A razor-sharp and action-packed science fiction romp that tackles social issues with aplomb.
An interstellar intern fights aliens, giant robots, and social inequality.
In this insightful extraterrestrial graphic novel, the Earth has been stripped of its resources, leaving humans to live among the stars on corporate colonies run by a company called Apatus. Eighteen-year-old Anna Greene is an unpaid intern at Hotelitor, a luxury hotel housed within a giant robot in the Apatus Colony 4CX. The guests live in plush accommodations with a spa, pool, and generously stocked bar, while the staff occupy different levels within Hotelitor. When a dazzling pink-and-purple wormhole opens in space-time, and an imposingly large purple creature bursts through it, Hotelitor falls under attack. As the hierarchical constructs of staff and guests dissolve and re-form amid the chaos, Anna must step up to save Hotelitor and its humans. As the cause of the attack becomes clearer, Anna also contends with something she never imagined: the fact that Apatus Corporation itself is a foe. Using cinematic action scenes rendered in a dazzlingly hued palette, Hicks blends space opera with clever commentary on wealth and social inequality. Despite its slim page count, this work is jam-packed with big robot fights, an alien cult, an evil corporation, and the trials and tribulations of working in the hospitality industry, making for an utterly intriguing genre mashup that’s sure to stay with readers. Anna is white; there’s racial diversity among secondary characters.
A razor-sharp and action-packed science fiction romp that tackles social issues with aplomb. (Graphic science fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9798765623350
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Graphic Universe
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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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