A well-executed graphic novel about a group of friends bringing a community together.
A graphic novel about growing up, hanging with friends, and riding the waves.
Twenty-three-year-old Cal and his four friends have pretty much always been a tight-knit group. After Cal’s girlfriend breaks up with him and they’re all kicked out of their rental house, the boys decide to take a trip out to Arizona for the summer. The five boys, who are used to getting away with pretty much everything, immediately find themselves up against Zeke and Dalton, local park rangers who will ticket anyone for the smallest infraction. On top of that, much of the local community is clique-oriented and unwelcoming. Cal and his friends decide to organize a big event on the lake, featuring music, food, and water sports. However, the boys aren’t just going up against the park rangers, who want nothing to do with a new group of ne’er-do-wells, but also the citizens of the town, who are just fine with things the way things are. Authors Zach Block and Machi Block and illustrators Diego Lopez Mata and Andrea Lopez Mata effectively deliver a coming-of-age graphic novel with a laid-back feel. The main characters may prefer choppier waters while wakeboarding, but the book that they inhabit has a calm vibe that flows smoothly from one scene to the next. What truly makes this graphic novel stand out, though, is the action-oriented art style, which truly shines in two-page spreads. The complex, midair wakeboarding tricks come across well, and the stream of movement is consistently clear in each image.
A well-executed graphic novel about a group of friends bringing a community together.Pub Date: March 1, 2020
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 168
Publisher: North Air Entertainment
Review Posted Online: May 12, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A clever and timely conversation on reclaiming identity and acknowledging one’s full worth.
Superman confronts racism and learns to accept himself with the help of new friends.
In this graphic-novel adaptation of the 1940s storyline entitled “The Clan of the Fiery Cross” from The Adventures of Superman radio show, readers are reintroduced to the hero who regularly saves the day but is unsure of himself and his origins. The story also focuses on Roberta Lee, a young Chinese girl. She and her family have just moved from Chinatown to Metropolis proper, and mixed feelings abound. Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane’s colleague from the Daily Planet, takes a larger role here, befriending his new neighbors, the Lees. An altercation following racial slurs directed at Roberta’s brother after he joins the local baseball team escalates into an act of terrorism by the Klan of the Fiery Kross. What starts off as a run-of-the-mill superhero story then becomes a nuanced and personal exploration of the immigrant experience and blatant and internalized racism. Other main characters are White, but Black police inspector William Henderson fights his own battles against prejudice. Clean lines, less-saturated coloring, and character designs reminiscent of vintage comics help set the tone of this period piece while the varied panel cuts and action scenes give it a more modern sensibility. Cantonese dialogue is indicated through red speech bubbles; alien speech is in green.
A clever and timely conversation on reclaiming identity and acknowledging one’s full worth. (author’s note, bibliography) (Graphic fiction. 13-adult)Pub Date: May 12, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-77950-421-0
Page Count: 240
Publisher: DC
Review Posted Online: Feb. 29, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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