A fast-moving but thoughtful tale of betrayal and enlightenment.
In author London and illustrator Reno’s comics collection, a young assassin in the San Francisco Bay Area confronts the unresolved contradictions of her past, which requires her to make some unsettling choices.
Zealotry exerts a powerful pull on the mind, but it only takes one contradiction to weaken it. Velveteen learns this lesson the hard way as she carries out her grim assignments for the Order of Nine, a shadowy cabal with roots in ancient Rome. At first, she thinks nothing of her latest task—to kill Jasper Dean, a young hacker whose incredible coding abilities pose a serious threat to the organization. Just how much of a threat quickly becomes apparent when Jasper’s hackery reveals that the story of her own origins, as told to her by the Order, is a lie: “There’s no revolution. No great plan,” she concludes. The realization that she’s essentially been programmed to do someone else’s bidding hits hard, but it’s one that Velveteen has precious little time to ponder, as the Order is soon targeting her. She must find a way to keep herself—and Jasper, with all his secrets—alive. Readers will find themselves engaged by the pair’s navigation of the situation, in which the impulse to do right and the instinct to do what’s necessary to stay alive are often mutually exclusive. The resolution of this first installment, which covers the story’s first four issues, is delivered amid some graphic, eye-popping action sequences, and it serves as an effective repudiation of the brutal mindset of Volta, the Order’s extremist leader. As the author suggests, the end doesn’t always justify the means, nor does empathy equate to weakness, despite what Volta’s declaration that “Emotions are what make you untrustworthy.” It’s a timely and compelling reminder that readers will surely appreciate, especially in today’s hyperpolarized social climate.
A fast-moving but thoughtful tale of betrayal and enlightenment.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9781545816158
Page Count: 88
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
Immensely enjoyable.
The debut graphic novel from Mohamed presents a modern Egypt full of magical realism where wishes have been industrialized and heavily regulated.
The story opens with a televised public service announcement from the General Committee of Wish Supervision and Licensing about the dangers of “third-class wishes”—wishes that come in soda cans and tend to backfire on wishers who aren’t specific enough (like a wish to lose weight resulting in limbs falling from the wisher’s body). Thus begins a brilliant play among magic, the mundane, and bureaucracy that centers around a newsstand kiosk where a devout Muslim is trying to unload the three “first-class wishes” (contained in elegant glass bottles and properly licensed by the government) that have come into his possession, since he believes his religion forbids him to use them. As he gradually unloads the first-class wishes on a poor, regretful widow (who then runs afoul of authorities determined to manipulate her out of her valuable commodity) and a university student who seeks a possibly magical solution to their mental health crisis (but struggles with whether a wish to always be happy might have unintended consequences), interstitials give infographic histories of wishes, showing how the Western wish-industrial complex has exploited the countries where wishes are mined (largely in the Middle East). The book is exceptionally imaginative while also being wonderfully grounded in touching human relationships, existential quandaries, and familiar geopolitical and socio-economic dynamics. Mohamed’s art balances perfectly between cartoon and realism, powerfully conveying emotions, and her strong, clean lines gorgeously depict everything from an anguished face to an ornate bottle. Charts and graphs nicely break up the reading experience while also concisely building this larger world of everyday wishes. Mohamed has a great sense of humor, which comes out in footnotes and casual asides throughout.
Immensely enjoyable.Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-524-74841-8
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Pantheon
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES
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