Lackluster middle ground in a coming-of-age trilogy from the renowned Korean manga artist. The author continues his exploration of a teenage village girl’s sexual and emotional awakening and the pastoral landscape that nurtures it. Ehwa, in the throes of adolescent hormones, has seen two childhood crushes evaporate with age and distance. But an unexpected encounter with a handsome stranger at the summer festival changes everything. The older, muscular Duksam not only wins the wrestling contest but Ehwa’s attentions as well—setting off an adolescent frenzy of lust and longing that Hwa captures in grinding detail. Ehwa spends too much time moisturizing her skin and trading stale nature metaphors with her mother, prolonging the book’s lagging narrative. The masterful landscapes take a backseat to human activity. They’re skillfully rendered but not nearly as eye-popping as the stark and haunting pastoral scenes that heightened volume one, The Color of Earth (2009). The narrative does manage to convey the relentless tedium of waiting for life to happen: Like Ehwa, readers will be painfully anxious for something to happen by the book’s end. (Graphic fiction. 14 & up)
Pub Date: June 9, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-5964-3459-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2009
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Hinds adds another magnificent adaptation to his oeuvre (King Lear, 2009, etc.) with this stunning graphic retelling of Homer’s epic. Following Odysseus’s journey to return home to his beloved wife, Penelope, readers are transported into a world that easily combines the realistic and the fantastic. Gods mingle with the mortals, and not heeding their warnings could lead to quick danger; being mere men, Odysseus and his crew often make hasty errors in judgment and must face challenging consequences. Lush watercolors move with fluid lines throughout this reimagining. The artist’s use of color is especially striking: His battle scenes are ample, bloodily scarlet affairs, and Polyphemus’s cave is a stifling orange; he depicts the underworld as a colorless, mirthless void, domestic spaces in warm tans, the all-encircling sea in a light Mediterranean blue and some of the far-away islands in almost tangibly growing greens. Don’t confuse this hefty, respectful adaptation with some of the other recent ones; this one holds nothing back and is proudly, grittily realistic rather than cheerfully cartoonish. Big, bold, beautiful. (notes) (Graphic classic. YA)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-7636-4266-2
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2010
A welcome hit into the outfield of books about queer athletes.
A closeted teen steps up to the plate for a cute boy—and himself.
After jocks ridicule and knock over his history class presentation, freshman Jonah picks up the pieces. Cute classmate Elliot helps. That small act of kindness makes sparks fly, cuing confusing feelings. Jonah decides to join the baseball team to get closer to Elliot—even if it means enduring more bullying from the other teammates. But Coach Jackson sees Jonah’s athletic potential and takes him under his wing. As the plot follows the four baseball seasons until Jonah’s graduation, Jonah slowly goes from laughingstock to star. But does he ever truly fit in? Cartoonist and editor Newman’s semiautobiographical graphic novel debut is a heartfelt tale of self-discovery. Consolidating all four years of high school into one book makes for a quick pace. Clever paneling and nearly wordless sequences effectively pump the brakes for key moments—and show glimpses of Jonah’s wild imagination. Despite the rampant bro culture and homophobia of the aughts setting, multiple queer characters of all ages at various stages of coming out add an important sense of community and possibility. A subplot about a female teammate briefly touches on sexism. Though the ensemble cast is diverse in skin tone, the majority of the main cast present white; Coach Jackson is Black.
A welcome hit into the outfield of books about queer athletes. (author’s note, process notes, resources) (Graphic fiction. 14-17)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9781524884826
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Review Posted Online: Dec. 16, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2024
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