Cultural authenticity doesn’t make up for a disjointed story with an unclear audience.
In 1990s Texas, 12-year-old Filipina-American Marcine embarks on a journey of salvation and self-discovery.
In the aftermath of loss, Marcine becomes obsessed with the teachings of George Ohsawa, founder of the macrobiotic diet. She feels compelled to save those doomed to unhappiness because they have sanpaku, a condition where the whites show around the iris, believed in Japanese superstition to bring bad luck. Bearing an undeniable resemblance to Marcie from “Peanuts,” she sports a black bob and glasses. In this hefty graphic novel, Gavino’s (Last Night's Reading, 2015) black-and-white illustrations tell Marcine’s story through vignettes at home, school, a local Asian grocery, and (in flashback) the Philippines. Coming-of-age elements such as friendship and self-discovery abound, with a quirky combination of ethics and faith, a sprinkling of lesbianism, and even a subplot that involves pop star Selena. Gavino realistically captures the impressionable spirit of a tween on the brink of adolescence, seeking to define her own belief system among hardcore Catholics such as her grandmother’s prayer group. Cultural notes, such as familiar Tagalog sayings (“Hay naku!”) and a love of Spam, are spot-on. Unfortunately, a convoluted plot makes this a murky read. A subplot about a scandal regarding the statue of a would-be Filipina saint with a “marble vagina” and reference to orgies is particularly confusing.
Cultural authenticity doesn’t make up for a disjointed story with an unclear audience. (Graphic novel. 12-16)Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68415-210-0
Page Count: 288
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Review Posted Online: Oct. 22, 2018
Though classified as a graphic novelist, Delisle has claimed territory all his own as a graphic-travel memoirist.
Insightful, illuminating memoir of a year under a totalitarian regime.
In 2005-06, Delisle (Shenzhen: A Travelogue from China, 2006, etc.) accompanied his wife, who works as an administrator for Doctors Without Borders, to the country recognized by the United Nations as Myanmar. The United States and other democratic countries, however, still call it Burma, refusing to recognize the legitimacy of the military junta that seized power in 1989. As in the illustrator’s previous adventures in China and North Korea (Pyongyang, 2005), the focus is less on politics and more on the lives of the people he encounters—though such lives are profoundly shaped by politics. He comes to accept checkpoints and censorship as routine, and he does his best to find a suitable home, survive with intermittent electricity and Internet access and take care of his toddler son Louis, whose charm transcends cultural borders. The author also fears malaria, bird flu and poisonous snakes, though the DWB medical community provides more comfort than much of the Burmese citizenry enjoys. Delisle writes and illustrates a children’s booklet on HIV, an important contribution to a country in which heroin and prostitution are rampant. As in previous volumes, his eye for everyday detail combined with droll, matter-of-fact narration humanizes his 14-month experience in a country that might seem traumatic, even intolerable, in other hands. “There were no demands and no uprisings either,” he writes. “Things are always very calm here, thanks to a regime that creates paralysis by fomenting fear on a daily basis.” The undercurrents of Buddhism throughout the book culminate in his visit to a temple, where his meditation proves transformative.
Though classified as a graphic novelist, Delisle has claimed territory all his own as a graphic-travel memoirist.Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-897299-50-0
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2008
This slender graphic adaptation of the Great American Novel preserves some of Twain’s language, most of his plot and a good sense of his sardonic take on human society. Mixing dialogue balloons with enough boxed narrative to evoke Huck’s distinctive voice, Mann packs in all of the major incidents and tones down at least some of the violence—the two con men are only “punished” here rather than specifically tarred and feathered, for instance. Similarly, though Huck gets viciously slapped around by his father in the pictures, in general there isn’t much other blood visible. The illustrator’s faces tend toward sameness, but Kumar populates his color art with strong, stocky figures, depicts action effectively and, by using irregular frames and insets, sets up an engrossing helter-skelter pacing. A good choice for readers who aren’t quite up to tackling the original, with perfunctory but well-meant notes on Twain’s life and the history of slavery in the United States. Co-published with its prequel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, adapted by Matt Josdal, illustrated by Brian Shearer (ISBN: 978-93-80028-34-7). (Graphic classic. 12-14)
Pub Date: Oct. 19, 2010
ISBN: 978-93-80028-35-4
Page Count: 72
Publisher: Campfire
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2010
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