This entertaining, pleasantly mellow story, despite trafficking in cliches, brims with exuberance and features an animated...
In Loui’s debut graphic novel, a man passes on what he’s learned while collecting crane-machine plush dolls.
Kenny Loui is a student, teacher, and Civil Air Patrol lieutenant. But he’s first and foremost a UFO catcher— his mission is rescuing plush dolls from captivity (crane machines at a local arcade). Kenny endures such trials as a bill validator repeatedly rejecting his currency and develops a gamer rivalry with the blonde-haired, perpetually snarky Killian. There’s also Somi, a mysterious woman often appearing at Kenny’s side, though he apparently can’t see or hear her. When she isn’t photo-bombing his selfies she cheers him on in multiple languages, including Korean and Japanese, and she offers sage advice she hopes he’ll somehow understand. Kenny applies his arcade experiences to real life: “Don’t just jump in without knowing what you’re going to do,” he muses as he contemplates which doll to aim the crane at. The author has fun with this breezy, semi-autobiographical tale. Irene, a bubbly, talking plush pig, introduces a couple of “episodes” that are BGM (background music)-enhanced, with QR links to music videos to play while you read. Loui keeps the story fresh with Kenny failing as often as he succeeds and provides (disappointingly few) glimpses into his history. Many of Kenny’s “life lessons,” are simple platitudes; some of these, including “Always look before you buy” and “No good deed goes unpunished” are already implied by characters’ actions. Yamawe’s dynamic, manga-inspired illustrations perfectly suit Loui’s tone, with exaggerated facial expressions and lightning bolts intensifying a Kenny/Killian face-off. Readers will surely welcome more of Kenny’s antics in future volumes.
This entertaining, pleasantly mellow story, despite trafficking in cliches, brims with exuberance and features an animated cast.Pub Date: Feb. 25, 2023
ISBN: 9798986730011
Page Count: 150
Publisher: UFO Comics
Review Posted Online: June 1, 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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