A fast-paced, engaging installment of a successful mythological-historical comic series.
A teenager and his friends fight for the safety of their Egyptian kingdom in this middle-grade comic.
Beginning in media res, African teens Ausar, Auset, Nehbet, and Seth find themselves in an underground cavern under the kingdom of Kemet in ancient Egypt, where they live and Ausar someday hopes to rule. In the midst of an argument between Ausar and the adult accompanying them, Auset experiences a vision that prompts the group to search for Hyperion, a powerful titan who lurks within the caves. They journey through a network of tunnels, only to find an army of Ancients, massive supernatural warriors made of stone who are awaiting Hyperion’s awakening and who will certainly not be friends to Kemet. In the meantime, Kemet finds itself penned in as Spartans sail toward its main cities and force the kingdom’s rulers to split their defensive efforts across multiple fronts. The story’s four heroes consult the rulers of Kemet and a seer before gritting their teeth and standing against the rising tide of Ancients in a battle where they must test their powers in epic combat. This powerful and exciting comic is the fourth installment of Godoy’s Black Sands series and covers issues 11 to 13. Readers should note that it is necessary to peruse the preceding issues to fully understand the story. The plot moves quickly and never fails to deliver thrills while building toward certain themes, such as the effects that war and ambition have on Ausar (“Rah has really made you a monster, brother,” asserts Nehbet) and the importance of working together. Lenormand’s illustrations not only reflect, but also amplify this energy as each page has its own unique layout and plays with the juxtaposition between light and dark, especially in the caverns where Auset has her vision. Fans of the Percy Jackson graphic novels and other tales based in mythology will enjoy this volume’s blend of ancient history and religion as well as its inclusion of informational pages on the god Nun.
A fast-paced, engaging installment of a successful mythological-historical comic series.Pub Date: June 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-0999473481
Page Count: 94
Publisher: Black Sands Entertainment
Review Posted Online: Sept. 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Thanks to the strenuous efforts of her successor, Tuthmosis III, to eliminate all evidence of her 15th-century
Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-82562-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Though classified as a graphic novelist, Delisle has claimed territory all his own as a graphic-travel memoirist.
Insightful, illuminating memoir of a year under a totalitarian regime.
In 2005-06, Delisle (Shenzhen: A Travelogue from China, 2006, etc.) accompanied his wife, who works as an administrator for Doctors Without Borders, to the country recognized by the United Nations as Myanmar. The United States and other democratic countries, however, still call it Burma, refusing to recognize the legitimacy of the military junta that seized power in 1989. As in the illustrator’s previous adventures in China and North Korea (Pyongyang, 2005), the focus is less on politics and more on the lives of the people he encounters—though such lives are profoundly shaped by politics. He comes to accept checkpoints and censorship as routine, and he does his best to find a suitable home, survive with intermittent electricity and Internet access and take care of his toddler son Louis, whose charm transcends cultural borders. The author also fears malaria, bird flu and poisonous snakes, though the DWB medical community provides more comfort than much of the Burmese citizenry enjoys. Delisle writes and illustrates a children’s booklet on HIV, an important contribution to a country in which heroin and prostitution are rampant. As in previous volumes, his eye for everyday detail combined with droll, matter-of-fact narration humanizes his 14-month experience in a country that might seem traumatic, even intolerable, in other hands. “There were no demands and no uprisings either,” he writes. “Things are always very calm here, thanks to a regime that creates paralysis by fomenting fear on a daily basis.” The undercurrents of Buddhism throughout the book culminate in his visit to a temple, where his meditation proves transformative.
Though classified as a graphic novelist, Delisle has claimed territory all his own as a graphic-travel memoirist.Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-897299-50-0
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2008
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