Spine-crushing fun.
When even suplexing people can’t cheer you up anymore, what’s an unhappy professional wrestler to do?
Cartoonist Hicks delivers an affectionate body slam to the world of pro wrestling with this compilation of graphic episodes chronicling the ups and downs (mostly the latter) of a struggling troupe of ring warriors—led by fish-headed veteran Great Carp, who’s feeling the existential depression more than the pain these days. He’s accompanied by frustrated Miranda (“If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em…and then beat ’em to death!”) Fury, who secretly adopts a new persona as Hyper Mask so she can take on men too; and struggling poet Death Machine (“I gaze upon her beauty, her flowing, glistening hair / shimmering in the moonlight, like a reflective steel chair”). Great Carp’s departure to find himself (and make a fortune selling branded vodka and housewares) nearly causes the Glorious Wrestling Alliance to founder, but in a properly rousing climax that underscores the spectacle’s timeless appeal, he returns in the nick of time for a final, torch-passing Ultrabrawl XXVI bout that will have sweaty readers pounding their seats and saluting a new GWA champion. The art’s cartoon style (not to mention the costuming) makes it hard to distinguish racial identities, but the cast does show a range of skin tones.
Spine-crushing fun. (Graphic fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-72843-108-6
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Graphic Universe
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
Many readers will feel seen in these pages.
Radical statement: Girls like nerdy things, too.
Covington, Kentucky, high school senior Hollis Beckwith wants to join her boyfriend Chris’ weekly Secrets & Sorcery tabletop gaming sessions. But the group has a hard-and-fast No-Girlfriend Rule. Frustrated, Hollis finds another S&S group via a flyer at the local game shop, one specifically billed as a “girl-friendly, LGBTQIA+ friendly campaign.” Even though her anxiety disorder makes it hard for her to step out of her well-established comfort zone, the first in-person session goes well, and Hollis comes away with a new character and a new perspective on the game. What began as a desire to have something more in common with Chris becomes an outlet through which Hollis finds valuable things she hasn’t had before—confidence, artistic inspiration, and relationships that are more honest and open. Though Randall sometimes casually switches into game play scenes, the focus in this fun story that steadily blooms is very much on the players themselves. The narrative shows a variety of different types of gamers, and it calls out some of the toxic assumptions and gatekeeping associated with the community. Hollis and Chris are white. Hollis is fat and feels good about her body; members of her all-girls’ campaign party include a trans Black girl, two Colombian American sisters, and a lesbian with South Asian heritage.
Many readers will feel seen in these pages. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781665939812
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
Equal parts entertaining and thought-provoking.
Sixteen-year-old Mandy considers herself the anti-Starfire: Unlike her scantily clad superhero mother, she doesn’t have superpowers, can’t fly, and doesn’t even own a bathing suit.
Mandy dyes her hair and dresses in all black to further call out how different they are. Mandy’s best friend, Lincoln, whose parents were born in Vietnam, insightfully summarizes this rift as being down to an intergenerational divide that occurs whether parents and children come from different countries or different planets. Mandy tries to figure out what kind of future she wants for herself as she struggles with teenage insecurities and bullying, her relationship with her mom, and her budding friendship (or is it something more?) with her new class project partner, Claire. Yoshitani’s vibrant and colorful stylized illustrations beautifully meld the various iterations of Starfire and the Titans with the live-action versions of those characters. Together with Tamaki’s punchy writing, this coming-of-age story of identity, family, friendship, and saving the world is skillfully brought to life in a quick but nuanced read. These layers are most strongly displayed as the story draws parallels between cultural differences between the generations as evidenced in how the characters address bullying, body positivity, fatphobia, fetishization and sexualization, and feminism. This title addresses many important concepts briefly, but well, with great pacing, bold art, and concise and snappy dialogue. The cast is broadly diverse in both primary and secondary characters.
Equal parts entertaining and thought-provoking. (Graphic fantasy. 14-16)Pub Date: July 27, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-77950-126-4
Page Count: 184
Publisher: DC
Review Posted Online: Aug. 10, 2021
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