A wholly entertaining and riveting story of the ups and mostly downs of living with extraordinary abilities.
Alessandro K.’s graphic novel follows LA cops trying their best to wrangle the city’s host of superheroes and supervillains.
Three years ago, a lavender sky in Los Angeles signified an inexplicable phenomenon. Many people found themselves transformed into super-scientists (or “visioneers,” as they call themselves) equipped with brains capable of inventing amazing formulas or weapons. Some, like the man who arms himself with a shrink-ray of his own design, commit crimes. It’s the new normal for police partners Sgt. Esmeralda “EV” Villanueva and Officer Jack Mantle. The mayor, quite unexpectedly, recruits the two for a newly formed task force, which at first only includes EV and Jack. Now, they specialize in going after such villains as whichever mastermind is behind a recent string of robberies. They also may have to keep some of the newly minted superheroes in line; in the case of bulky Gas Giant, his rather noxious ability can be outright horrifying. Super-scientist Karen Katz turns herself into a cat-human hybrid; it’s an amazing feat, but as she and her fellow visioneers learn, applying their otherworldly abilities to the regular world isn’t as breezy as they believed it would be. Chasing down or facing off against the enhanced “weirdos” presents all sorts of challenges, especially when they’ve outfitted themselves with their own superpowers. But with tech provided by wealthy industrialist Burt Montague, EV and Jack can handle the job. As all of this unfolds, a cabal cooks up a scheme that’s sure to unnerve people throughout the city.
Alessandro K. goes for the laughs in this rollicking tale, which kicks off a series. Some of the comedy is topical, like the depiction of a social media influencer who, while waiting for juicy details on her potential story, hands out free fashion advice (“You know, a scarf would really pull that outfit together”). The book has a handful of gross-out gags as well, as silly as they are nauseating. While the superpowers are an unmitigated delight, it’s the non-powered cop partners who easily steal this opening installment. They’re both dependable and completely different: EV’s tendency to face danger head-on is in direct opposition to Jack’s instinct for conflict resolution. Not all of their problems involve the visioneers: EV asks for Jack’s help with her elderly uncle, whose unorthodox relationship has her a bit worried. The story comes with a shock or two (like the identity of the person spearheading those robberies) as well as a possible romance. Some of the narrative feels episodic, but the overarching story will hook readers and bring them back for a second volume (and hopefully more). Perker’s boldly drawn characters are, appropriately, in the classic comic-book tradition. They’re immersed in solid action sequences and display superbly detailed facial expressions that evince remarkable nuance, as in the case of a girl who anxiously takes part in an illicit deal. The real visual highlights are a series of mock ads that look like the real thing hawking Power Pillz, Interplanetary United Spacelines, and the exorbitantly priced BLAST-O-MATIC.
A wholly entertaining and riveting story of the ups and mostly downs of living with extraordinary abilities.Pub Date: Aug. 12, 2025
ISBN: 9781964226071
Page Count: 224
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Lush visuals bring this thoughtfully constructed tale to life.
Wondrous visitors encounter a desperate pocket of humanity.
Lori, a white orphaned teen who’s finally been adopted after bouncing around various foster homes, awakens to discover that nearly everyone has disappeared. The rapture? Maybe. She runs into her classmate Annette, who has brown skin and curly black hair, and they partner up to scavenge for food. The pair tries to evade several threats, such as the large Wolves and a gang called The Dogs. Supernatural Giants arrive, seemingly from space, speaking an impenetrable language of “musical chiming and weird bass-rhythms.” Lori and Annette then meet Beatrice, an older white woman who shares important observations about the Giants and Wolves. The tone of the story then subtly shifts from post-apocalyptic desperation to one that’s somewhat playful. After a certain point, a visual element that appears early on takes on clear significance and meaning in the context of the story at large, offering a subversively humorous twist for readers to consider and a creative element that deviates from other alien invasion narratives. Hans’ artwork and paneling fill each scene with wonders. An interaction with a giant sees the red, violet, and pink figure standing against a bright, otherworldly white-and-blue backdrop with dark contours. Elsewhere, Lori and Annette pause at night as they behold ominous shadows, their foggy breath forming clouds, and they hear a “KRRNCH” sound. The quick-moving plot wraps everything up neatly.
Lush visuals bring this thoughtfully constructed tale to life. (character designs) (Graphic science fiction. 14-adult)Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2024
ISBN: 9781534387072
Page Count: 104
Publisher: Image Comics
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2024
Immensely enjoyable.
The debut graphic novel from Mohamed presents a modern Egypt full of magical realism where wishes have been industrialized and heavily regulated.
The story opens with a televised public service announcement from the General Committee of Wish Supervision and Licensing about the dangers of “third-class wishes”—wishes that come in soda cans and tend to backfire on wishers who aren’t specific enough (like a wish to lose weight resulting in limbs falling from the wisher’s body). Thus begins a brilliant play among magic, the mundane, and bureaucracy that centers around a newsstand kiosk where a devout Muslim is trying to unload the three “first-class wishes” (contained in elegant glass bottles and properly licensed by the government) that have come into his possession, since he believes his religion forbids him to use them. As he gradually unloads the first-class wishes on a poor, regretful widow (who then runs afoul of authorities determined to manipulate her out of her valuable commodity) and a university student who seeks a possibly magical solution to their mental health crisis (but struggles with whether a wish to always be happy might have unintended consequences), interstitials give infographic histories of wishes, showing how the Western wish-industrial complex has exploited the countries where wishes are mined (largely in the Middle East). The book is exceptionally imaginative while also being wonderfully grounded in touching human relationships, existential quandaries, and familiar geopolitical and socio-economic dynamics. Mohamed’s art balances perfectly between cartoon and realism, powerfully conveying emotions, and her strong, clean lines gorgeously depict everything from an anguished face to an ornate bottle. Charts and graphs nicely break up the reading experience while also concisely building this larger world of everyday wishes. Mohamed has a great sense of humor, which comes out in footnotes and casual asides throughout.
Immensely enjoyable.Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-524-74841-8
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Pantheon
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022
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