by Shweta Taneja & illustrated by Rajesh Nagulakonda ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 8, 2013
Quick glimpses of one of the world’s oldest and most dramatic stories, with at least hints of its religious and moral...
An episodic but nimbly paced life of Vishnu’s blue-skinned incarnation, presented in high-action panels only occasionally showing explicit gore or violence, despite the high body count.
Cherry-picking the Mahabharata and other old texts, Taneja and Nagulakonda open with the threats of the demonic King Kansa of Surasena to conquer heaven itself. They carry the story through Krishna’s mischievous childhood, several wars, culminating with the Kaurava and Pandava clans’ wholesale mutual slaughter and the azure avatar’s eventual death by poisoned arrow. Along with barrages of hard-to-pronounce names (“…he crowned Bhagdutt, Naraka’s eldest son, the king of Pragjyotish and headed back to Dwarka”) non-Hindu readers may wrestle with moot pronouncements like: “A lie uttered to save a life, a king, or a marriage, is not a lie.” Nonetheless, Krishna’s exploits, which range from felling an elephant with his fist to sucking the life from a demon baby-killer through her breast, certainly make arresting reading. In the art, a supporting cast rich in rippling thews and exotically bejeweled costumes surrounds the androgynous but (literally) colorful protagonist.
Quick glimpses of one of the world’s oldest and most dramatic stories, with at least hints of its religious and moral underpinnings. (Graphic epic. 12-15)Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2013
ISBN: 978-93-80741-12-3
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Campfire
Review Posted Online: Nov. 6, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
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adapted by Roland Mann & illustrated by Naresh Kumar ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 19, 2010
This slender graphic adaptation of the Great American Novel preserves some of Twain’s language, most of his plot and a good sense of his sardonic take on human society. Mixing dialogue balloons with enough boxed narrative to evoke Huck’s distinctive voice, Mann packs in all of the major incidents and tones down at least some of the violence—the two con men are only “punished” here rather than specifically tarred and feathered, for instance. Similarly, though Huck gets viciously slapped around by his father in the pictures, in general there isn’t much other blood visible. The illustrator’s faces tend toward sameness, but Kumar populates his color art with strong, stocky figures, depicts action effectively and, by using irregular frames and insets, sets up an engrossing helter-skelter pacing. A good choice for readers who aren’t quite up to tackling the original, with perfunctory but well-meant notes on Twain’s life and the history of slavery in the United States. Co-published with its prequel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, adapted by Matt Josdal, illustrated by Brian Shearer (ISBN: 978-93-80028-34-7). (Graphic classic. 12-14)
Pub Date: Oct. 19, 2010
ISBN: 978-93-80028-35-4
Page Count: 72
Publisher: Campfire
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2010
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by William Shakespeare & adapted by John F. McDonald & illustrated by Vinod Kumar ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 17, 2011
A graphic-novel treatment of Shakespeare that fails miserably where others have succeeded. In this brutally savaged graphic adaptation of the play, the Bard’s lines have been transformed into conversational banality (“How is it going, Shylock?”; "That goes for me too!") within often-misplaced dialogue balloons. Astonishingly, there’s nary a mention of Jews, leaching all the power from Shylock's "Has not a Jew..." speech ("And why has [Antonio] done this? Do I not have eyes like everyone else..."). Actually, just about all of the set speeches are nearly unrecognizable: "The quality of mercy is not strained" becomes “You don’t need to have a reason to show mercy.” Visually, the floridly dressed Venetian figures in Kumar’s showy illustrations just stand about in panel after panel, gesturing awkwardly and looking past one another’s shoulders. Portia’s taste for revealing, off-the-shoulder gowns may give adolescent gawkers pause, but as an invitation to read the original or see it performed here’s sure proof that all that glisters is not gold. A closing set of riddles is offered as an activity link to Portia’s three boxes in the play. Skip. (Graphic adaptation. 12-14)
Pub Date: May 17, 2011
ISBN: 978-93-80028-59-0
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Campfire
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
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