Exploring a serious issue with compassion and humor, this story should appeal to both animal lovers and Philly residents.
Russell’s graphic novel follows a dog’s harrowing journey after he is abandoned on the streets of Philadelphia and eventually taken to a crowded shelter.
Midnight’s idyllic life with his loving owner “Grandma” is turned upside down in an instant when the elderly owner’s grandchildren abandon the dog after the woman is hospitalized. Captured by an animal control officer, the terrified dog is brought to an overcrowded open-access shelter filled with “pigs, chickens, reptiles, wildlife, little critters, dogs, and cats. These shelters are where the tame and the wild things go.” The noisy, stinking place is a nightmarish hellscape for Midnight. He befriends another dog named Mister who enlightens him about the shelter’s dark realities, which include neutering and possible euthanasia if an animal isn’t adopted. The two dogs are “Phillybred” and, in addition to being hardcore Eagles fans, communicate in the city’s distinctive vernacular (“you’re gonna eat whatever jawn they hands ya”). With the goal of finding a forever family, the two dogs maneuver their way through an inefficient system marked by prejudgment and indifference. The hundreds of illustrations (which all began as etched ceramic tiles) give the work a unique, decidedly organic feel—Koszalka does an impressive job of conveying a wide scope of emotions (fear, anger, despair, joy) through her art. But the real power here is the narrative, which pulls no punches and is based on a true story. Midnight and Mister’s plights are deeply disturbing, but thanks to kind-hearted volunteers, advocates, and animal owners, their stories are ultimately hopeful rather than sad cautionary tales. As Midnight reflects, “like Grandma used to say, ‘things happen for a reason.’ Maybe cuz when somethin’ really good happens after all the bad stuff happens, there’s gotta be a reason for that. But I dunno. I ain’t no philosophizer.”
Exploring a serious issue with compassion and humor, this story should appeal to both animal lovers and Philly residents.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2025
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Archimedes' Printing Shoppe & Sundry Goodes
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Even so, this remains Macbeth, arguably the Bard of Avon’s most durable and multilayered tragedy, and overall, this enhanced...
A pairing of the text of the Scottish Play with a filmed performance, designed with the Shakespeare novice in mind.
The left side of the screen of this enhanced e-book contains a full version of Macbeth, while the right side includes a performance of the dialogue shown (approximately 20 lines’ worth per page). This granular focus allows newcomers to experience the nuances of the play, which is rich in irony, hidden intentions and sudden shifts in emotional temperature. The set and costuming are deliberately simple: The background is white, and Macbeth’s “armor” is a leather jacket. But nobody’s dumbing down their performances. Francesca Faridany is particularly good as a tightly coiled Lady Macbeth; Raphael Nash-Thompson gives his roles as the drunken porter and a witch a garrulousness that carries an entertainingly sinister edge. The presentation is not without its hiccups. Matching the video on the right with the text on the left means routinely cutting off dramatic moments; at one point, users have to swipe to see and read the second half of a scene’s closing couplet—presumably an easy fix. A “tap to translate” button on each page puts the text into plain English, but the pop-up text covers up Shakespeare’s original, denying any attempts at comparison; moreover, the translation mainly redefines more obscure words, suggesting that smaller pop-ups for individual terms might be more meaningful.
Even so, this remains Macbeth, arguably the Bard of Avon’s most durable and multilayered tragedy, and overall, this enhanced e-book makes the play appealing and graspable to students . (Enhanced e-book. 12 & up)Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2013
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: The New Book Press LLC
Review Posted Online: Nov. 6, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2013
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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