Casts a critical philosophical eye on consumption and connection with visual panache.
A story about big questions that lets readers determine the answers for themselves.
Sisters Chloe and Lacey, who have paper-white skin and dark hair, spin souls from a crop called breth. When their breth shipments start drying up, the powerful MCorp offers them a solution: Sign on as a franchisee and create their proprietary Digibreth. Chloe sneaks off to M-tropolis in search of answers. Anticorporate Lacey had called the city “a dump,” but Chloe is impressed at first. She’s bedazzled by MCorp’s charismatic leader, Maya, but when she gets in trouble, she’s rescued by members of the Nuspiritualist resistance group led by healer Persie. The efficient use of dialogue, especially on pages with large numbers of small panels, demonstrates the care Globerman puts into each composition. Determined to find her own path in life, Chloe eventually rejects both the self-proclaimed “girlboss” Maya and naturalist ideologue Persie. Her journey takes a particularly affecting turn during a dream sequence in which she navigates a surreal game show in search of her mother. The science behind breth and Digibreth is never fully explained, but the abstract metaphysics are a feature not a bug, inviting readers to interpret the story in ways that have “no wrong answers.” Globerman uses a strikingly different monochromatic palette for each setting, including greens, blues, pinks, and yellows, lending a distinct feel to each leg of Chloe’s (and readers’) journey.
Casts a critical philosophical eye on consumption and connection with visual panache. (discussion questions) (Graphic science fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: June 17, 2025
ISBN: 9781773219592
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: April 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2025
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and...
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
Anya feels out of place at her preppy private school; embarrassed by her Russian heritage, she has worked hard to lose her accent and to look more like everyone else. After a particularly frustrating morning at the bus stop, Anya storms off, only to accidentally fall down a well. Down in the dark hole, she meets Emily, a ghost who claims to be a murder victim trapped down in the dank abyss for 90 years. With Emily’s help, Anya manages to escape, though once free, she learns that Emily has traveled out with her. At first, Emily seems like the perfect friend; however, once her motives become clear, Anya learns that “perfect” may only be an illusion. A moodily atmospheric spectrum of grays washes over the clean, tidy panels, setting a distinct stage before the first words appear. Brosgol’s tight storytelling invokes the chilling feeling of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002), though for a decidedly older set.
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and outward appearance. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-552-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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