Eerily good.
Everything changes once Claudia Jones comes back to Blithedale High.
Nigel becomes smitten with the mysterious girl whose dramatic return stirs everyone’s interest. The new Claudia appears much more untouchable and otherworldly than the previous one, and Nigel can’t seem to approach her without coming off like a doof. Free from her abusive ex-boyfriend, Paula finally confronts her blossoming sexuality by beginning a sort-of romance with Johanna, whose friendship with Brett is on the rocks. Forgoing school, Brett must take care of his remorseful mother, who is in home hospice care. Emily, meanwhile, thinks she’s met a perfectly sweet boy during a party, but her initial feelings prove false as the night rolls into a nightmare. Volume 2 of the Life on Earth series builds upon its off-kilter and subversively charming foundation, widening its emotional core in subtle, effective ways. This slim sequel mirrors its predecessor’s diverse artwork—rough, exaggerated, and expressive—and the multifaceted narrative focuses on its multiracial cast. There is an abstract chapter from Claudia’s perspective, illustrated in colored pencil in contrast to the mostly black-and-white art of the rest of the volume. Everything remains more or less unsettled, exactly as it should be, with a cliffhanger ending thrown in for good measure. MariNaomi’s (Losing the Girl, 2018, etc.) attention to life’s uncanny aspects feels more urgent than ever.
Eerily good. (Graphic novel. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5124-4911-2
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Graphic Universe
Review Posted Online: Jan. 7, 2019
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
An action-packed tale for those thirsty for more superhero stories.
Grammy Award–winning artist Keys co-authors a YA superhero graphic novel bearing the title of her hit song.
Smart, quiet 14-year-old Loretta “Lolo” Wright struggles to stand up for herself until, on what should be a routine trip to a convenience store, her 16-year-old brother, James, is mistakenly accused of stealing by the police. When the officer slams her brother to the ground, Lolo’s powers manifest for the first time. Meanwhile, Michael Warner, who lives in the same Brooklyn housing projects as the Wrights, is rejected from the football team for being too small. He develops exceptional fighting abilities and shortly afterward gets involved in working for a drug dealer named Skin. When Skin sees a video of Lolo levitating the cop who assaulted James, he wants to recruit her as well, and he tries to extort protection money from Lolo’s dad, who owns a moving business. Lolo must convince Michael to choose a different path; it’s only by working together that they can defeat Skin. Featuring dizzying shifts among multiple perspectives, this full-color graphic novel presents vibrant, expressive characters set against mostly simple, bright backgrounds, with extreme violence depicted in gory detail. The narrative briefly explores class issues and racial stereotypes, but while the setup is intriguing, the momentum fizzles and the pieces never quite come together. Most main characters are Black; Skin reads as White, and secondary characters appear racially diverse.
An action-packed tale for those thirsty for more superhero stories. (Graphic fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: March 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-302956-9
Page Count: 256
Publisher: HarperAlley
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
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