An explosive reboot that captures the fun of the beloved classic series.
Adams resurrects the famous space adventurer in this graphic novel.
Ming the Merciless, tyrant of the planet Mongo, has his new Unraveller (which fires “a ray of plasmatonic energy”) pointed straight at Earth, ready to vaporize the home-world of his hated nemesis Flash Gordon. Flash, who has joined the resistance attempting to liberate Mongo from Ming’s rule, manages to topple the Unraveller at the last minute, saving Earth—but destroying Mongo instead. When Flash regains consciousness, he discovers he is tied to a rack in a dungeon with robotic jailers. In this reconstituted world, the planets that survived the Unravelling have allied to govern the new universe, and Flash Gordon, the so-called “World Killer,” has been incarcerated on a prison planet known as Planet Death. When word reaches him that his beloved Dale Arden, a leader of this new alliance, is the target of an assassination plot, Flash launches a daring escape. With the help of a healer named Daranek, Flash must battle his way through a massive, labyrinthian prison, stalked by all manner of armed guards, deadly beasts, and an also-imprisoned Ming, who now arranges gladiatorial fights among the other prisoners. To escape the planet for good, Flash may have to do the most dangerous thing he can imagine—put his trust in Ming the Merciless. Adams understands the assignment, and he brings Flash to life with swashbuckling, space-opera gusto. The full-color artwork from Conrad beautifully realizes the pits, palaces, and spaceships in which Flash and his companions battle. The premise provides a reset for the geography and alliances of the established Flash Gordon universe, and Adams takes the opportunity to delve into his characters’ backstories. (Ming’s rise to power from a cohort of genetically engineered children is a particularly fun digression.) Old fans of the comic strip will find as much to enjoy here as those just discovering it for the first time.
An explosive reboot that captures the fun of the beloved classic series.Pub Date: Feb. 25, 2025
ISBN: 9781545812488
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Review Posted Online: March 20, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
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
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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