A biblio bias-cut whose shimmer is welcome despite its optimistic shortsightedness.
Once upon a time, there was a prince who felt fabulous only in exquisite gowns.
Prince Sebastian’s parents, like fleets of fairy-tale progenitors before, are myopically focused on getting their kid hitched. Rendezvous with potential brides rattle Sebastian, and not just because he’s only 16 and averse to icky matrimony. It’s because he dresses in couture gowns and is petrified of facing what a reveal would mean to his parents and potential wife. Weary of donning his mother’s duds, he hires Frances, a seamstress with an avant-garde flair. Their friendship quickly evolves as she harnesses her talent and he becomes empowered to make public appearances as his alter ego, Lady Crystallia. When Lady Crystallia becomes a fashion plate du jour—and secrecy verges on revelation—Sebastian and Frances are at a crossroads: can they remain true to themselves, each other, and the world? Wang’s linework has as much movement and play as Crystallia’s frocks, and her palette seamlessly wanders from petit-four brights to the moody darks of an ombre swatch. This is preindustrial Paris, so the cast is white, with the only otherness being class differentiation. Sebastian’s story shouldn’t be taken as a testament to how easy it is for one to reveal one’s true self to one’s parents, particularly if one is LGBTQIAP: Sebastian meets acceptance far too easily, particularly for such a public figure in such a conservative age. Sebastian’s summation of Frances’ aesthetic underscores the ultimate blueprint: fantasy and drama.
A biblio bias-cut whose shimmer is welcome despite its optimistic shortsightedness. (Historical graphic fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Feb. 13, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-62672-363-4
Page Count: 290
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: Nov. 12, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2017
An emotional coming-of-age romance that is darkly and dramatically imagined.
Stranded on a ranch for the summer, a teen gets swept up in an unexpected romance with a boy from a family haunted by rumors.
With bills piling up, 16-year-old Mexican American Cade Muñoz has no choice but to spend his summer shoveling horse poop with stepfather Dale at Dale’s old Army buddy’s ranch. Far away from his favorite escape—the movie theater in Abilene—Cade feels more alone than ever until he meets handsome, charming ranch owner’s son Henry Tyler, a White boy who shares Cade’s passion for horror movies. Although Henry seems perfect at first, he’s so secretive that Cade can’t ignore the disturbing rumors that death follows in his shadow and that his father killed Henry’s mother for her family’s money. As he digs for the truth, Cade starts to worry that his own life may end like a horror film. This queer coming-of-age graphic novel reimagines Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey in contemporary rural Texas. A sepia color palette and black gutters during nighttime scenes heighten the moody, horror-inspired ambience. Both Cade and Henry grapple with family relationships, coming out, and accepting their identities. Grief, trauma, fear, and loneliness create tension within their romance. Despite the homophobia and racism around them, they find support from friends and family. Exchanges in Spanish among Cade, his mom, and Abuela are seamlessly woven into the story. Cade’s stepfather and stepsister are Black.
An emotional coming-of-age romance that is darkly and dramatically imagined. (author’s note) (Graphic fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: June 6, 2023
ISBN: 9780063007383
Page Count: 240
Publisher: HarperAlley
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
PERSPECTIVES
A vibrant, inclusive, feminist, punk-rock homage, guide, and coming-of-age story.
Three punks on the verge of adulthood vow to have a summer they’ll never forget.
Black 19-year-old Ariel Grace Jones loves English punk band the X-Ray Spex, best friends Michele Covarrubias and Gael Certi, moshing in the pit, and playing in their band, Baby Hares. Now it’s the summer after high school, and in between going to—and playing in—as many gigs as possible, everyone’s making plans for the future. The three self-styled misfits grapple with feminist punk ideologies while trying to hold down jobs, support their families, and figure out their futures in a world that feels like a toxic wasteland of labor exploitation. As the trio grow into adulthood and their own aspirations, they deal with the complexities of romance and first-time sex, the ups and downs of both alternative and traditional families, and their changing relationships with oppressive societal beliefs. This impressionistically drawn graphic novel, illustrated predominantly in bright shades of purple, green, and yellow, has a pace as breakneck as a two-minute hardcore song and is a love letter to young punks. With its zine-inspired aesthetic and tone, this debut, which centers gender and racial diversity, welcomes anyone interested in exploring alternative scenes with a feminist-leftist bent. The story closes with a zine highlighting the punk community and values.
A vibrant, inclusive, feminist, punk-rock homage, guide, and coming-of-age story. (Graphic fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: April 23, 2024
ISBN: 9780593464502
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2024
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