A fast-moving but thoughtful tale of betrayal and enlightenment.
In author London and illustrator Reno’s comics collection, a young assassin in the San Francisco Bay Area confronts the unresolved contradictions of her past, which requires her to make some unsettling choices.
Zealotry exerts a powerful pull on the mind, but it only takes one contradiction to weaken it. Velveteen learns this lesson the hard way as she carries out her grim assignments for the Order of Nine, a shadowy cabal with roots in ancient Rome. At first, she thinks nothing of her latest task—to kill Jasper Dean, a young hacker whose incredible coding abilities pose a serious threat to the organization. Just how much of a threat quickly becomes apparent when Jasper’s hackery reveals that the story of her own origins, as told to her by the Order, is a lie: “There’s no revolution. No great plan,” she concludes. The realization that she’s essentially been programmed to do someone else’s bidding hits hard, but it’s one that Velveteen has precious little time to ponder, as the Order is soon targeting her. She must find a way to keep herself—and Jasper, with all his secrets—alive. Readers will find themselves engaged by the pair’s navigation of the situation, in which the impulse to do right and the instinct to do what’s necessary to stay alive are often mutually exclusive. The resolution of this first installment, which covers the story’s first four issues, is delivered amid some graphic, eye-popping action sequences, and it serves as an effective repudiation of the brutal mindset of Volta, the Order’s extremist leader. As the author suggests, the end doesn’t always justify the means, nor does empathy equate to weakness, despite what Volta’s declaration that “Emotions are what make you untrustworthy.” It’s a timely and compelling reminder that readers will surely appreciate, especially in today’s hyperpolarized social climate.
A fast-moving but thoughtful tale of betrayal and enlightenment.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9781545816158
Page Count: 88
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A clever and timely conversation on reclaiming identity and acknowledging one’s full worth.
Superman confronts racism and learns to accept himself with the help of new friends.
In this graphic-novel adaptation of the 1940s storyline entitled “The Clan of the Fiery Cross” from The Adventures of Superman radio show, readers are reintroduced to the hero who regularly saves the day but is unsure of himself and his origins. The story also focuses on Roberta Lee, a young Chinese girl. She and her family have just moved from Chinatown to Metropolis proper, and mixed feelings abound. Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane’s colleague from the Daily Planet, takes a larger role here, befriending his new neighbors, the Lees. An altercation following racial slurs directed at Roberta’s brother after he joins the local baseball team escalates into an act of terrorism by the Klan of the Fiery Kross. What starts off as a run-of-the-mill superhero story then becomes a nuanced and personal exploration of the immigrant experience and blatant and internalized racism. Other main characters are White, but Black police inspector William Henderson fights his own battles against prejudice. Clean lines, less-saturated coloring, and character designs reminiscent of vintage comics help set the tone of this period piece while the varied panel cuts and action scenes give it a more modern sensibility. Cantonese dialogue is indicated through red speech bubbles; alien speech is in green.
A clever and timely conversation on reclaiming identity and acknowledging one’s full worth. (author’s note, bibliography) (Graphic fiction. 13-adult)Pub Date: May 12, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-77950-421-0
Page Count: 240
Publisher: DC
Review Posted Online: Feb. 29, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Using modern language, McDonald spins the well-known tale of the two young, unrequited lovers. Set against Nagar’s at-times...
A bland, uninspired graphic adaptation of the Bard’s renowned love story.
Using modern language, McDonald spins the well-known tale of the two young, unrequited lovers. Set against Nagar’s at-times oddly psychedelic-tinged backgrounds of cool blues and purples, the mood is strange, and the overall ambiance of the story markedly absent. Appealing to what could only be a high-interest/low–reading level audience, McDonald falls short of the mark. He explains a scene in an open-air tavern with a footnote—“a place where people gather to drink”—but he declines to offer definitions for more difficult words, such as “dirges.” While the adaptation does follow the foundation of the play, the contemporary language offers nothing; cringeworthy lines include Benvolio saying to Romeo at the party where he first meets Juliet, “Let’s go. It’s best to leave now, while the party’s in full swing.” Nagar’s faces swirl between dishwater and grotesque, adding another layer of lost passion in a story that should boil with romantic intensity. Each page number is enclosed in a little red heart; while the object of this little nuance is obvious, it’s also unpleasantly saccharine. Notes after the story include such edifying tidbits about Taylor Swift and “ ‘Wow’ dialogs from the play” (which culls out the famous quotes).Pub Date: May 10, 2011
ISBN: 978-93-80028-58-3
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Campfire
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2011
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
