Engaging, informative, and comprehensive.
In this conversationally narrated graphic novel, Sattin and Steenz (starring as themselves) explore the history of role-playing games.
Tabletop role-playing games combine elements of imaginative play, interactive storytelling, and statistics-based tactical gaming. The evolution of the TTRPG began long before the creation of Dungeons & Dragons. After explaining the basics of modern TTRPGs, Steenz (a nonbinary Black person) and Sattin (a light-skinned man with dark hair) invite readers on a nonlinear journey through time and around the globe. They discuss how interactive theater and tactical war games contributed to the creation of role-playing games—both live action and tabletop. The information is well organized and appealingly illustrated, divided into six parts that each focus on a different aspect of TTRPGs—“Beginning the Adventure,” “Books of Lore,” “From Battlefield to Sandtable,” “Assume Your Role,” and “Magic in the Modern World”; “Continuing the Adventure” then describes how the modern TTRPG is still evolving. Throughout, Steenz and Sattin acknowledge and critique the racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination embedded in the ideologies that influenced the development of modern TTRPGs, including The Lord of the Rings and Conan the Barbarian. They also highlight the work of gamers from marginalized backgrounds who are increasing inclusion and accessibility. The concluding miniadventure offers an exciting, conflict-filled setting, but an overinvolved nonplayer character creates a rigid story structure and dampens the thrill of the heist.
Engaging, informative, and comprehensive. (creators’ note, glossary, bibliography) (Graphic nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2024
ISBN: 9780358616375
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Versify/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2024
Though not the most balanced, an enlightening look back for the queer future.
An adaptation for teens of the adult title A Queer History of the United States (2011).
Divided into thematic sections, the text filters LGBTQIA+ history through key figures in each era from the 1500s to the present. Alongside watershed moments like the 1969 Stonewall uprising and the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 1990s, the text brings to light less well-known people, places, and events: the 1625 free love colony of Merrymount, transgender Civil War hero Albert D.J. Cashier, and the 1951 founding of the Mattachine Society, to name a few. Throughout, the author and adapter take care to use accurate pronouns and avoid imposing contemporary terminology onto historical figures. In some cases, they quote primary sources to speculate about same-sex relationships while also reminding readers of past cultural differences in expressing strong affection between friends. Black-and-white illustrations or photos augment each chapter. Though it lacks the teen appeal and personable, conversational style of Sarah Prager’s Queer, There, and Everywhere (2017), this textbook-level survey contains a surprising amount of depth. However, the mention of transgender movements and activism—in particular, contemporary issues—runs on the slim side. Whereas chapters are devoted to over 30 ethnically diverse gay, lesbian, bisexual, or queer figures, some trans pioneers such as Christine Jorgensen and Holly Woodlawn are reduced to short sidebars.
Though not the most balanced, an enlightening look back for the queer future. (glossary, photo credits, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 11, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-8070-5612-7
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Beacon Press
Review Posted Online: March 12, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
A powerful reminder of a history that is all too timely today.
A beautifully heart-wrenching graphic-novel adaptation of actor and activist Takei’s (Lions and Tigers and Bears, 2013, etc.) childhood experience of incarceration in a World War II camp for Japanese Americans.
Takei had not yet started school when he, his parents, and his younger siblings were forced to leave their home and report to the Santa Anita Racetrack for “processing and removal” due to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066. The creators smoothly and cleverly embed the historical context within which Takei’s family’s story takes place, allowing readers to simultaneously experience the daily humiliations that they suffered in the camps while providing readers with a broader understanding of the federal legislation, lawsuits, and actions which led to and maintained this injustice. The heroes who fought against this and provided support to and within the Japanese American community, such as Fred Korematsu, the 442nd Regiment, Herbert Nicholson, and the ACLU’s Wayne Collins, are also highlighted, but the focus always remains on the many sacrifices that Takei’s parents made to ensure the safety and survival of their family while shielding their children from knowing the depths of the hatred they faced and danger they were in. The creators also highlight the dangerous parallels between the hate speech, stereotyping, and legislation used against Japanese Americans and the trajectory of current events. Delicate grayscale illustrations effectively convey the intense emotions and the stark living conditions.
A powerful reminder of a history that is all too timely today. (Graphic memoir. 14-adult)Pub Date: July 16, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-60309-450-4
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Top Shelf Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 4, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
