A wild set of well-illustrated tales that unearth incredible stories and dark secrets.
Writer/artist Volk blends noir fiction, supernatural horror, SF, and neo-Western genre elements in a collection of five standalone tales, set in the fictional prairie town of Broadacres.
Powered by unapologetically visceral illustrations that adeptly convey intense emotion and relentless violence, these darkly diverse stories are like a sampler box of chocolates—with some confections injected with methamphetamines and others with strong psychedelics. One vignette features retired race car driver Freddy Davis, who has defeated all the best drivers in the world in his legendary black 1970 Pontiac GTO, called the “Broadacres Bullet.” Looking for one final challenge, he decides to race the Devil himself. Another story follows the town’s seemingly immortal sheriff, Ned Reade, as he tracks a fugitive into the badlands. Other tales revolve around a World War I veteran’s memories of a space alien saving his life on the battlefield; a secret buried deep in an abandoned silver mine on the outskirts of Broadacres; and a U.S. Air Force pilot who crashes during a blizzard and, after fighting off a nightmarish beast, finds himself somewhere totally unexpected. Although the illustrations and overall layout are visually spectacular, it’s the town of Broadacres that provides the most effective hook. Arguably more interesting than its featured inhabitants (which aren’t all that deeply developed), the prairie town is equal parts Dodge City and Area 51—an outpost in the middle of nowhere where anything can happen. The setting is an ideal narrative sandbox for a storyteller, with a nearby military base, miles of abandoned mine shafts, and desert wastelands that are home to mythical beasts. Although the collection ends with multiple unresolved plot threads and more than a few questions, these stories offer a great introduction to Volk’s sprawling, and virtually limitless, Broadacres realm.
A wild set of well-illustrated tales that unearth incredible stories and dark secrets.Pub Date: June 10, 2025
ISBN: 9781960578815
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Review Posted Online: May 14, 2025
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
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.
