her home-school co-op. However, as she gets closer to Delaney, a cool, self-assured girl at Camp Aldridge, Kacey becomes distant and resentful. Traversing the beginning of middle school and her evolving relationships and mental health just makes the buzzing in Katie’s head get louder and more persistent. Ormsbee captures the nuances of friendships and the feelings of loneliness a person can experience from being singled out as different. Stereotypes surrounding home schooling are also addressed. The graphic novel unfolds over the course of a year, and the representation is informed by the author’s and illustrator’s own childhood journeys of coping with obsessive-compulsive disorder. OCD is explored in accurate detail throughout Katie’s arc, and the illustrations enhance the depiction, with bees flying around her head whose buzzing increases and decreases in intensity to match the franticness of her thoughts. The varied panels and dynamic, colorful art maintain visual interest. Katie and other main characters read as White; the supporting cast is racially diverse.
A poignant account of journeying through life while navigating mental health and friendships. (author's note, artist's note) (Graphic fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 3, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-30128-9
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022
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