An appealing mixture of 95 percent humor and 5 percent horror perfect for fans of John Allison’s graphic-novel series Giant...
Two girls attending university crush on each other and fight supernatural creatures in this charming graphic novel for teens.
Uni student Becka has a thing for goth girls. Brown-haired, brown-skinned, curvy, and femme, she works in a bakery and spends her art-history class daydreaming about her classmate Kim: “a 100% cutie with a booty.” Kim is pale with a purple bob and cat’s-eye eyeliner. When Becka finally works up the nerve to ask Kim out, she follows her out of class—and accidentally stumbles through a pink portal surrounded by skulls and swirling purple ghosts. Kim, casually carrying a portal-creating scythe, is on her way to reap the soul of a cat, her current assignment in her new job as a part-time grim reaper (to pay her way through uni). Becka’s arrival disrupts the process, sending them on a whirlwind adventure-turned-date to save Kim’s job and get home safely. Zombies, ghouls, and skeletal reapers all make appearances, but Graley’s humorous dialogue and cute cartoon illustrations (featuring Gravity Falls–esque oversized eyes and bubble-gum colors) keep things light.
An appealing mixture of 95 percent humor and 5 percent horror perfect for fans of John Allison’s graphic-novel series Giant Days and the web series Carmilla. (Graphic fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: Feb. 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-62010-455-2
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Oni Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 29, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
Shakespeare’s fantastical dream in an appealing format that can be shared with a wider audience.
Manga that brings to life Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy.
This third entry in Manga Classics’ adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays maintains their practice of reproducing the full text of the original. The black-and-white illustrations allow readers to easily follow the plot while also picking up on subtle themes that are significant to understanding the play. For example, the abundant imagery surrounding the moon is emphasized by the moon’s presence in the backgrounds of many panels throughout the book, drawing readers’ attention. Long dialogues are also explained visually, which allows young readers to grasp what is being discussed without the need for a glossary or translation into modern English. The nobility is portrayed in a typical manga fashion with large eyes, small noses, and well-defined ears—but with appropriate Grecian clothing—while the commoners are easily visually distinguishable from them in style. The guide to reading manga at the beginning unfortunately describes the right-to-left reading order as “backwards from the normal books you know,” a strangely judgment-laden description for a book using manga to broaden the cultural exposure of young readers. However, the creators’ notes at the end offer fascinating insights into the adaptation process and may inspire budding manga artists to attempt their own works.
Shakespeare’s fantastical dream in an appealing format that can be shared with a wider audience. (cast, creators’ notes, character design sheet) (Graphic fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: April 16, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-947808-10-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Manga Classics
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2019
A warm, sweet, lovely tale of a world readers will want to live in.
In a not-so-distant future where changing one’s physical features is as easy as purchasing nanobot mods, Sunati falls for Austen, a girl who always looks the same.
Since Austen never changes, Sunati admires what she assumes is her bravery and confidence. As Sunati and Austen chat more, Austen bluntly asks Sunati if she only wants to get to know her more because of her medical condition, which prevents her from using mods. As they gradually grow closer, Sunati learns how to interact more respectfully with those who have overactive immune systems as well as to share her feelings more honestly. Austen, in turn, learns to trust Sunati. This beautifully illustrated slice-of-life tale that shows two young women of color getting to know each other and creating a relationship is so warm and charming that readers will hardly notice how much they are learning about how to better interact with folx who are different from themselves and the importance of not making assumptions. The story also successfully weaves in agender, genderfluid, and asexual characters as well as the subjects of parenting and colorism into the natural arc of Sunati and Austen’s developing story. The soft, romantic artwork evokes hazy watercolors. The speech bubbles are predominantly pink and blue, and the varied layout will maintain readers’ interest.
A warm, sweet, lovely tale of a world readers will want to live in. (Graphic romance. 12-18)Pub Date: May 19, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4998-1110-0
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: March 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
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