A masterful blend of action and emotional depth.
In McMillen’s graphic novel, an instructional booklet for a “lost” video game tells a larger story.
There is an old video game that the unnamed narrator vividly remembers but no one else can recall. “So,” the narrator tells the reader, “I started drawing this...instructional booklet. To convince myself that it was real. Or...reassure myself that I just made it all up.” Illustrated in a deliberately sketchy style that recalls the art of creative middle-schoolers filling their notebooks with cool battles, the book introduces the game’s narrative in a dialogue-free prologue: Dr. Atta, a scientist and creator of his “son,” Attaboy, is killed by a machine called Motherboard, prompting Attaboy to seek revenge. Alongside Motherboard and her “mechazoid menagerie,” there’s the mysterious Skrapper, a character who appears early on and leaves the narrator puzzled as to whether he was a friend or foe. McMillen’s presentation of different characters and his depiction of gameplay—sometimes in scribbled colors and a graffiti-like style, other times in double-page pastel spreads that recall the work of comic-book legend Jack Kirby—capture the haziness of memory. Sometimes, especially toward the beginning of the story, the action resembles that of an old arcade game. At other times, it feels so immersive that it seems to transcend mere gaming, suggesting a memory beyond what one could experience through the simple pixels of a 1980s video console. As the narrator advances in the game, his personal story gradually unfolds: The game was a gift from his mother, who had left his abusive father when the narrator was young; she had always tried her best to compensate for the difficulties in his life, even if it meant allowing him to immerse himself in games. As the parallels between the gameplay and the narrator’s life story become more pronounced, the narrative shifts from an account of a fascinating lost diversion to a metaphor for confronting early loss. Interweaving these elements, the story become a resonant memory piece.
A masterful blend of action and emotional depth.Pub Date: May 28, 2024
ISBN: 9781545811757
Page Count: 88
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Review Posted Online: April 8, 2024
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
Lush visuals bring this thoughtfully constructed tale to life.
Wondrous visitors encounter a desperate pocket of humanity.
Lori, a white orphaned teen who’s finally been adopted after bouncing around various foster homes, awakens to discover that nearly everyone has disappeared. The rapture? Maybe. She runs into her classmate Annette, who has brown skin and curly black hair, and they partner up to scavenge for food. The pair tries to evade several threats, such as the large Wolves and a gang called The Dogs. Supernatural Giants arrive, seemingly from space, speaking an impenetrable language of “musical chiming and weird bass-rhythms.” Lori and Annette then meet Beatrice, an older white woman who shares important observations about the Giants and Wolves. The tone of the story then subtly shifts from post-apocalyptic desperation to one that’s somewhat playful. After a certain point, a visual element that appears early on takes on clear significance and meaning in the context of the story at large, offering a subversively humorous twist for readers to consider and a creative element that deviates from other alien invasion narratives. Hans’ artwork and paneling fill each scene with wonders. An interaction with a giant sees the red, violet, and pink figure standing against a bright, otherworldly white-and-blue backdrop with dark contours. Elsewhere, Lori and Annette pause at night as they behold ominous shadows, their foggy breath forming clouds, and they hear a “KRRNCH” sound. The quick-moving plot wraps everything up neatly.
Lush visuals bring this thoughtfully constructed tale to life. (character designs) (Graphic science fiction. 14-adult)Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2024
ISBN: 9781534387072
Page Count: 104
Publisher: Image Comics
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2024
© Copyright 2026 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.
