The pull of tradition collides with the reality of progress in this grim and graphic fantasy tale.
In writer/illustrator Broadmore’s graphic novel, a tribe of cave women and girls fights for survival in a primeval, uncaring world.
As this first installment begins, an all-female cave tribe prepares for yet another epic struggle against the dinos ravaging its ranks. It’s an unhealthy status quo that the novel’s titular character is determined to overcome, with rough justice awaiting all who sidestep her dictates—as the beheading of one character, caught stealing from the tribe’s reserves, makes plain. This execution, One Path tersely informs the band, leaves “one less thief to feed among us today.” However, the tribe has no choice but to follow its leader “who has dreamed the long dream, and seen the Great Quarry,” because humans are always in danger of oblivion. As the story unfolds, the tribe wages a blood-drenched battle against the dinosaur pack that marks an uneasy turning point for the tribe’s members—but the biggest, meanest T. Rex of this particular valley has plans of its own. One Path must flee for her life to avoid an unwanted sacrifice, which appears to tee up a sequel. Present-day readers, who are surrounded by endless virtual distractions and tech-driven comforts, may find it easy to forget humankind’s primordial origins. This fanciful novel, in which humans live alongside dinosaurs,effectively presents a world where success is never a given and survival is measured out in weeks or months. This is as dark and visceral as heroic fantasy gets, particularly in comic form—and for readers who enjoy the genre, this book delivers the goods, along with the gore.
The pull of tradition collides with the reality of progress in this grim and graphic fantasy tale.Pub Date: April 8, 2025
ISBN: 9781545819364
Page Count: 200
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
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
Using modern language, McDonald spins the well-known tale of the two young, unrequited lovers. Set against Nagar’s at-times...
A bland, uninspired graphic adaptation of the Bard’s renowned love story.
Using modern language, McDonald spins the well-known tale of the two young, unrequited lovers. Set against Nagar’s at-times oddly psychedelic-tinged backgrounds of cool blues and purples, the mood is strange, and the overall ambiance of the story markedly absent. Appealing to what could only be a high-interest/low–reading level audience, McDonald falls short of the mark. He explains a scene in an open-air tavern with a footnote—“a place where people gather to drink”—but he declines to offer definitions for more difficult words, such as “dirges.” While the adaptation does follow the foundation of the play, the contemporary language offers nothing; cringeworthy lines include Benvolio saying to Romeo at the party where he first meets Juliet, “Let’s go. It’s best to leave now, while the party’s in full swing.” Nagar’s faces swirl between dishwater and grotesque, adding another layer of lost passion in a story that should boil with romantic intensity. Each page number is enclosed in a little red heart; while the object of this little nuance is obvious, it’s also unpleasantly saccharine. Notes after the story include such edifying tidbits about Taylor Swift and “ ‘Wow’ dialogs from the play” (which culls out the famous quotes).Pub Date: May 10, 2011
ISBN: 978-93-80028-58-3
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Campfire
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2011
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