Imagine: You wake up one morning and your cat has evolved into a humanoid feline. Standing on two legs, the cat-human is now asking to borrow your clothes and hang out with you. Worse? Your furry friend is definitely cooler than you. This is the premise of Benji Nate’s Catboy, a cute, thoroughly engaging, fun comic for cat lovers. Originally a comic strip for news media and popular culture site Vice.com, Catboy is a collection of both fan favorites and previously unreleased material.
Olive is a twenty-something art school graduate, floundering in both her personal and professional life. One night, while looking at a shooting star outside her bedroom window, Olive wishes for the ability to hang out with her cat, Henry, “like a person”. The next morning Henry, now human-sized, is spread across Olive’s pillow. From there we follow Olive and Henry’s escapades as interspecies best friends.
Without a doubt, Catboy is whimsical fun. Nate’s artwork is clear, vibrant, and aesthetically appealing. Adorned in fictitious brand Cool Boy clothing, Olive and Henry are the peak of millennial coolness. Nate uses a harmonious color palette filled with reds, pinks, yellows, and oranges throughout all her artwork in this collection. The bold color choices in this collection create visually cohesive storytelling. Additionally, individual comic strips are consistently entertaining, a feat for any comic artist. Though I do have several favorites, notably one in which the duo attends a lavish house party, each comic strip is of high quality. There is no filler here.
The writing in this collection is both particularly strong and accessible. Henry’s aloof, playful demeanor perfectly contradicts Olive’s perpetual anxiety. Olive struggles to find a career in the arts, please her parents, and make friends. Yet, Henry, despite all of his obnoxious tendencies (which will be ever-familiar to cat owners) is always by her side. They are a great pair and, best yet, Henry’s existence is almost never questioned. He is thoroughly accepted as the cat-human that he is.
Though Catboy is intended for adults, as kids may miss more of the nuance within the writing, there is certainly a place in your juvenile and/or young adult section for this book. Kids that have aged out of Luke Pearson’s Hilda series will get a kick out of this. Olive is likeable and honest, Henry is her safety net, and their wholly supportive friendship is a great example for any reader. In this wholesome vein, Catboy will most likely appeal to those familiar with Sarah’s Scribbles by Sarah Andersen and Nathan Pyle’s Strange Planet. As a lesser known comic strip, Catboy may require a little more advertising and reference promotion, but it is certainly worth the promotional effort. Quirky, thoughtful, and charming, Catboy is a great addition to any library collection.
Catboy By Benji Nate Art by Benji Nate ISBN: 9781945509155 Silver Sprocket, 2017 Publisher Age Rating: (18+)
Browse for more like this title NFNT Age Recommendation: Teen (13-16), Older Teen (16-18), Adult (18+)
Did you know guidelines from the United Nations limit the use of solitary confinement to 14 days maximum, yet incarcerated people in the United Staes have spent years or even decades in isolation?
Created collaboratively by the Stanford Graphic Novel Project class of 2018-2019, Flying Kites tells the story of a fictional family caught up in the real events of the 2013 California Prison Hunger Strike. Balancing education with emotional impact, the book follows college student Luz Santiago and her incarcerated father, Rodrigo, as they begin to speak out against and challenge the human rights abuses of solitary confinement in California prisons.
Rodrigo has been incarcerated for most of Luz’s life. The book is vague on the details of his initial crime, though there are references to him having stabbed or possibly murdered someone. For the last ten years, Rodrigo has been confined to the SHU, or Secure Housing Unit, meaning he spends 23 hours a day in a very small space by himself. The single hour a day he is allowed out of his cell is spent alone in a slightly bigger enclosed space where he can “exercise.”
Luz, who is now in college, knows only a little about her father’s circumstances and mental state. She works hard to juggle a job, her classes, socializing with peers, and driving nine hours to visit her father on a regular basis. She diligently communicates with Rodrigo through hand-written letters, but he hesitates to share with her the raw details of how much he and the other inmates in solitary confinement truly suffer on a daily basis. When Luz and Rodrigo learn about a planned hunger strike to protest the use and abuse of the SHU, they each become involved in their own way: Luz attends protests, spreads the word, and speaks to the media, while Rodrigo participates by refusing food with his fellow inmates. Each hopes the strike will lead to lasting change that will help not only their family, but incarcerated people throughout California and the United States.
According to the notes and materials at the end of the book, the most of the specific named people in Flying Kites are composite characters, bringing together details of real people’s lives into fictionalized characters who can tell a story. The comic makes good use of these composites, allowing the story to have personal impact and a clear emotional narrative. As a result, the real information woven throughout doesn’t feel too heavy-handed and deliberately educational, and readers have an entry point to connect with events that might otherwise seem distant from their own lives.
The events and issues described by Flying Kites are extremely important and are still relevant today. The information isn’t popular knowledge, and there is still a lot of work to be done around prison reform and the use of solitary confinement in U.S. prisons. The members of the Stanford Graphic Novel Project have clearly done their research, and provide a wealth of resources after the conclusion of the story in a number of appendices and notes, so it’s easy to take the book as a jumping off point for further exploration of the topic. I began reading the comic with only vague knowledge of the issue, and came away feeling much more informed and concerned about the widespread use of a practice that is considered torture by the United Nations.
I also found the creation process behind this comic very intriguing. The Stanford Graphic Novel Project is a two-semester undergraduate college course focused around the creation of a graphic novel. As a group, the students choose and research a topic, develop a story, then write and draw the entire comic. For the most part, the quality of the book is comparable to those by professional creators. Some of the notes in the back of the book provide more details about the course and the creation of the comic, and more information about the Stanford Graphic Novel project can be found on their website.
My only real complaint about Flying Kites was the variability of the artwork, likely due to the collaborative nature of the book. The style and quality of the art changes often, sometimes even from page to page, and there were some styles that I liked much more than others. Though the characters are still recognizable, and it didn’t affect my understanding of the story, I found it a little jarring at times, and was not a fan of some of the more simplistic, sketchy illustration work.
This book is an excellent choice for anyone interested in the topic, concerned with issues of social justice, and who enjoys comics about real historical events. It can also be used effectively in a classroom setting to begin or further a discussion of the issues of prison reform and human rights abuses. Nothing is graphically depicted, but readers should be aware there are mentions of death, suicide, self-harm, mental illness, and other disturbing effects of the psychological torture that is solitary confinement. Flying Kites is freely available on the Stanford Graphic Novel Project’s website for reading online or downloading as a high resolution PDF.
I hope this important book can receive the attention it deserves, and I look forward to reading more of the Stanford Graphic Novel Project’s work from both past and future years.
Browse for more like this title NFNT Age Recommendation: Older Teen (16-18), Adult (18+) Character Traits: Black, Latinx Creator Highlights: BIPOC Creator, LGBTQIA+ Creator
Have you ever considered getting love advice from an egg yolk? You can find out in Gudetama: Love for the Lazy by Wook-Jin Clark. Gudetama is a character from Sanrio company, a popular shop that can be found in malls. The character is known for being lazy and having a sidekick called Nisetama-san. He’s a young man who likes to dress in an egg yolk costume. Gudetama likes to spend most of his time sleeping, but his friend prompts him to offer advice to the lovelorn.
Gudetama’s first advice seeker is named Carmelo, and he sends girls running for their lives. He has no idea why. Gudetama observes him in action at a supermarket. Carmelo yells at girls and they can’t take the sound of his voice. Gudetama tells him to soften his voice and then shows Carmelo his online dating profile. In his profile, he says he likes “sleeping, chilling, eating, and dislikes being told to do stuff.” Carmelo marvels at how many ladies are interested in getting to know this little egg.
The graphic novel is full of little vignettes of people attempting to find love with Gudetama’s help. They are only a few pages and usually end with things going awry and not according to plan. The stories are all told in bright colors, yellows, oranges, pinks, and bright blues. They make every panel pop and are really eye-pleasing. The potential suitors come across like caricatures and are very over the top and cartoonish in their behavior. You have to suspend a lot of disbelief that someone would go to an egg yolk for advice and one that is so nonchalant about life. I also didn’t care too much for the goofy sidekick and found myself annoyed by his presence.
I recommend Gudetama: Love for the Lazy for those that like to collect all things Sanrio. I would not recommend it for libraries to purchase for a couple of reasons. One, I don’t think it’s the type of graphic novel that people would want to read more than once. It’s mostly a one and done read. You giggle a little and then forget about it. Second, I felt the little mini-stories were too short to really understand the punchline or care about the characters. I also had an issue with the age rating. It is rated for 13+. I had mistakenly thought this would be fitting for a younger audience. After reading it, I concur with the rating, but feel it would be better for older teens. I think a lot of the jokes would be lost on younger teens.
Gudetama: Love for the Lazy By Wook-Jin Clark ISBN: 9781620107287 Oni Press, 2020 Publisher Age Rating: T for Teens
Browse for more like this title NFNT Age Recommendation: Teen (13-16)
After two years, the long-awaited Snotgirl series is back! Fans have become anxious to see new Snotgirl content from creators Bryan Lee O’Malley and Leslie Hung, as single-issue releases seem to be fewer and farther between. In fact, just after the release of this volume the creators of Snotgirl announced an indefinite hiatus. With that said, let’s take a close look at the latest from Snotgirl, as it may be the last look we get for quite a while.
Snotgirl Vol. 3: Is This Real Life? continues the saga of Lottie Person. Lottie—affectionately referred to as “Snottie” by her beautiful, elusive Coolgirl crush, Caroline—is a fashion blogger, social media influencer, and personal disaster. Lottie’s allergies and runny nose pose a constant threat to her image. After being prescribed a mysterious new allergy medication, Lottie’s reality begins to change. A sequence of strange occurrences turn this series from a millennial melodrama into a supernatural mystery thriller.
Though Lottie is your archetypal vapid, self-absorbed influencer, Is This Real Life? highlights the most growth of Lottie’s character thus far. In preceding volumes; Vol. 1: Green Hair Don’t Care and Vol. 2: California Screaming, Lottie was simply a fun trainwreck. However, Is This Real Life? shows the audience a slightly more likeable, more complex version of Lottie. She is no longer just a fashion sensation with a lot of self-imposed personal issues. Lottie is a 20-something woman dealing with both the mysterious circumstances surrounding her and her overt desire to confront her sexual identity. Though previous volumes have hinted at Lottie’s sexual identity, this volume provides the most in-depth exploration. As Lottie’s relationship (and unhealthy fixation) with Caroline develops, so does the enigma of Caroline’s existence. Is This Real Life? adds a new layer of supernatural mystery that fans will either love or find frustrating due to the lack of substantial answers to readers’ ever-expanding list of questions.
Snotgirl Vol. 3: Is This Real Life? is an excellent addition to the Snotgirl series. Hung’s artwork is consistently high-quality. Her attention to detail is impeccable. Every chapter is filled with beautiful clothing, designed in conjunction with the personal style and social media presence of each character. In addition, O’Malley, notable for his Scott Pilgrim series, writes dialogue filled with colloquial language, quippy back-and-forths, and tons of homoerotic subtext. O’Malley’s writing paired with Hung’s illustrations have earned the Snotgirl series a well-deserved cult following. Snotgirl is a great purchasing choice for any library collection. Given that, thus far, only three Snotgirl volumes have been released, purchasing the series for library patrons is an easy feat. Though fans have no idea when the Snotgirl hiatus will end, Snotgirl, Vol. 3: Is This Real Life? will hopefully tide over both old fans and new until the return of Lottie Person.
Snotgirl Vol. 3: Is This Real Life? By Bryan Lee O’Malley & Leslie Hung Art by Leslie Hung ISBN: 9781534312388 Image Comics, 2020 Publisher Age Rating: Series Reading Order: https://www.goodreads.com/series/182773-snotgirl (Wikipedia or Goodreads)
Browse for more like this title NFNT Age Recommendation: Older Teen (16-18), Adult (18+) Character Traits: Bisexual Creator Highlights: BIPOC Creator
Everything is Beautiful and I’m Not Afraid: A Baopu Collection explores the identity, imagination, and struggle of cartoonist Yao Xiao. Baopu is a monthly, serialized comic published in Autostraddle, a online community dedicated to publishing independent, progressively feminist, queer media. Thus, Everything is Beautiful and I’m Not Afraid: A Baopu Collection allows us to enter the universe of a bisexual, Chinese-American emigrant woman, an identity not often, if ever, shown in popular media. The collection includes both never before seen comics and fan favorites.
Baopu is a Taoist word used to illuminate the importance of simplicity and the ideal of living in a simpler state. Xiao clearly exemplifies this ideal through her work. The artwork is understated and the writing is accessible. The use of simplicity in Xiao’s artwork conveys a feeling of intimacy. Every comic in this compilation seems like it could have easily come directly from Xiao’s diary. And, frankly, this makes her comics likeable. Regardless of your identity, Xiao’s artwork is relatable. Xiao portrays herself in pseudo-minimalist drawings throughout each comic. In fact, her line work is so uncomplicated that her character is often only identifiable by a triangular hat differentiating her from the characters around her. While some readers may find the lack of detailing in her work frustrating, others will find it endearing.
As for the actual writing in this collection, once again readers may find themselves divided. Some of Xiao’s writing, such as one comic highlighting her frustration to pick a—literal—box, may read as cliched and a bit saccharine. However, other comics, such as those highlighting her loneliness as an immigrant, are quite poignant. One notable comic, titled “Quiet Night Thoughts” illustrates a poem by famed 7th century Chinese poet Li Bia. Xiao beautifully applies a poem written during the Tang Dynasty to her experience as a Chinese-American in the 21st century.
Given the independent nature of this publication, no particular age group is ascribed to the book. However, this book will mostly likely be appreciated by teens and emerging adults. Another issue with the independent publishing of this book is availability. This title most likely will not be available to libraries unless purchased from the publisher, Andrews McMeel Publishing, or Amazon. And, ultimately, may not be worth the investment.
Everything is Beautiful and I’m Not Afraid: A Baopu Collection is a sweet, engaging book. However, for a comic collection, the book is short at 128 pages. The collection feels incomplete. As a reader, I found myself wanting more. Xiao is clearly a young, very promising comic artist. I would love to read a more comprehensive volume of work from her. While I cannot recommend that this particular book be added to your library’s graphic novel collection, I would highly recommend that prospective readers take a look at Xiao’s professional Instagram account (@yaoxiaoart) and published work on Autostraddle. Xiao is a competent artist and cartoonist. More is certainly to come.
Everything is Beautiful and I’m Not Afraid: A Baopu Collection By Yao Xiao ISBN: 9781524852450 Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2020 Publisher Age Rating: (16+)
Browse for more like this title NFNT Age Recommendation: Older Teen (16-18), Adult (18+) Character Traits: Chinese American Bisexual, Queer Creator Highlights: Own Voices, BIPOC Creator, LGBTQIA+ Creator
What It’s About? It is the mid-Tokugawa era in Japan, and wandering samurai Manji’s body is infested with healing worms that make him extremely difficult to kill. This “gift” of immortality is actually a curse for his bloody history of killing 100 men, including his sister’s husband. He has been told by a mystic that the cure is to kill 1,000 evil men, so when a young woman by the name of Rin begs him for protection and vengeance against an upstart martial combat school, Manji and Rin’s paths become one. For the first omnibus or so, this is the gist of the series, but the cast, setting, and motivations blossom and take on lives of their own, and blessedly so.
By the end of the series, there are several perspectives separately driving the narrative, each applying different moral standards to the problems at hand. As the body count rises, cycles of vengeance are set in motion and allowed to drive characters to the point of obsession and mutilation. The initial “villain” of the series, Anotsu, seeks to break the established, relatively coddled order of peacetime sword discipline, attracting a motley crew of anything-goes killers. The Japanese government, in turn, hires agents and assassins to counter their movement, leading to Manji and Rin stumbling into conflicts far greater than they imagined. Selfishness, duty, ambiguity, ambition – watching characters clash as they pursue and escape one another is a perpetual highlight of the series. The story’s heights often involve pushing a conflict to its absolute boiling point then swapping to another scene and letting the reader’s dramatic irony detector in their brain go off like fireworks as the scenarios converge. The effect is downright Proustian and never gets old.
As the series goes on, there is a kind of a meta element in tracking Hiroaki Samura’s storytelling style and observing how he breaks out of his own conventions. Really cool sword fights as dramatic climaxes go a long way—Samura takes “swordsman passes by an opponent at the moment of evisceration” to a whole new level. As that effect becomes regular to the point of predictable, Samura sidelines the immortal Manji in order to focus on the motives and checkered pasts of ambitiously doomed characters, elevating the series to something admirable. Just about everyone is participating in a suicide squad of sorts for different reasons, and readers might find themselves rooting against Manji by the end. Shonen tropes like “fighting for my friends” or “proving I’m the best” sometimes apply, but character arcs also delve into how to let go of hatred or commit oneself to selfless acts.
Notable Notes Samura’s style is one of a kind, and tracking its evolution throughout the series is another joy. He dropped out of art school to make Blade of the Immortal, and he cites classic art in interviews about his inspirations.There are pages that set a scene just so, that are more exhilarating than the standout duels and close calls. Samura and his team are masters of using touches of white to create highlights across landscapes, rooms, and faces that will stop you in your tracks. A spot of moonlight in a starless sky, a slice of brightness on the edge of someone’s cheek, a glowing torch advertising safety off in the distance – the fights are fast and heavy, but the quiet moments know how to command attention, too.
Consider this series rated M with good reason, and it’s not just lopped limbs and four-letter words. Characters have sex, including with prostitutes, and one long-running sadistic antagonist in particular derives pleasure from raping while murdering. Women are not strictly victims in this series—several are skilled, principled fighters who absolutely hold their own—but there are nonetheless a lot of violated women.
Having said that, the drama and carnage sometimes serve as a backdrop that makes the chapters of traveling and humor utter delights. The series earns big laughs whenever it slows down to show characters commenting on their journeys thus far or airing rumors about characters they haven’t seen in a while. Manji, Rin, and the rest are prone to exclaiming out loud when a situation gets out of control or downright weird (such as having to retrieve Manji’s body parts following a fight), which is another humorous highlight.
The “Demon Lair” arc is one of the greatest sustained combinations of setup, confrontation, and payoff I’ve ever read in action manga. It’s the culmination of Blade of the Immortal’s unique mixture of realism, anachronisms, sci-fi, and horror. It will spoil your expectations for arcs to come, for slow-burn schemes in other manga, and even for D&D campaigns.
Significance Blade of the Immortal has been adapted into two different anime series, a live-action movie, and a novel. The series won Japan’s Media Arts Award in 1997 and an Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of Foreign Material in 2000.
Blade of the Immortal influenced Naruto’s creator, Masashi Kishimoto, in a number of ways, including his style, plotting, and character design.
As if you needed more proof this series came about in the 90s, the English release reads left to right! This is no simple mirror flip – a “cut and paste” method was used to manually move panels around. Each volume contains a deeper explanation of this as well as Samura’s sound effects and anachronistic dialog. Manji wears a giant Buddhist swastika on his back, and every volume of the series includes a lengthy disclaimer explaining the honorable history of the symbol and how it’s different from the Nazi swastika.
Appeal Uninitiated readers may gravitate toward the bloody sword action and Manji’s cocky attitude, but the picaresque plotting and elegant dramatic build-ups are what usher this manga into the Classic Fantastic.
Why Should You Own This? Each three-in-one omnibus is $22, which is a great deal for one of the best samurai manga ever made. And for the dedicated collector or librarian with money to spend, Dark Horse will be releasing a deluxe, hardcover omnibus edition in October of 2020, which will retail for $49.00.
Classic Fantastic: Blade of the Immortal By Hiroaki Samura
Volume
ISBN
Omnibus I
9781506701240
Omnibus II
9781506701325
Omnibus III
9781506701721
Omnibus IV
9781506705699
Omnibus V
9781506705675
Omnibus VI
9781506705682
Omnibus VII
9781506706559
Omnibus VIII
9781506708171
Omnibus IX
9781506708188
Omnibus X
9781506708195
Dark Horse, 2019 Publisher Age Rating: OT (16+) Series Reading Order: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade_of_the_Immortal (Wikipedia or Goodreads)
Browse for more like this title NFNT Age Recommendation: Older Teen (16-18), Adult (18+) Character Traits: Japanese Creator Highlights: BIPOC Creator Related to…: Comic to Movie, Comic to TV
Set in 1946, Superman Smashes the Klan is based on a radio program from the 40s where the Superman brand was used to fight against the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan.
The Lee family moves into a nice neighborhood of Metropolis from the city’s Chinatown. The son, Tommy, quickly joins the neighborhood baseball team. The presence of the Lee family and Tommy’s participation in the baseball team sparks retaliation from a local chapter of the Klan of the Fiery Cross.
The Klan first demonstrates on the lawn of their home, then proceeds to target the Lee children; Tommy and Roberta (their Americanized names). Superman ends up saving the the children several times over. Roberta first notices that Superman may be holding back, and has other powers he’s not using. Superman has to come to terms with himself as an immigrant and embrace some of the abilities he has suppressed his whole life in fear of social ostracism.
The story is well-executed, especially the way Superman’s journey mirrors that of the Lee family. This title deals with racism in a faithful way that still is appropriate for younger kids. The art is simple and clean, and very reminiscent of 90s DC cartoon shows.
There is also a three-pronged afterword: Yang provides a background on the his family; including the different experiences he and his father had with racism growing up; there is a narrative about the radio program as it was originally conceived; and, there is a detailed historical perspective on how Chinese immigrants have been treated in American from the 1800s through their involvement in World War II. This backmatter provides some needed context for a story that may draw some criticism for the topic of this Superman adventure.
This is a great stand alone, but younger readers might need a reminder of how early in Superman’s timeline this story takes place.
DC’s age rating for this title is for grades 7 and up, and it is a great middle grade read. The only reason it doesn’t work as an all ages title is that elementary students might not have enough historical context for the Klan or World War II.
Superman Smashes the Klan By Gene Luen Yang Art by Gurihiru Smith ISBN: 9781779504210 DC Comics, 2020 Publisher Age Rating: Grades 7+
Browse for more like this title NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Tween (10-13), Teen (13-16) Character Traits: Chinese American Creator Highlights: Own Voices, BIPOC Creator Related to…: Retelling
In his introduction to Your Black Friend and Other Strangers, author and illustrator Ben Passmore writes, “I know you picked this book up thinking you were gonna read a whole lot of wokeness from a mad inspired and inspiring melaninated revolutionary King” And I’ll admit, he was relatively spot on for me—I thought I would be reading a collection of comics that would educate me about my unintentional racism and about the lived experiences of Black people in America. Reflecting on that thought, it seems a rather stilted expectation; luckily the collection did that, but had even more to offer.
The original Your Black Friend by Passmore was published as a 12-page zine by Silver Sprocket in 2016. It was nominated for an Eisner, won an Ignatz Award, and made it on NPR’s 2017 list of 100 Favorite Comics and Graphic Novels. Your Black Friend and Other Strangers was republished in March 2018 as an anthology of Passmore’s previously published pieces, as well as some of his new work. In the title piece, which is summarized in this three-minute animated clip, Passmore narrates his experiences as “your Black friend,” navigating the constant spectrum of racial expectations White people have, regardless of whether they view themselves as allies.
Because I can’t describe it better myself, I leave Silver Sprocket’s description of the comic to list the topics included in the anthology: “race, gentrification, the prison system, online dating, gross punks, bad street art, kung fu movie references, beating up God, and lots of other grown-up stuff with refreshing doses of humor and lived relatability.” Also notable is Passmore’s warning in the Introduction that “There are a bunch of comics in here that are supposed to turn you into Anarchists.” My favorite pieces, like “A Letter from Stone Mountain Jail” or “Whose Free Speech?”, were those that were more narrative- or politically based, telling stories of Passmore’s experiences in protests or his reflections on what political movements (e.g., Black Lives Matter versus Antifa) might actually have a chance of making long-term impact. My least favorite were the ones that were most abstract, such as “A Pantomime Horse I” or “Goodbye.” I found myself just confused at the end of several pieces, flipping back through to see what I had missed.
Passmore’s art aligns with the genre of the piece he’s writing. The pieces that are based on experience have a more literal style of cityscapes and corner stores, with large blocks of small text providing background information. However, pieces like “It’s Not About You” or “The Punklord” are vibrant with color and abstract creatures and imagined settings. I like the punk influence of his art—the characters with mohawks, piercings, gauges, and tattoos—as well as just more “realistic” characters with beards, dreads, hoodies, and suspenders. There is some violence and “gore,” but most of that is relegated to the more fantastical pieces of the book. (However, at one point two punks do end up biting, shooting, then beheading a police officer… but when the characters look like they belong in a punk adult version of the 90s Doug cartoon, it’s not as gory.)
Both the art and the writing ask for your attention in more than one sitting. I read the collection in one sitting, and it was a lot to take in. However, I will return to it in bits and pieces. There may be some parts that I never understand, as several other reviewers have mentioned similar feelings, but I know there is much in both the text and the art to appreciate repeatedly throughout the book.
I think this a comic worth investing in. It will be a good addition to a memoir collection, and it’s important to include memoirs by authors of color, especially about the experience of racism and activism in America. It’s likely best for readers who are 13 and up. Even younger teens (13-16) will benefit from reading about and gaining a better understanding of race and friendship, and the importance of activism and standing up against brutality and injustice. Many of the pieces have an elevated vocabulary and an expectation for a baseline understanding of anarchism and nihilism, which younger readers will likely lack, but as is evident throughout this review, the anthology is sort of a “mixed bag.” Anyone can find something of interest, but there will be pieces that some readers don’t understand or are just confused by. Ultimately, if everyone just reads at least the title comic, the world might be a better place.
Your Black Friend and Other Strangers By Ben Passmore ISBN: 9781945509209 Silver Sprocket, 2018 Publisher Age Rating: T (13+)
Browse for more like this title NFNT Age Recommendation: Teen (13-16), Older Teen (16-18), Adult (18+) Character Traits: Black Creator Highlights: Own Voices, BIPOC Creator
Tai Pham isn’t looking for trouble. He’s just living his life: helping in his beloved grandmother’s store, filling sketchbooks with drawings, and hanging out with his best friends. But sometimes, trouble finds him anyway, like when vandals target the store with thrown bricks and racist graffiti. Or when his grandmother passes away, and her jade ring starts following Tai around. It seems he’s been chosen to take over her role as a Green Lantern. But how can Tai become a member of a superpowered intergalactic peacekeeping force? He’s only thirteen!
The Green Lantern Corps is skeptical about bringing in a recruit so young. Still, they begin to train him, teaching him how to use his powers. But Tai has to keep up with his regular life, too. Which is how he and his two closest friends interview billionaire entrepreneur Xander Griffin. Why would a man like him take the time to talk to a group of kids working on a school project? Well, it turns out Xander Griffin knew Tai’s grandmother. What exactly was the connection? And what about Griffin’s plans to revitalize and remake Tai’s neighborhood? Should Tai be excited, or worried?
The story in Green Lantern: Legacy is fairly simple, as origin stories often are, especially when aimed at kids. However, it touches on some big themes: looking out for others, learning to trust and rely on your friends, and being willing to challenge authority when necessary. The story also spotlights the conflict that can arise between innovation and tradition. Will Tai support a top-down revamp of his neighborhood that could make it safer, but would also strip the citizens of their privacy and the community of its identity? Or will he follow in his grandmother’s footsteps, doing the hard, slow work to improve the neighborhood from the ground up?
Tai Pham is the first Asian-American Green Lantern, part of DC’s welcome diversification of the franchise. Minh Lê and Andie Tong have found many ways to naturally incorporate Tai’s Vietnamese-American identity into the story. His grandmother describes using her Green Lantern abilities to help her family and others safely come to America during wartime. Tai’s family encounters racism, as when vandals spray-paint the words “go home” on his grandmother’s store. Characters sometimes use Vietnamese terms, which are translated in a glossary at the end of the story. When he and his friends redesign his Green Lantern costume, the ever-artistic Tai adds some Vietnamese-style flair.
Familiarity with the Green Lantern franchise is not a requirement for enjoying this book, but will definitely offer readers some perks. For instance, Green Lantern fans will likely enjoy seeing popular character John Stewart helping to train Tai. The Phams even have a cat named Jordan, probably a shout-out to another well-known Lantern, Hal Jordan.
The art of Green Lantern: Legacy is bright, clear, and expressive. The characters are easy to tell apart, and the action scenes are easy to read visually. Colorist Sarah Stern uses a vibrant and varied color palette, and she excels at portraying all the glowing green energy and alien architecture that come up so often in a Green Lantern comic.
This is a rich, refreshing addition to DC’s new spate of graphic novels for kids and teens. (The end material of this book includes a sneak peek at another such book, Batman: Overdrive.) Hand it to fans of Super Sons and other kid-friendly superhero comics.
Green Lantern: Legacy By Minh Lê Art by Andie Tong ISBN: 9781401283551 DC Kids, 2020
Browse for more like this title NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Tween (10-13) Character Traits: Vietnamese American Creator Highlights: Own Voices, BIPOC Creator
The very first page of Black Stars Above is a large, white box with small, cursive narrative text; so let’s start with the lettering by Hassan Ostmane-Elhaou. This comic is not only a slow-burn horror story by way of historical fiction, but it is also strongly dependent on characters’ journal entries providing the narration. Other textual effects include more standard lettering on spoken dialog, which uses carats to mark whether characters are speaking Michif or French, and white-on-black lettering inside of jagged speech bubbles for noises made by an alien creature. At the midway point of the story, the comic transitions into eight full pages of journal entries, with a couple of sketches included. Ostmane-Elhaou’s use of small, cursive font for journal entries will force readers to slow down as they scan through pages, and the effect this has on purely visual pages cannot be understated.
The second page of Black Stars Above is a wordless, four-panel sequence of some lynx traveling across snowy land; so let’s talk about more of the visual elements of this book. At the brightest of times, the Canadian wilderness is depicted as a gray wilderness with snow storms either taking over the horizon or directly flurrying the panels. A good deal of the comic takes place during dusk or nighttime, with lanterns and moonlight acting as dramatic light sources for the protagonist. Brad Simpson’s coloring is able to find a suitable range of hues for each situation, whether it’s the warm fireplace colors of a cabin, the cold blues and silvers of the snowy dark, or touches and waves of red as the story becomes more disturbing and violent. As mentioned before, the wordless segments of the story feel carefully paced to complement the dense use of text, making this a difficult comic to skim or skip through unless readers want to cheat themselves by “fast forwarding” to the horror reveals. Jenna Cha’s artwork and thoughtful paneling, which considers characters’ movements throughout each scene, deserves full consideration from beginning to end. Her talents include rendering a silhouette in a snowstorm, use of upside-down perspectives to visually suggest transitions that physically occur later, and eldritch creatures given a wintry spin that makes them simultaneously off-putting and kind of cute.
The third and fourth pages see the narrator and lynx meet; so let’s describe the actual story here. Lonnie Nadler’s script can be broken into three acts, each centering on Eulalie Dubois, a young woman on the Canadian frontier who yearns to escape her rural existence. In the first act, she struggles against the constricting expectations of her parents, including her First Nations mother and French father, who plan to marry her off to a nearby suitor. In the second act, Eulalie attempts to deliver a mysterious package on her own, with the hope of earning enough money to buy her independence. In the third act, the senses are assaulted as Eulalie travels to the eponymous black stars and discovers all kinds of freakiness and rituals. Images of cosmic horror that are briefly displayed or hinted at in the first couple of chapters receive thorough payoff in the latter half of the book, like a prestige horror film that plays with themes and setting but doesn’t forget to deliver the bloody goods. Far from schlock or grindhouse thrills, the journey of Black Stars Above could be described in Eulalie’s words as, “delirium walking hand in hand with awe.” People aren’t getting graphically murdered, or at all, but the book’s surreal imagery around madness, alien creatures, and disruption to the natural order is highly suggestive.
Where content warnings are concerned teens and older who know the word “cthulu” will be uniquely excited to follow this book’s immersive bread crumbs into madness. Animals are skinned and gutted, including the sight of an animal fetus dead in the womb. Creatures’ eyes drip black goo, and there is a brief scene of a topless woman. The literary tone that permeates the text, along with the less than accessible cursive font, means a good amount of focus will be required, but will also lead toward immense satisfaction and hope for a sequel in the same vein.
Black Stars Above By Lonnie Nadler Art by Jenna Cha ISBN: 9781939424532 Vault Comics, 2020 Publisher Age Rating: 12+
Browse for more like this title NFNT Age Recommendation: Older Teen (16-18), Adult (18+) Character Traits: First Nations or Indigenous Characters Multiracial, Creator Highlights: BIPOC Creator
Imagine: You wake up one morning and your cat has evolved into a humanoid feline. Standing on two legs, the cat-human is now asking to borrow your clothes and hang out with you. Worse? Your furry friend is definitely cooler than you. This is the premise of Benji Nate’s Catboy, a cute, thoroughly engaging, fun comic for cat lovers. Originally a comic strip for news media and popular culture site Vice.com, Catboy is a collection of both fan favorites and previously unreleased material.
Set in 1946, Superman Smashes the Klan is based on a radio program from the 40s where the Superman brand was used to fight against the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan.
Tai Pham isn’t looking for trouble. He’s just living his life: helping in his beloved grandmother’s store, filling sketchbooks with drawings, and hanging out with his best friends. But sometimes, trouble finds him anyway, like when vandals target the store with thrown bricks and racist graffiti. Or when his grandmother passes away, and her jade ring starts following Tai around. It seems he’s been chosen to take over her role as a Green Lantern. But how can Tai become a member of a superpowered intergalactic peacekeeping force? He’s only thirteen!
