An engrossing marriage of literature and pulp.
Following the acclaimed 1994 graphic-novel adaptation of City of Glass, adaptations of the remaining books in Auster’s experimental noir trilogy now join the first in this complete collection, each illustrated by a different artist: comics legend Mazzucchelli, New Yorker cover artist Mattotti, and cartoonist Karasik, who also art directed all three.
In City of Glass, a traumatized mystery writer finds himself playing detective. He becomes embroiled in a case involving a femme fatale and her deeply troubled husband, who had been inhumanely raised by a mad professor in an attempt to rediscover “God’s language.” Ghosts—presented mostly in picture-book format (one large image above a chunk of text) rather than the sequential panels of the other two stories—follows a private investigator who stakes out the apartment of a man who seems to do little other than write and read. As the investigator (named “Blue”—all characters’ names are colors) compiles reports of his mundane observations, he comes to question exactly who is observing whom. In The Locked Room, a hack writer inherits the literary legacy (and wife and child) of his vanished and exceptional childhood friend, attaining a blissful life—until he can’t resist trying to track down the friend, who forbids being found on penalty of death. Themes of identity run through the books, as do literary references and contemplations on the writerly life—particularly the idea that a writer does not have a life of his own. (“Paul Auster” also appears as a character.) The stories resist easy interpretation, but opaque moments, like characters’ descents into madness or explanations of complex theories, receive rich visualization from the talented trio of artists: Mazzucchelli’s crisp, confident lines; Mattotti’s sumptuous shading; and Karasik’s inventive paneling.
An engrossing marriage of literature and pulp.Pub Date: April 8, 2025
ISBN: 9780553387643
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Pantheon
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
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
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