by Lewis Trondheim & illustrated by Lewis Trondheim ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2006
Designed to look like a weatherworn comic found in the woods, this outrageously imaginative graphic novel touts itself as the “first extraterrestrial comic book on earth.” Through a series of untitled nonlinear vignettes, the wide-eyed and seemingly innocent-looking alien characters embark on a series of adventures (and misadventures) that capture intrinsically human characteristics. In some episodes, bright, boldly colored cutesy aliens—who bear a toy-like resemblance—juxtapose violent situations, portraying both beauty and horror, in smart cohesion. Evincing the cruelties, the comedies and the oft-bizarre traits of the protagonists through an inventive and unique format, Trondheim distinguishes himself as a trailblazer in the youth graphic-novel market. Readers will be delighted by the wordless tale with its endearing, yet rascally alien characters and the sometimes crude plot that encompasses a variety of motifs, from invoking compassion to scatological humor. Not for the younger set, but an accomplished offbeat selection worth considering. (Graphic novel. 12-14)
Pub Date: May 1, 2006
ISBN: 1-59643-095-8
Page Count: 96
Publisher: First Second/Roaring Brook
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2006
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More by Brigitte Findakly
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by Brigitte Findakly & Lewis Trondheim ; illustrated by Lewis Trondheim & Brigitte Findakly ; translated by Helge Dascher
by William Shakespeare & adapted by John F. McDonald & illustrated by Vinod Kumar ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 17, 2011
A graphic-novel treatment of Shakespeare that fails miserably where others have succeeded. In this brutally savaged graphic adaptation of the play, the Bard’s lines have been transformed into conversational banality (“How is it going, Shylock?”; "That goes for me too!") within often-misplaced dialogue balloons. Astonishingly, there’s nary a mention of Jews, leaching all the power from Shylock's "Has not a Jew..." speech ("And why has [Antonio] done this? Do I not have eyes like everyone else..."). Actually, just about all of the set speeches are nearly unrecognizable: "The quality of mercy is not strained" becomes “You don’t need to have a reason to show mercy.” Visually, the floridly dressed Venetian figures in Kumar’s showy illustrations just stand about in panel after panel, gesturing awkwardly and looking past one another’s shoulders. Portia’s taste for revealing, off-the-shoulder gowns may give adolescent gawkers pause, but as an invitation to read the original or see it performed here’s sure proof that all that glisters is not gold. A closing set of riddles is offered as an activity link to Portia’s three boxes in the play. Skip. (Graphic adaptation. 12-14)
Pub Date: May 17, 2011
ISBN: 978-93-80028-59-0
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Campfire
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
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More by William Shakespeare
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by William Shakespeare ; adapted by Crystal S. Chan & Michael Barltrop ; illustrated by Julien Choy
BOOK REVIEW
by William Shakespeare ; adapted by Crystal Chan ; illustrated by Julien Choy
BOOK REVIEW
by William Shakespeare ; adapted by Crystal S. Chan ; illustrated by Julien Choy
by Poulomi Mukherjee & illustrated by Amit Tayal ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 4, 2011
The classic tale is newly dressed up as a graphic novel and transferred to modern Mumbai.
Hewing fairly closely to the original’s storyline, Mukherjee casts Ali Baba as a cab driver, the clever slave girl who repeatedly saves his hide as an aspiring young dancer named Marjeena, and the thieves as heavily armed bank robbers in suits and shades. Drawn as caricatures in the crowded-together but legible panels, Ali Baba and his son Omar have appropriately hapless looks, the thieves’ leader, Vladimir, is a picture of chiseled menace and the beauty Marjeena (modeled, to judge from the photo, on the author) projects an air of alert competence. The "reload" is felt in plot as well as depicted setting. The climax feels muddled, thanks to a previously unmet gent who mysteriously pops up to defuse the bombs that Vladimir sets, but Marjeena consents to marry Omar in the end rather than just being handed over. Also, the thieves are only arrested, not boiled in oil, and though Ali Baba’s ne’er-do-well brother Qasim is gunned down early on with much splashing of blood, at least he isn’t, as in the traditional version, chopped into quarters. A properly melodramatic rendition that doesn’t take itself too seriously. (Graphic fiction. 12-14)
Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2011
ISBN: 978-93-80741-13-0
Page Count: 68
Publisher: Campfire
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2011
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