The disturbing and rushed ending may baffle some readers while opening up discussion for others.
A convoluted graphic novel thriller about a teen discovering the dark and twisted secrets of her childhood.
Beck, a brown-skinned young woman with straight black hair, is en route by car with her father to begin her first year at the University of Chicago. The excitement of leaving her isolated home-school environment is abruptly derailed when a routine stop at a gas station turns fatal. Beck flees, and a concerned woman drives her into the city, but urban Chicago is bewildering for Beck, who is accustomed to rural living. This chance encounter with a seemingly random stranger later proves pivotal when Beck learns about mysterious circumstances from her past. An innocuous stuffed toy holds clues to Beck’s deep family secret and sets off a chain of events that forces two men in her life to confront one another. Themes of social media and surveillance, complicated familial relationships, and so much more are overshadowed by hasty plot twists, lackluster characterization, and a polarizing conclusion. The dark vector-style illustrations, heavy with deep crimson and indigo, are reminiscent of Faith Erin Hicks. Variations in the panels add visual interest. The cast is ethnically diverse.
The disturbing and rushed ending may baffle some readers while opening up discussion for others. (Graphic fiction. 12-14)Pub Date: June 15, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-945820-32-8
Page Count: 178
Publisher: Iron Circus Comics
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2019
A charming adaptation.
A miscommunication leaves Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert responsible for a plucky, effusive orphan girl instead of the boy they’d expected to help maintain their farm.
Retold in traditional manga format, with right-to-left panel orientation and detailed black-and-white linework, this adaptation is delightfully faithful to the source text. Larger panels establish the idyllic country landscape while subtle text boxes identify the setting—Prince Edward Island, Canada, in the 1870s. The book follows redheaded Anne Shirley from her arrival at Green Gables at 11 to her achievement of a college scholarship. In the intervening years, Anne finds stability, friendship, personal growth, and ambition in Avonlea and in the strict but well-intentioned Cuthbert siblings’ household. The familiar story is enhanced by the exciting new format and lush illustrations. A variety of panel layouts provides visual freshness, maintaining reader interest. Backmatter includes the floor plan of the Green Gables house, as well as interior and exterior views, and notes about research on the actual location. A description of the process of adapting the novel to this visual format indicates the care that was taken to highlight particular elements of the story as well as to remain faithful to the smallest details. Readers who find the original text challenging will welcome this as an aid to comprehension and Anne’s existing fans will savor a fresh perspective on their beloved story. All characters appear to be White.
A charming adaptation. (Graphic fiction. 12-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-947808-18-8
Page Count: 308
Publisher: Manga Classics
Review Posted Online: Aug. 18, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
True to this series' winning formula, an enjoyable mix of terror, comedy and romance.
When a weird midnight rite in a museum brings a hunky Incan mummy back to life, teenage Staci has a decision to make.
Tall, dark, chiseled and gifted with magical powers to boot, the stranger who introduces himself as Pachacutec, or "Chuck," puts Staci on the horns of a dilemma: Though they have instantly and thoroughly clicked, even he admits that his reanimation is dangerous and unnatural. Furthermore, Staci has a set of erstwhile friends who have been dabbling in magic, and they are so eager to drain the Incan prince of power that they've put a vicious hex on Staci to pressure her into betraying him. Even minor figures are distinguishable characters in Nourigat's monotone ink-and-wash art, and both their emotional tides and the increasingly suspenseful dramatic action are ably conveyed in the small but clear panels. The climactic face-off takes place in the can't-miss setting of an after-hours fair and leaves the would-be witches thoroughly chastened and Chuck still around for romance—plus, there's a closing "interview" in which he reveals that he's actually based on a historical figure.
True to this series' winning formula, an enjoyable mix of terror, comedy and romance. (Graphic paranormal romance. 12-14)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8225-9425-3
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Graphic Universe
Review Posted Online: July 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2012
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