Outrageously fun—this indomitable little girl is simply incomparable.
More previously untranslated Akissi tales arrive in the United States, featuring the adventurous, one-of-a-kind heroine causing a ruckus in her Ivory Coast village.
This anthology corresponds to volumes 4, 5, and 6 in the Akissi series by veteran graphic-novel author Abouet, whose breakout YA comic Aya de Yopougon, illustrated by Clément Oubrerie (2005; first published in English as Aya in 2007), helped draw her international recognition. In her tales about Akissi, Abouet re-creates “the happy memories of being a young Ivorian girl,” when “the whole neighborhood was my playground and the people that lived in it were my family.” Akissi is absolutely, hilariously uncontainable in her home village, and that means that no one is safe from her impulsive curiosity and fearless missions. This spells trouble for the teenage neighborhood bully, Akissi’s sadistic schoolteacher Mr. Adama, and of course Akissi’s older brother and rival, Fofana. Walk with caution, because as Akissi knows all too well, “courage has nothing to do with age or height!” Or gender. Just as much as she enjoys a good barnyard laugh, she is determined to step in when a friend is in need. Sapin’s playful illustrations drive home the warmhearted levity in these stories, offering U.S. readers a rare glimpse into growing up beloved and meddlesome in an intergenerational, tightknit, actual day-to-day West Africa.
Outrageously fun—this indomitable little girl is simply incomparable. (Comics anthology. 6-9)Pub Date: July 16, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-912497-17-1
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Flying Eye Books
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
What a wag.
What do you get from sewing the head of a smart dog onto the body of a tough police officer? A new superhero from the incorrigible creator of Captain Underpants.
Finding a stack of old Dog Mancomics that got them in trouble back in first grade, George and Harold decide to craft a set of new(ish) adventures with (more or less) improved art and spelling. These begin with an origin tale (“A Hero Is Unleashed”), go on to a fiendish attempt to replace the chief of police with a “Robo Chief” and then a temporarily successful scheme to make everyone stupid by erasing all the words from every book (“Book ’Em, Dog Man”), and finish off with a sort of attempted alien invasion evocatively titled “Weenie Wars: The Franks Awaken.” In each, Dog Man squares off against baddies (including superinventor/archnemesis Petey the cat) and saves the day with a clever notion. With occasional pauses for Flip-O-Rama featurettes, the tales are all framed in brightly colored sequential panels with hand-lettered dialogue (“How do you feel, old friend?” “Ruff!”) and narrative. The figures are studiously diverse, with police officers of both genders on view and George, the chief, and several other members of the supporting cast colored in various shades of brown. Pilkey closes as customary with drawing exercises, plus a promise that the canine crusader will be further unleashed in a sequel.
What a wag. (Graphic fantasy. 7-9)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-58160-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
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It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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