An intriguing but heavy-handed addition to the superhero canon.
Ancient spirits wake and unlikely warriors emerge in this series-starting graphic novel.
It’s 2019 in Cape Town, South Africa. Unlike his students, math and science professor Asanda Zuma has no interest in superheroes—even though the reserved, prickly professor has a habit of getting into fights to protect his own students. When billionaire Atem Ngozi arrives to propose that Asanda be his researcher on an archaeological dig looking for evidence of a parallel world called Muntu, Asanda initially refuses. But after Asanda’s mother muses, “I remember a boy who believed in his dreams….Did science make him disappear?” he reconsiders and joins Ngozi’s team, carrying a special relic that was once his father’s with him. Is Muntu as magical a place as his father’s stories suggested, or is it just one of the many “fictions” that Asanda disdains? Beckley’s short narrative (about 130 pages in length) appears to have been serialized, given the long author’s notes preceding some chapters. There’s engaging video game–style imagery in the full-color illustrations, including badges that introduce key characters and labels for fighting abilities. Asanda feels appropriately complex as a one-time dreamer who closed himself off emotionally after his father’s disappearance, and he has the clear moral instincts of a hero. Based on the mythology of African orishas, or primal spirits, Beckley’s world feels grounded and refreshing, with comic and dramatic moments that would be at home in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But this installment, which kicks off a series, feels too brief to be a stand-alone, cutting readers off before they can fully commit to the conflict. There’s also considerable omniscient narration, including lengthy explanations of the geography and history of Sudan and of Muntu fighting styles, which could have been condensed or folded into dialogue. Beckley’s concepts are solid, and a lighter touch would likely have let them shine brighter.
An intriguing but heavy-handed addition to the superhero canon.Pub Date: Jan. 29, 2021
ISBN: 9798701952148
Page Count: 76
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Even so, this remains Macbeth, arguably the Bard of Avon’s most durable and multilayered tragedy, and overall, this enhanced...
A pairing of the text of the Scottish Play with a filmed performance, designed with the Shakespeare novice in mind.
The left side of the screen of this enhanced e-book contains a full version of Macbeth, while the right side includes a performance of the dialogue shown (approximately 20 lines’ worth per page). This granular focus allows newcomers to experience the nuances of the play, which is rich in irony, hidden intentions and sudden shifts in emotional temperature. The set and costuming are deliberately simple: The background is white, and Macbeth’s “armor” is a leather jacket. But nobody’s dumbing down their performances. Francesca Faridany is particularly good as a tightly coiled Lady Macbeth; Raphael Nash-Thompson gives his roles as the drunken porter and a witch a garrulousness that carries an entertainingly sinister edge. The presentation is not without its hiccups. Matching the video on the right with the text on the left means routinely cutting off dramatic moments; at one point, users have to swipe to see and read the second half of a scene’s closing couplet—presumably an easy fix. A “tap to translate” button on each page puts the text into plain English, but the pop-up text covers up Shakespeare’s original, denying any attempts at comparison; moreover, the translation mainly redefines more obscure words, suggesting that smaller pop-ups for individual terms might be more meaningful.
Even so, this remains Macbeth, arguably the Bard of Avon’s most durable and multilayered tragedy, and overall, this enhanced e-book makes the play appealing and graspable to students . (Enhanced e-book. 12 & up)Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2013
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: The New Book Press LLC
Review Posted Online: Nov. 6, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2013
Using modern language, McDonald spins the well-known tale of the two young, unrequited lovers. Set against Nagar’s at-times...
A bland, uninspired graphic adaptation of the Bard’s renowned love story.
Using modern language, McDonald spins the well-known tale of the two young, unrequited lovers. Set against Nagar’s at-times oddly psychedelic-tinged backgrounds of cool blues and purples, the mood is strange, and the overall ambiance of the story markedly absent. Appealing to what could only be a high-interest/low–reading level audience, McDonald falls short of the mark. He explains a scene in an open-air tavern with a footnote—“a place where people gather to drink”—but he declines to offer definitions for more difficult words, such as “dirges.” While the adaptation does follow the foundation of the play, the contemporary language offers nothing; cringeworthy lines include Benvolio saying to Romeo at the party where he first meets Juliet, “Let’s go. It’s best to leave now, while the party’s in full swing.” Nagar’s faces swirl between dishwater and grotesque, adding another layer of lost passion in a story that should boil with romantic intensity. Each page number is enclosed in a little red heart; while the object of this little nuance is obvious, it’s also unpleasantly saccharine. Notes after the story include such edifying tidbits about Taylor Swift and “ ‘Wow’ dialogs from the play” (which culls out the famous quotes).Pub Date: May 10, 2011
ISBN: 978-93-80028-58-3
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Campfire
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2011
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