A solid addition to the series but does not live up to previous installments.
Delilah Dirk, Erdemoglu Selim, and journalist Laurens van Hassel set off on a cross-continental adventure in search of a mythical lost city.
The third volume in the graphic novel series following Delilah Dirk and the King’s Shilling (2016) opens in Turkey with British adventurer Delilah Dirk and her companion, Erdemoglu Selim, battling local magistrate Küçuk. Upon prevailing against the tyrant, they are recruited by sensationalist journalist van Hassel to raid an ancient tomb, a shrine to the architect of a legendary city known as the Third Pillar of Hercules. Unbeknownst to Dirk and Selim, van Hassel has been writing about their exploits, attracting international interest and the return of Delilah’s nemesis, Jason Merrick. Merrick’s vendetta against Delilah has him chasing the treasure-seeking trio to Algeria and, further enraged by van Hassel’s portrayal of him in the press, on to Gibraltar, where the discovery of the lost city has far-reaching implications. Cliff’s (Mary Bowser and the Civil War Spy Ring, 2017, etc.) art is striking in both action scenes and in the choice of color palette, used to convey place, tone, and mood. While artistically rich, this volume is limited in its development of Dirk and Selim, whose playful banter is minimized. Readers may wonder about Merrick’s fate and the outcome of his broken romantic relationship.
A solid addition to the series but does not live up to previous installments. (Graphic novel adventure. 12-18)Pub Date: Aug. 7, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-62672-804-2
Page Count: 256
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: May 14, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and...
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
Anya feels out of place at her preppy private school; embarrassed by her Russian heritage, she has worked hard to lose her accent and to look more like everyone else. After a particularly frustrating morning at the bus stop, Anya storms off, only to accidentally fall down a well. Down in the dark hole, she meets Emily, a ghost who claims to be a murder victim trapped down in the dank abyss for 90 years. With Emily’s help, Anya manages to escape, though once free, she learns that Emily has traveled out with her. At first, Emily seems like the perfect friend; however, once her motives become clear, Anya learns that “perfect” may only be an illusion. A moodily atmospheric spectrum of grays washes over the clean, tidy panels, setting a distinct stage before the first words appear. Brosgol’s tight storytelling invokes the chilling feeling of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002), though for a decidedly older set.
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and outward appearance. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-552-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
A fast-paced dip into the possibility of a world without human emotions.
A teenage girl refuses a medical procedure to remove her heart and her emotions.
June lives in a future in which a reclusive Scientist has pioneered a procedure to remove hearts, thus eliminating all “sadness, anxiety, and anger.” The downside is that it numbs pleasurable feelings, too. Most people around June have had the procedure done; for young people, in part because doing so helps them become more focused and successful. Before long, June is the only one among her peers who still has her heart. When her parents decide it’s time for her to have the procedure so she can become more focused in school, June hatches a plan to pretend to go through with it. She also investigates a way to restore her beloved sister’s heart, joining forces with Max, a classmate who’s also researching the Scientist because he has started to feel again despite having had his heart removed. The pair’s journey is somewhat rushed and improbable, as is the resolution they achieve. However, the story’s message feels relevant and relatable to teens, and the artwork effectively sets the scene, with bursts of color popping throughout an otherwise black-and-white landscape, reflecting the monochromatic, heartless reality of June’s world. There are no ethnic or cultural markers in the text; June has paper-white skin and dark hair, and Max has dark skin and curly black hair.
A fast-paced dip into the possibility of a world without human emotions. (Graphic speculative fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: June 13, 2023
ISBN: 9780063116214
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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