Gore-splattered lessons in anatomy as well as bringing the pain.
Testosterone soaks the pages of this ultraviolent urban martial arts comic.
In pursuit of the sneering giant who challenged him outside the gym one day and smashed his Olympic dreams along with his ribs, kickboxer Karim Yun dives into the corrupt and sordid world of no-rules cage fighting to pulp and be pulped by invariably larger opponents—notably proud boxer Leon Espinosa, who becomes an ally and second protagonist partway through after deciding that he doesn’t like being ordered to deliberately throw fights. Spatters of blood, sound effects (“WHAM,” “BOOM,” “URGH!”), and blurred figures capture the impact of heavy blows to heads and bodies during bouts; meanwhile the mix of vocal and inner dialogue delivers technical commentary on strikes and strategy (“A 540 hook kick knockout?!” “A one-shot kill liver blow!”) that is supplemented by detailed views, sometimes even X-rays, of cracked bones and mangled joints and organs. Aside from Maya Kang, a nurse who attaches herself to Karim to doctor him between fights and be rescued from assaults by leering louts, the only women here are lingerie-clad and shown fawning over fight promoters, but De Bard provides views aplenty of strutting, tattooed, massively chiseled males to gawk at. Names cue some ethnic diversity in the cast, as do differences in skin tone and hair texture in the monochrome art.
Gore-splattered lessons in anatomy as well as bringing the pain. (Graphic fiction. 16-adult)Pub Date: May 16, 2023
ISBN: 9780760382363
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Rockport Publishers
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2023
Transporting and unputdownable; an appealing combination of deep and page-turning.
An intrepid teen encounters the dark secrets of the elite in her climate-ravaged world in this translated work from South Korea.
Sixteen-year-old Jeon Chobahm is shocked to learn that Goh Haeri, the beloved reality TV star who happens to be Chobahm’s look-alike, just died by suicide—and also that she’s being asked to become Haeri’s secret replacement. In their frozen, post-apocalyptic world, Chobahm, like everyone around her, leads a bleak life. She bundles up daily against the dangerous cold and toils in a power plant. But now she’ll live Haeri’s cushy life in Snowglobe, an exclusive, glass-dome-enclosed community, where the climate is mild, and the resident actors’ lives are broadcast as entertainment for those in the open world. As glamorous as life there may seem, however, Chobahm quickly learns that there’s a sinister underbelly: People are killed off when they’re no longer useful, and there’s something strange about Haeri’s family dynamics. As she meets a host of new companions, including Yi Bonwhe, the heir of Snowglobe’s founding family, Chobahm discovers a devastating secret and embarks on a risky plan to expose the truth. Climate change, societal inequity, and the ethics of escaping from our own lives by watching others’ are addressed in this intelligent, absorbing book. Chobahm is a complex character inhabiting a strongly developed world, and her compassion, ambition, outrage, and sorrow ring true.
Transporting and unputdownable; an appealing combination of deep and page-turning. (Dystopian. 12-adult)Pub Date: Feb. 27, 2024
ISBN: 9780593484975
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
BOOK TO SCREEN
Shakespeare’s fantastical dream in an appealing format that can be shared with a wider audience.
Manga that brings to life Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy.
This third entry in Manga Classics’ adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays maintains their practice of reproducing the full text of the original. The black-and-white illustrations allow readers to easily follow the plot while also picking up on subtle themes that are significant to understanding the play. For example, the abundant imagery surrounding the moon is emphasized by the moon’s presence in the backgrounds of many panels throughout the book, drawing readers’ attention. Long dialogues are also explained visually, which allows young readers to grasp what is being discussed without the need for a glossary or translation into modern English. The nobility is portrayed in a typical manga fashion with large eyes, small noses, and well-defined ears—but with appropriate Grecian clothing—while the commoners are easily visually distinguishable from them in style. The guide to reading manga at the beginning unfortunately describes the right-to-left reading order as “backwards from the normal books you know,” a strangely judgment-laden description for a book using manga to broaden the cultural exposure of young readers. However, the creators’ notes at the end offer fascinating insights into the adaptation process and may inspire budding manga artists to attempt their own works.
Shakespeare’s fantastical dream in an appealing format that can be shared with a wider audience. (cast, creators’ notes, character design sheet) (Graphic fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: April 16, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-947808-10-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Manga Classics
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2019
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