Enticing doorways give these seven new graphic shorts a common element.
These doors range in nature from physical barriers, such as one concealing a lonely mummy’s treasure in Johane Matte’s “Mastaba,” to a psychological threshold over which intrepid Asteria Crane in editor Kibuishi’s story of the same name passes to enter a young patient’s subconscious. In each tale, they lead sometimes to comical adventures, sometimes to life- (or, for the mummy, death-) changing experiences. An uncertain magician gains new confidence making soup in a “Giant’s Kitchen,” (Jason Caffoe), Faith Erin Hicks’ “Two-Person Door” leads a would-be hero to adventure without his even opening it, and Jen Wang offers a wishing door that lets a self-conscious lad remodel himself into “Luis 2.0.” Though done in different styles, the art features consistently clean lines, clear colors, easy-to-follow action and individually distinct characters.
Another worthy entry in a series of themed collections that places production and storytelling on equally high pedestals. (Graphic short stories. 7-12)Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4197-0882-4
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2014
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The Heffley family’s house undergoes a disastrous attempt at home improvement.
When Great Aunt Reba dies, she leaves some money to the family. Greg’s mom calls a family meeting to determine what to do with their share, proposing home improvements and then overruling the family’s cartoonish wish lists and instead pushing for an addition to the kitchen. Before bringing in the construction crew, the Heffleys attempt to do minor maintenance and repairs themselves—during which Greg fails at the work in various slapstick scenes. Once the professionals are brought in, the problems keep getting worse: angry neighbors, terrifying problems in walls, and—most serious—civil permitting issues that put the kibosh on what work’s been done. Left with only enough inheritance to patch and repair the exterior of the house—and with the school’s dismal standardized test scores as a final straw—Greg’s mom steers the family toward moving, opening up house-hunting and house-selling storylines (and devastating loyal Rowley, who doesn’t want to lose his best friend). While Greg’s positive about the move, he’s not completely uncaring about Rowley’s action. (And of course, Greg himself is not as unaffected as he wishes.) The gags include effectively placed callbacks to seemingly incidental events (the “stress lizard” brought in on testing day is particularly funny) and a lampoon of after-school-special–style problem books. Just when it seems that the Heffleys really will move, a new sequence of chaotic trouble and property destruction heralds a return to the status quo. Whew.
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3903-3
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Nov. 19, 2019
Categories: GENERAL GRAPHIC NOVELS & COMICS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
The first third of the ancient epic Beowulf adapted for a young audience.
Long ago, in an unnamed suburb, lived Carl, “detector of gold,” who, with toys and treats, cemented a lasting legacy of childhood revels. As time claimed countless kid-kings, the cardboard crown was passed on. Roger, king of our age, turns his ambitions skyward and constructs Treeheart, a stronghold against such evils as bullies. But the safehouse is besieged by detractors, the worst of them the dreaded Mr. Grindle, a cranky middle-aged man able to condemn kids to the pall of adulthood with a single withering touch. One wild night, Grindle desecrates the hall, heralding an age of silent sorrow. Hope washes in from foreign ’burbs in the form of Bea Wolf, “bride of battle,” with “sixty kids’ strength” in each hand. Will she reclaim Treeheart from Grindle’s fell grasp? Weinersmith’s richly evocative turns of phrase run the gamut from hilarious to heart-rending and maintain the flavor of the original without bogging the pace down amid the kennings. Boulet’s illustrations imbue the shenanigans with gleeful energy and a touch of dark absurdity that children, seeing their own fears and triumphs reflected, will delight in. However tempted time-broken adults might be to scoff at the slapdash magical realism and sympathize with Grindle, doing so in the face of such an unabashedly joyful ode to the freedom of the child’s mind is an impossible task. The cast of characters is diverse.
Wonderfully weird. (note detailing the history of the original and the author’s adaptational techniques, sketchbook) (Graphic novel. 8-12)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-77629-7
Page Count: 208
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: Nov. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
Categories: GENERAL GRAPHIC NOVELS & COMICS
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