A sometimes-jarring but heartfelt narrative in a creatively rendered world.
In Nelson’s YA SF graphic novel set on an ocean planet, two human teenagers have an adventure, during which they will change each other—and the world on which they live.
This quirky adventure explores such themes as choosing positive relationships over toxic ones and living in a world where power struggles exist far outside the average person’s control. Fifteen-year-old Puffer acts as muscle for her “mad scientist” mother, Sharon, who was once a minion of the evil Lord Jel but is now attempting to take over Planet Aqua herself. Sharon constantly belittles her daughter, setting Puffer up for a rude awakening when they raid a small town aboard a ship and she sees the very different dynamic between the town’s leader, Wallace, and his adopted daughter, Clarissa. After Puffer and Clarissa are accidentally thrown overboard, they must rely on each other to survive, resulting in a classic odd-couple journey of burgeoning friendship. Nelson’s graphic novel is, tonally, a bit hard to pin down. The melodramatic villains and cutesy character designs make it come across as a fairly family-friendly story that addresses the broad notions of unhealthy familial relationships and dictatorships in a way fit for younger readers. It’s jarring, therefore, when one of the villains beheads someone or when a pile of dead bodies is found. That said, the story effectively revolves around the decisive act of freeing oneself from a bad situation—saying “your love doesn’t feel good” and choosing to be a positive force in the world. Bonus chapters also reveal more of the villains’ backstories, and this context adds a touch more nuance to the main plotline, especially in how it shows Sharon to be capable of regret.
A sometimes-jarring but heartfelt narrative in a creatively rendered world.Pub Date: March 17, 2025
ISBN: 9798987986028
Page Count: 305
Publisher: James Nelson
Review Posted Online: Feb. 11, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Flipping awesome.
After a wish goes wrong, a girl and her crush must figure out how to break a body-switching curse.
Chi-Chi Ekeh feels invisible. Like her previous crushes, hot varsity swimmer Flip Henderson—yet another rich white boy at her Texas boarding school—seems unaware of her existence. With only weeks until graduation, Nigerian American Chi-Chi’s friends Esther and Yesenia dare her to ask Flip to Senior Festival. But Flip accidentally shows her promposal video to the whole class—and immediately turns her down. Embarrassed, Chi-Chi flees, but her innocent remark—“I just wish Flip Henderson liked me”—has unexpected consequences. After falling and hitting her head, Chi-Chi wakes up in Flip’s body, and he in hers. Freaked out beyond belief and regularly switching bodies, Chi-Chi and Flip work with Esther and Yesenia to break the curse. Meanwhile, forced to see herself through someone else’s eyes, Chi-Chi must confront uncomfortable feelings. There’s much to love about this book. The fully realized and sympathetic characters, sincere and humorous development of friendships, and protagonist’s relatable and bittersweet emotional journey will keep readers engaged, eager to reach the resolution. Ukazu carefully balances tough topics like self-hatred, depression, and suicidal ideation with funny feel-good moments, deftly rendered in her characteristically expressive style. The dynamic and engaging illustrations bring to life a heartwarming story of self-love, acceptance, and true connection.
Flipping awesome. (author’s note) (Graphic fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2025
ISBN: 9781250179517
Page Count: 320
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
Will appeal to manga fans but raises questions around depictions of racialized material.
An illustrated reimagining of one of Shakespeare’s most memorable tragedies.
From the very beginning of this clever adaptation, effort is made to prioritize accessibility of both the manga form and the classic Shakespearean play: The frontmatter briefly highlights the reading direction of the panels, and characters are labeled when introduced, coming to life via a striking combination of early modern Venetian dress; quintessential manga hairdos and facial expressions; and pronounced linework. Like the rest of the series, this account of Othello remains faithful to the original. The black-and-white illustrations allow for Iago’s conniving manipulations to manifest visually as well as animating characters’ bigotry in impactful, distressing ways. However, there are shortcomings: Where the original text may use parentheticals and asides to progress the story, the occasional appearance of parentheses in speech bubbles are a distracting reminder that comics utilize storytelling tools that haven’t been fully adopted here. Likewise, panel after panel of Othello’s turn to violence and his enraged face obscured by shadow provide a poignant dramatic effect but seem to exacerbate prejudices inherent to both the play and medium. Not only is the titular character visually distinguished from other characters by his shading, hair, lips, and overall size, unfortunately neither Shakespeare nor the illustrator seem wholly prepared for a contemporary conversation regarding racial representation in one of literature’s most infamous depictions of othering.
Will appeal to manga fans but raises questions around depictions of racialized material. (adapter’s notes, character designs) (Graphic fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: May 25, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-947808-13-3
Page Count: 420
Publisher: Manga Classics
Review Posted Online: March 24, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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