The legend of Robin Hood is ever evolving, reinvented by each generation in its own likeness. Thus, it follows that this is not your mother’s Robin Hood, i.e. Kevin Costner in tights. Instead, Lee infuses the age-old tale with snarky dialogue and a whiplash-inducing pace tailored to today’s overstimulated youth. The plot is familiar: Robin and his band of merry men rob from the rich and give to the poor as they work to depose the Sheriff of Nottingham and ransom King Richard, held hostage in the Holy Land as the Crusades drag on. It’s Hart’s drawings and Fujita’s coloring that elevate this 21st-century version head and shoulders above the rest. The artist’s shadowy figures and chiseled faces give depth to both the characters and the medieval castles and forest landscapes they inhabit. The monochromatic panels set the tone of the story, glowing brilliantly as they propel the action straight off the page into the reader’s imagination. This modern reincarnation of one of history’s most beloved outlaws is sure to become the stuff of legend. (Graphic fiction. 10 & up)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-7636-4399-7
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2009
In this lively opener to the Three Thieves series, young gymnast Dessa, searching for her kidnapped twin brother, joins two fellow circus performers in an attempted heist, a prison escape and a merry chase through and out of the fortress of Kingsbridge. Along the way she spots the kidnapper, who escapes her and so sets up a continuing plotline. Artfully using exchanged glances and wordless panels to add both humor and emotional depth, Chantler introduces a likable trio of thieves in a medieval-ish setting and throws in several worthy adversaries—including an intelligent, conflicted guard captain who spends much of the tale hot on their trail. He further spices things up by rendering Dessa's companions as nonhuman: Topper, "the greatest thief in North Huntington," is a small, blue, irascible gnome-like creature, and Fisk is a large, slow, lavender troll-like thing with a hairstyle ever-so-slightly reminiscent of the Human Torch's. The banter among the three is sharp and witty and balances the visual pacing effortlessly. Fast paced, cleanly illustrated, great fun. (Graphic fantasy. 10-12)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-55453-414-2
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2010
Manga with a heavy dose of cute, this debut introduces a shy teenager who is transformed into a reckless heroine by a bicycle with unusual properties. Just a day or so after Aki come across an old bike in the garage that—with a mighty FWOOOOSH—changes her school uniform to high boots, a short dress and a snazzy helmet, a gang of masked bicyclists embarks on a crime spree. Somehow managing to overcome her reluctance, off Aki pedals to do battle. Outfitting her lissome young daredevil with a hot boyfriend/sidekick, a cheery kimono-clad Grandfather to fill in the back story and a “Spirit Bike” with a front fender that turns into a giant snake at need, a toy elephant’s head on the handlebars and the ability to zoom along at super speed, the author propels the tale through many sudden jumps and inset-crammed pages to a climactic race, the dismaying revelation that the gang’s leader is a member of her own family and a juicy closing clinch with the aforementioned sidekick. Bound on the left edge rather than the right, but otherwise indistinguishable from its imported cousins, this should find a ready crowd of action-oriented shojo fans. (Graphic novel. 11-13)
Pub Date: June 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-7868-3676-8
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2006
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