It is the last days of the Roman Republic. The armies expanding into Gaul face increasing resistance from the Helvetii and Germanic tribes. The future of Rome itself is in question.
All of this is meaningless to Coax. He is Gallic, yet knows nothing of his tribe, for his parents were enslaved by Romans before he was born and died in the revolt led by Spartacus. He was content to be a slave himself, until an act of sacrilege destroyed his family. He freed himself and became a pirate, bleeding Rome as much as he could. And yet, while his thirst for the blood of Roman soldiers is great, he still ransoms one young officer who convinces Coax he is worth more alive than dead. Surprisingly, he proves to be right, and soon has the ransom Coax set.
Years later, Coax is in bondage again, captured and sentenced to slavery for his crimes. He seems sure to die in the arena as a gladiator, but for the intervention of a Roman officer. To his surprise, it is the officer he ransomed years before—a man named Gaius Julius Caesar. He offers Coax a choice – serve as his spy in those places where a Gaul can pass that a Roman cannot. In exchange, Caesar offers Coax his aid in finding those responsible for killing his daughter and driving his wife to end her life.
It is a devil’s bargain, though the two fighting men get along well enough despite their different stations. However, Coax is not under any delusions that he is anything but a weapon to Caesar. And though he does not realize it, his actions in the service of his savior may yet bring about the downfall of Rome.
I went into Caesar’s Spy with enthusiasm. Not out of any love for Roman history, but because of the pedigree of the creative team. I was familiar with Max Von Fafner’s work on various Conan the Barbarian books and loved what I had seen. I was less familiar with French writer Jean-Pierre Pecau, though I did enjoy his steampunk Sherlock Holmes story Moriarty: Clockwork Empire. Both are in fine form in Caesar’s Spy.
While it is tempting to call Coax a Conan substitute based on Max Von Fafner’s designs, Coax is a radically different character. He lacks Conan’s crude chivalry, though he does have a code of honor. He gives respect to those who respect him, even if they are Roman. He also takes offense at Caesar going against Coax’s word that a group of Helvetii refugees would be given safe passage. Not enough to stand against Caesar, who he honors as his commander. But enough to free the Helvetii princess Sanian, who is presented to him as a slave.
This goes on to form one of the main conflicts of the novel, with Sanian organizing her own campaign against Rome and Caesar. The irony is that she and Coax might have been allies, had it not been for Coax’s promise to Caesar and, later, Sanian’s rebellion killing one of the few men Coax calls friend. This is but one example of the emotional complexity of Jean-Pierre Pecau’s scripting. The story is also well-researched regarding Roman history during The First Triumvirate.
In terms of art, Caesar’s Spy is equally fantastic. As I said earlier, I’m a big fan of Max Von Fafner. His artwork is beautifully detailed and visceral, yet subtly streamlined. The action scenes are intense and the period costuming generally well depicted. The sole exception to this is some of the women’s clothing seems more like specialty lingerie than the sort of thing an Egytpian noblewoman would wear in her private chambers. In fairness, Von Fafner does not shy away from showing fit young men in equally revealing outfits.
On that note, Titan Comics rated Caesar’s Spy as 15+. Generally, I would agree with that assessment, but I would still classify this one as a graphic novel for adults. There is ample sexual content, brief nudity, and copious violence, though nothing I would classify as pornographic. The sexual acts are not depicted on the page, though we do see the characters naked before and after the acts. And yet, I would classify this as a work for adults because most teenagers are unlikely to appreciate the complex relationships and emotional depth of the characters.
Caesar’s Spy By Jean-Pierre Pecau Art by Max Von Fafner Titan, 2025 ISBN: 9781787746978
Company Age Rating: 15+
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18) Creator Representation: French, Serbian,
Horror is one of those genres that fits in everywhere. There’s horror westerns, horror romances, and even horror comedies, but perhaps the most serendipitous pairing occurs when horror and action get together in a genre mashup. Both genres, through different methods, are designed to get the readers’ hearts pumping and blending action sequences with terrifying images is sure to keep those heart rates up.
A recent example of action/horror comes from Mad Cave Studios, the publishers behind Edenfrost and Hound. Mad Cave’s latest The Devil That Wears My Face is described as Face/Off meets The Exorcist and the book, written by David Pepose and illustrated by Alex Cormack, blends the best of both of those movies.
The story takes place in 1740 (making this a historical/action/horror tale). Father Vieri is a priest who is currently having a crisis of faith, even though he is a kind-hearted man. That does not stop him, however, from accepting an assignment from the Church. He must travel to Spain to exorcise a demon that resides within a Spanish nobleman’s son. This demon has already killed others who have tried to remove it, but when Vieri encounters it, the demon named Legion does something worse to Fieri: he switches their bodies. While Vieri is imprisoned and tortured, with many believing he is the demon, Legion returns to the church in Fieri’s body to wreak havoc.
Pepose’s story borrows heavily from the movie Face/Off, a 1997 action film starring Nicolas Cage and John Travolta. Cage’s and Travolta’s characters switch faces and in the ultimate case of mistaken identity leads to the hero not only trying to catch the villain but staying ahead of the police who think he’s the villain. It’s important to mention the plot of Face/Off because The Devil That Wears My Face basically borrows the entire plot of that movie. However, that doesn’t make this book a Face/Off reimagining with a possession added in. Pepose adds his own action elements that rival anything on screen, whether it’s riding a cart through a flaming city or Legion using his supernatural abilities to leap great heights and climb walls like Spider-Man.
Cormack’s art not only showcases the action in Pepose’s story, making the supernaturally powered Legion in Vieri’s body as dynamic as Batman, but he also adds the horror that goes beyond mentions of demons. Blood flows generously on Cormack’s pages and bodies are not only torn apart but showcased in a way that could turn a few stomachs. When the story begins to dig deep into the supernatural and show the mental battle between souls and demons in a visual way, Cormack gives these scenes featuring horrific demons their deserved epic scale.
Some genre mashups lean too heavily into one genre or another but The Devil That Wears My Face manages to straddle that razor’s edge, being both thrilling and disturbing. The book doesn’t shy away from gory scenes, but it’s mainly written for adult horror fans who don’t mind if the monsters are soaring over rooftops like a hero (or villain) straight out of Marvel or DC.
The Devil That Wears My Face By David Pepone Art by Alex Cormack Mad Cave Studios, 2024 ISBN: 9781952303838
Can romantic love truly last beyond the spark of a “first sight” crush, or is it bound by the forces of luck and fate? These themes and questions permeate the romantic drama comedy of award-winning creators Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese, Dragon Hoops) and LeUyen Pham’s (Friends series) Lunar New Year Love Story, a riveting graphic novel of unrequited love spanning across multigenerational and cross-cultural dimensions of family dynamics.
For fourteen-year-old Valentina (Val), love fell into and out of her life. Her imaginary best friend Cupid inspired her to send anonymous cards of encouragement to her classmates every year on Valentine’s Day. Later in life, a dark family secret illuminates the truth behind why her mom abandoned her dad. Crestfallen and jaded by this shocking revelation, Val loses the joy in sending out Valentine cards. Shortly thereafter, Cupid transforms into a shadowy specter christened Saint Valentine and proposes a challenge: Find true love within one year’s time, and if she fails, entrust her heart to him in exchange for protection from the pangs of love. Is Val’s yearning heart, like her parents’, destined for a life of fractured relationships, trapped in a persistent cycle of unfulfilled love? How can she break this curse, or is she doomed to succumb to its indomitable fate?
After a chance encounter with two attractive boys at a lion dance performance, Val decides to join their troupe. Through a series of plot twists, turns, and loops, the story delves into dramatic detours enhanced by expressive tonal colors. Characters partake in celebratory activities at a Têt festival—Vietnamese Lunar New Year—ensconced in varying shades of maroon. Scenes unfold through a montage of panels depicting cultural activities energized by lion dances choreographed across full-page spreads. Noir-like panels saturated with dark shades of charcoal gray herald the ominous wraith-like Saint Valentine hovering on the sidelines, intent on winning Val’s broken heart.
This tour de force of storytelling amplifies the plot through interethnic and intergenerational engagement between Vietnamese and Korean American cultures. Through this intricately crafted story, Yang and LeUyen combine captivating dialogue and symbolic metaphors to heighten the pursuit of genuine heartfelt love that transcends typical romances. The remarkable interplay of love, fate, family secrets, grief and loss, fractured family relationships, and reconciliation blend with supernatural and magical realism to produce an unerringly well-paced story. Radiating with intimate warmth and love through nuanced characters, this multilayered graphic novel will captivate young adult readers and beyond, a testament to the ingeniously plotted and exquisitely sculpted characters populating the backdrop of rich cultural traditions in diverse Asian American communities.
Lunar New Year Love Story By Gene Luen Yang Art by LeUyen Pham Macmillan First Second, 2023 ISBN: 9781250908261
Publisher Age Rating: 14-18 NFNT Age Recommendation: Older Teen (16-18)
Creator Representation: Chinese-American, Vietnamese American Character Representation: Korean-American, Vietnamese American
Guillaume Long, writer-illustrator of the comic blog À Boire et à Manger for French newspaper Le Monde, collects some of his comics into two volumes. Each comic has a symbol to indicate its category, with a legend at the beginning of the book. Some are recipes with difficulty levels 1, 2, or 3. Others may be restaurant guides, ingredient and cooking tool inventories, and “egotrip”—stories about Long himself, including travelogues. In addition, Long includes cooking tips from “the late Joël Reblochon”; this is presumably a misspelling of Joël Robuchon, a famous French chef who died in 2018. Interestingly enough, Reblochon is a French cheese, so the misspelling may be an intentional nickname.
One highlight is the comics about Pépé Roni, an armchair chef who explains the difference between similarly-named objects. A fun example is, “Don’t confuse work/life balance and work/knife balance.” “Work/life balance” is depicted as a man getting chewed out by his boss, and “work/knife balance” is the same man asleep and dreaming of his boss with a knife in his back. Another one I enjoyed is, “Don’t confuse a mandolin with a mandoline,” which shows someone attempting to play a mandoline slicer like a stringed instrument and, obviously, cutting up their hands. These comics are credited to Mathis Martin in the books’ cataloging-in-publication pages.
Long has a distinctive and funny voice. In one comic, he suggests you use a flyswatter to hit anyone who asks for sugar in their coffee. In another, he portrays the cloud of flour coming out of a mixing bowl as little ghosts. A guide to cooking spaghetti squash first suggests you make Jabba the Hutt out of the squash, then tells you to use your lightsaber to cut it. At times, jokes are weakened in translation. For example, in one comic he says to melt butter “with a little pot,” then shows someone with a joint and clarifies, “No, with a little saucepot.” In English, the joke doesn’t work perfectly, since the original command would likely have been to melt butter “in a little pot,” rather than “with a little pot.” Additionally, a comic falls flat with multiple references to anagrams that were unsolvable in English. One would think these comics that suffer from translation wouldn’t be included in the English editions.
There are other issues that make these books a little hard to digest—no pun intended. At one point, a Black friend asks Long why he doesn’t draw Black people, and he gets visibly uncomfortable and says “I don’t draw Chinese people either. Or Indian people.” Not true; in an earlier comic he goes to a Chinese restaurant where he draws one Chinese man with slits for eyes, and he draws a Chinese language (it’s unclear which Chinese language they’re speaking) as a bunch of messy scribbles. There is also a comic where a man seems to have murdered a woman with a plastic bag along with a joke about composting. Some of these jokes seem to be in poor enough taste that they shouldn’t have been included in the books.
The art style is cartoonish and would have fit well in Mad Magazine. Most of the comics are in full color, though the travelogues are in black pen on a beige background. Long employs hatched shading to add depth to his illustrations, which elevates the otherwise simplistic drawing style. Still, in a travelogue sequence in which Long goes to Venice with friends, one of his friends grabs his sketchbook and draws a few rowhouses in a more realistic style. He comments that his friend “draws so much better than me it hurts.”
Some of the recipes are useful, particularly the few pages in Volume 1 devoted to impressive appetizers that can be prepared quickly. Some of the inventories are useful as well, notably the list in Volume 2 of gift suggestions for foodies. The books are easy to navigate, with the aforementioned legend to indicate what purpose each comic serves. As in a regular cookbook, the index includes a table of recipes as well as an ingredient index. Still, due to some of the comics’ poor taste, I don’t recommend these books. Consider instead other comic cookbooks like Cook Korean!, Relish, or Let’s Make Ramen! and Let’s Make Dumplings!
To Drink and To Eat, vols. 1-2 By Guillaume Long Oni Press Lion Forge, 2020 Vol. 1 ISBN: 9781620107201 Vol. 2 ISBN: 9781620108550
Beowulf and Grendel’s ancient road trip has taken a drastic turn in their newest adventure. Author and illustrator Alexis E. Fajardo takes his readers to the early days of Ancient Rome in his newest graphic novel Kid Beowulf: The Tarpeian Rock. Using his artistic creativity and storytelling, Fajardo treats young readers to an action-packed story with gladiators, large wolves, feisty girls, and a sword wielding pig.
Among the seven hills of ancient Italy, Beowulf and Grendel are forced to fight in the gladiatorial games. They become an unstoppable force, but the games have changed Grendel into a ferocious monster. As the twins try to find their way out of the arena, another pair of twins plot a rebellion. The unfair treatment of the Sabines by the Latins has reached a breaking point, prompting wolf twins Romulus and Remus, along with their friend Tarpeia, to sneak into the games and try to assassinate King Titus. But when one of the boys is arrested and the other goes into hiding, it may take more than a small band of rebels to set things right within the Italic tribes.
Those who have read the previous books in the series will definitely want to read this next installment. The myth of Romulus and Remus is retold with scenes of familial love and gladiatorial fights surrounded by references to the original story. Dramatic and heartfelt scenes move the story along, providing characters with the drive to do what is right. Expansive views of ancient Italy can be found throughout the story, with bright or dark colors signifying the time of day and landscapes dotted with forests and Roman architecture. But a Kid Beowulf story would not be complete without some comedy. Brotherly banter between twins Romulus and Remus will bring a smile to the reader’s face and the liberation of Hama the pig and Nagling the talking sword is reminiscent of slapstick comedy and the antics of animal sidekicks. As with his previous novels, Fajardo includes background information on the history of Ancient Rome and the mythological tale of its founding, pictures from his trip to Italy that provided inspiration, character descriptions, a bibliography, and a detailed account of his creative process.
Public and school libraries, especially those who have the first three volumes of the series (The Blood-Bound Oath, The Song of Roland, and The Rise of El Cid), should collect this title. Readers in grades 4th-6th will enjoy scenes of comedic action and become interested in the historical and mythological references that are found within the story. And with a cliffhanger that drives the story in a new direction, they will definitely ask for the next installment.
Kid Beowulf, vol 4: The Tarpeian Rock By Alexis E. Fajardo Kid Beowulf Comics, 2021 ISBN: 9780990950554
Series ISBNs and Order
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Tween (10-13)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chosen Ones is a collection of six short stories set in the world of the TV show. The collection was released in 2020, over 15 years after the series finale, and investigates the show’s legacy through five historical Slayers and one story about Buffy herself. Each story explores either how the Slayer was told she was chosen or examines a time in a country’s history where the Slayer worked to make things better for women.
“The Mission” takes places in 1808 America as the indigenous Hutash works against the Spaniards and shows the origins of a Hellmouth, which fans will immediately recognize from the TV show. “The Eating of Men” shows how Silvia must stake her own nanny after witnessing the vampire kill her father in 14th century Bologna—this just after we are shown how much Silvia adores her vampiric nanny and the way this woman encouraged Silvia to develop her cleverness. “Behind the Mask” is a delightful piece that follows Adelaide at a masque ball in 1820 Paris. She’s seen discussing the recent disappearances from other high society events just before being led away from the ball by a mysterious gentleman, where it is revealed that she was hunting him. “Where All Paths Lead” features Buffy and is the most confusing story in this collection. She appears to be trying to stop the opening of the Hellmouth by battling the demon mother amidst little recollections of the past during conversations with a helpful demon full of dire news. “The Hilot of 1910″ is set in the Philippines and combines Western vampire lore and local aswang lore into a story that has our protagonist, Matay, questioning how to define a real demon. Our last story is “The Sisters of Angelus.” Set in 1947 Dublin, Una knows that she is the Slayer, working with her tinkerer grandmother, when her friend is sent to an asylum for unknown reasons. While trying to rescue her friend, Una discovers that the nuns running the asylum are actually vampires who worship Angelus and feed on their charges.
Overall, this collection expands on the diversity seen in the Buffyverse while examining historical prejudice or stereotypes. Each story looks at a cultural aspect or stereotype of women while challenging the truth behind it. The art ranges in style to match the time period or culture while managing to be cohesive, which is not always the case in anthology graphic novels. The artwork does get a bit graphic during the violent scenes that accompany each of the six stories, so it probably shouldn’t be placed in a collection where younger readers will easily find it. If you have adult or older teenage fans of Buffy, this book would do well in your collection as they will pick up on the hints and Easter eggs nestled within these pages. (Fans of Buffy who have been conflicted about reports of creator Joss Whedon’s abusive behavior will likely be relieved to know that Whedon himself has had no involvement with this title.) This collection might also be of interest to anyone that likes to read vampire stories in general, although it may not resonate with them as well if they’re unfamiliar with the lore of the Buffyverse.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chosen Ones By Mairghread Scott, Celia Lowenthal, Alexa Sharpe, and Nilah Magruder Art by Ornella Savarese, Lauren Knight, Moran Beem, and Caitlin Yarsky BOOM! Studios, 2020 ISBN: 9781684155972
Related media: TV to Comic
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18)
Young Leonardo depicts the life of artist and thinker Leonardo da Vinci during his childhood, prior to beginning his formal art study under Andrea del Verrocchio. The plot is episodic, moving through a series of short vignettes of experiences in the young artist’s life.
While it may be impossible to document da Vinci’s childhood years with total certainty, the episodes are based on information from his many notebooks. Quotations from the artist are interspersed throughout the book. Through the series of lighthearted comics, we see Leonardo’s beginnings in art, as well as his curiosity about the world around him which manifested in inventions, scientific discoveries, and constant observation. Other character traits are also highlighted, such as da Vinci’s habit of working on many projects at once, often abandoning one to start another, and his style of drawing subjects realistically at a time when most patrons of the arts expected to be shown in a more flattering light.
Young Leonardo does an excellent job showing the human side of the legendary artist. We see him deal with teasing and trouble fitting in from the neighborhood kids, at the same time dishing out some teasing of his own to his family members. His Nonna seems especially harried by Leonardo’s antics. While joking and playing like an ordinary child, Leonardo is forever engaged in lofty ambitions such as the pursuit of flight. Several of the vignettes show him testing a variety of wings he has constructed. Several comics show his other scholarly interests such as architecture and anatomy.
The full-color artworkconsists mainly of a traditional panel structure with between nine to twelve cells per page. Some pages lack borders around cells, and a few vignettes are wordless. Characters are drawn in a cartoonish style, only given four fingers per hand for example. However, astute readers will recognize the realism Augel brings to the book. Drawings from Leonardo da Vinci’s actual notebooks are woven into the story and appear throughout the book. Characters are included who match portraits sketched by da Vinci, and the entire da Vinci family is introduced in a pose reminiscent of The Last Supper. Most of the vignettes are comical with some tongue-in-cheek references along the way. One page sees Leonardo painting the borders around the cells, yet failing to finish them, a reference to the many projects he abandoned throughout his career.
Endmatter includes biographical information which illuminates the main text, as well as activities the reader can try in order to practice one of da Vinci’s experiments, a vocabulary quiz, and a matching game. A teaching guide follows which includes additional background information, common core connections, and ideas for using the book within a classroom setting. There is much young readers can learn from the life of Leonardo da Vinci, and Young Leonardo presents these lessons well. Leonardo is a character who shows perseverance and grit, While he does abandon some projects, he never stops inventing and trying new ideas. He continues his pursuit of human flight despite setbacks. Even when others mock or question him, he continues to seek knowledge and to create. This book is a great tool for classroom instruction, and an enjoyable title for readers interested in history.
Young Leonardo By William Augel Art by William Augel Big, an imprint of Humanoids, 2020 ISBN: 9781643376417
Title Details and Representation NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Tween (10-13) Creator Representation: French,
This is the first of a new nonfiction graphic novel series highlighting, as the series says, “marginalized trailblazers.” This volume tells the story of the life of Edmonia Lewis, a Black/Ojibway woman born in 1844 in New York, who triumphed over prejudices against her race and sex, the challenges of poverty and lack of education, to become a well-known sculptor.
Information on her early life is sketchy, but she apparently spent much of her childhood with her Ojibway aunts, after her parents’ death. Her brother, who supported her artistic career, followed his father’s career as a barber from the age of twelve. Supported by abolitionists, Lewis struggled to get an education despite prejudices against her race and sex, present even in the partially-integrated schools available. Her college career at Oberlin ended disastrously, when she was falsely accused of poisoning two of her classmates and attacked and left for dead before the trial. Although she was acquitted, the school continued to suspect her and, accusing her of theft, forced her to leave without matriculating.
She started her sculpting career in Boston, under the aegis of the Abolitionist movement, and then traveled to Italy with the help of various Abolitionist patrons. There she found her skin color less of a hindrance than her sex and poverty, but she continued to forge her own pathway, although she sometimes angered her patrons and fellow sculptors. She reached the zenith of her career with her sculpture, The Death of Cleopatra, exhibited at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. After this triumph, she returned to Rome, but the changing artistic trends and decline in the popularity of Neoclassic sculpture eventually left her in obscurity. She eventually moved to London and died there in 1907. Her greatest work fell into obscurity only a few years after its exhibition and was only found and restored in the 1990s. Contemporaries and visitors of Lewis reported her as continuing to work and maintain her bright and cheerful personality until her death. She maintained a close relationship with her brother, who continued to support her as well.
Notes, sources, and an extensive study guide are included in this slim volume. The art is detailed and focuses on red-tinged earth hues. Edmonia is shown as a determined, strong woman with curly black hair, dark brown skin, and a red cap perched on her curls. She moves through the panels as the central figure in a swirl of historical characters and her white contemporaries. Her Neoclassic style is well-represented in the lines and faces of her white marble statues and busts. While the art focuses primarily on faces and the eponymous “talking heads,” action and interest is added by interposing examples of Lewis’ work and shifting from panels to spreads of her surrounded by action and movement as she moves through her career.
The unique subject matter, accessible art, and extensive resources for teaching in the back (they include educational standards, a multiplicity of questions on the art and subject, and educational activities) should make this a stand-out title. However, there’s one serious problem – the size and layout of the book. It’s a tiny volume, 7×5 inches, and the font and art is correspondingly reduced. While there is plenty of detail and emotion in the faces shown, it’s difficult to catch the nuances when the faces are so tiny and many readers will find the small size of the font frustrating. At less than a hundred pages, this title will quickly disappear on a shelf or be lost and only the most dedicated readers are likely to work through the small size of the font.
Nonfiction graphic novels are extremely popular with my middle school and high school readers, the best audience for this small but dense volume, but sadly, this one is likely to go unnoticed. However, with its very affordable price point and availability in paperback, schools may find it useful to purchase in bulk for a class read. The publisher appears to be planning one volume per year (Rachel Carson in 2021 and Willem Arondeus in 2022) and I can only hope that they will perhaps consider binding them into one large volume and enlarging the art and text to correspond.
Seen: Edmonia Lewis By Jasmine Walls Art by Bex Glendining, Kieran Quigley (Colorist), DC Hopkins (Letters) ISBN: 9781684156344 Boom, 2020 Publisher Age Rating: Series ISBNS and Order
Title Details and Representation NFNT Age Recommendation: Teen (13-16), Tween (10-13) Character Traits: Black First Nations or Indigenous Creator Highlights: Black
Liquor & Cigarettes is the latest Boys Love (BL) title by artist and writer Ranmaru Zariya. Unlike Zariya’s supernatural BL series, Coyote, Liquor & Cigarettes is a sweet, romantic one-shot. Despite it’s vice-ridden title, Liquor & Cigarettes is a sweet, friends-to-lovers plot between two childhood friends.
In a vaguely Italian small town, Theo and Camilo run small shops across the street from each other. Theo inherited the liquor store from his parents and Camilo took over the tobacco shop from his parents when they retired. The attractive young men see each other every day.
The openly bisexual Camilo flirts with the naive Theo. Theo has feelings that he can’t quite admit to and a low tolerance for alcohol (a problem when you’re expected to drink as part of your career!). When Theo is pushed into entering a drinking contest for the upcoming grape harvest festival, he’s determined to do well and asks Camilo to help him build up his tolerance. In return, Camilo asks Theo to consider a trial run in dating a man—specifically, him.
It’s a slow, sexy dance with Theo coming to terms with his feelings. Theo becomes more open and honest the more he drinks, but Camilo never takes advantage (a refreshing relief from dubiously consensual encounters in BL works).
These are popular tropes within the BL genre but they are done with stunning artistic style. Besides Coyote and Liquor & Cigarettes, the only other current English translation of Zariya’s work is a digital-only title, Void. These bishonen (beautiful boys) aren’t just beautiful, they are ethereal. The backgrounds are reminiscent of an Old-World, European town, but the artist is truly at her best in close ups and facial expressions.
I think Zariya is one of the best new manga artists emerging in the BL genre, and Viz Media’s BL imprint SuBLime is set to release another’s of Zariya’s works in English later this year.
This is an explicit, adult title, appropriate for adult manga collections, especially ones cultivating a BL collection.
Liquor & Cigarettes By Ranmaru Zariya ISBN: 9781974711628 and 1974711625 SuBLime, 2020 Publisher Age Rating: 18+
Browse for more like this title NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+) Character Traits: Bisexual
With so many natural disasters occurring all over the world, children find themselves witnessing the loss of their homes and dealing with the drastic change in their lives. Even those not affected by disaster can see how hard it is for others.
However, tragedy never lasts forever, as long as you know how to move on and find others who can help. Author Silvia Vecchini and illustrator Sualzo provides an example of this life changing event in their graphic novel The Red Zone: An Earthquake Story. This Italian import tells the story of how a community moves on after they have lost everything in a devastating earthquake.
Three preteens Matteo, Giulia, and Federico find themselves homeless after an earthquake damages their community. Along with their neighbors, they try to adjust to their new homes and move on from the experience. However, it becomes difficult when they realize how much they have lost. Seeking to find some sort of normalcy within their lives is not easy, but with help from friends and family, the children soon learn that hope can be found after tragedy.
With its positive message, The Red Zone: An Earthquake Story is a great choice for those searching for a story about overcoming tragedy. Vecchini’s story takes young readers into a society they may or may not be familiar with. Those who have experienced a natural disaster and the loss of their home will find similarities with the characters and see themselves trying within the story. As for other readers, they will understand how difficult moving on after a disaster can be and how people cope with the change, whether it be healthy or destructive.
The story also moves from one experience to another, providing readers with different points of view. Sualzo uses natural color tones for the characters and the scenery, as well as darker tones for the scenes that take place at night. He provides just enough details in the environment that readers will not get lost but notice how terrible the effects of an earthquake are. Scenes of crumbled buildings and destroyed statues are shown throughout, with characters attempt to rebuild their lives piece by piece. The characters’ anxieties, sadness, and comfort are visually shown in their dialogue and body language. Graphic novels such as this provide enough visuals and emotions to explain how a society is affected after the disaster and how they can cope with it.
Public and school libraries, especially those that have experienced any type of natural disaster, will want to have The Red Zone: An Earthquake Story in their collection. It is a great source for those who are unable to move on from disaster and need a little help. With its emotional storyline and dialogue, this graphic novel is well suited for children in grades 4th-6th. It is best to point out that there are scenes of adolescent smoking and dialogue with a few bad words thrown in, but these add to the story’s plot and some of the characters’ development.
The Red Zone: An Earthquake Story By Silvia Vecchini Art by Sualzo ISBN: 9781419733680 Amulet Books, 2019 Publisher Age Rating: 8 and up
tribes. The future of Rome itself is in question.
comedies, but perhaps the most serendipitous pairing occurs when horror and action get together in a genre mashup. Both genres, through different methods, are designed to get the readers’ hearts pumping and blending action sequences with terrifying images is sure to keep those heart rates up.
Can romantic love truly last beyond the spark of a “first sight” crush, or is it bound by the forces of luck and fate? These themes and questions permeate the romantic drama comedy of award-winning creators Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese, Dragon Hoops) and LeUyen Pham’s (Friends series) Lunar New Year Love Story, a riveting graphic novel of unrequited love spanning across multigenerational and cross-cultural dimensions of family dynamics.
Beowulf and Grendel’s ancient road trip has taken a drastic turn in their newest adventure. Author and illustrator Alexis E. Fajardo takes his readers to the early days of Ancient Rome in his newest graphic novel Kid Beowulf: The Tarpeian Rock. Using his artistic creativity and storytelling, Fajardo treats young readers to an action-packed story with gladiators, large wolves, feisty girls, and a sword wielding pig.
This is the first of a new nonfiction graphic novel series highlighting, as the series says, “marginalized trailblazers.” This volume tells the story of the life of Edmonia Lewis, a Black/Ojibway woman born in 1844 in New York, who triumphed over prejudices against her race and sex, the challenges of poverty and lack of education, to become a well-known sculptor.
With so many natural disasters occurring all over the world, children find themselves witnessing the loss of their homes and dealing with the drastic change in their lives. Even those not affected by disaster can see how hard it is for others.
