Jade is a hot-tempered teenaged aristocrat in modern-day France. Her family has prestige but no money, so Jade’s mom keeps pushing her to cozy up to her wealthier peers—and, ideally, marry one of them. But Jade is focused on her secret passion: serious weightlifting.
In fact, Jade has already made so much progress with her lifting that it can be hard to hide her strength. Like when she gets mad at a boorish young rich boy at a party and sort of… launches him into the refreshments table. Society would never approve of her lifting weights, so Jade scrambles to explain her feat of strength before blurting out that she must have been overcome by… love!
Jade’s matchmaking mother is, of course, thrilled. She would be a lot less thrilled to know that the only boy Jade actually likes is a groom in a rich family’s stables—a groom with huge muscles, whose workout routine Jade is determined to discover. Not that Jade has time for romance anyway – she’s juggling friends and frenemies, high school and high society events, all while keeping her weightlifting a secret. But with multiple boys now pursuing her, romance may be in Jade’s future whether she’s ready for it or not.
Originally a successful French webcomic (Colossale), Colossal is a fun rom-com with a shojo manga vibe and an oddball premise that grabs your attention. Who would expect the feisty young socialite to be obsessed with weightlifting? But Jade’s passion for lifting isn’t just a weird quirk: the story weaves it into her backstory and the way she thinks. Jade can be impulsive and irritable, though she usually keeps her temper in check. Early in the book, she sometimes imagines using her huge strength to punch people she finds annoying, which feels a little extreme, but Jade stops doing it after the first few scenes. She often fumbles social situations, but she cares about her friends and doing the right thing.
The rest of the cast has plenty of personality, too. There’s thoughtful Alexander, the groom Jade likes, who is much more than an enviable set of muscles; his employer, a rich mean girl who is struggling to fit into high society; the handsome but unpleasant rich boy who becomes far more interested in Jade after she pitches him into a buffet; Jade’s new friend, a do-gooder who convinces Jade to help with a charity function; and a cute but ruthless boy who discovers Jade’s weightlifting secret and demands she train him. There are also various family members and Jade’s supportive and quirky weightlifting buddies.
The art style is grounded in realism but with touches of a more fanciful shojo manga style. It focuses on the characters, giving them expressive (sometimes comically exaggerated) faces and postures. Their outfits change frequently to fit the occasion as the plot romps through lively scenarios and settings: riding lessons from Alexander, a stag hunt, preparing and staging a costumed charity ball, working out at the gym, hosting a sleepover, and more. Backgrounds are mostly minimal, with just enough detail to establish the settings.
There is no nudity (though Alexander sometimes gets shirtless for non-sexual reasons), but there are a few references to sex and a few swear words. Mostly, though, the story is funny and silly, with some heartfelt moments and sweet emotional connections between characters. Hand it to fans of rom-coms and shojo manga who like the sound of the premise.
Colossal By Rutile Willcox Art by Diane Truc Abrams, 2026 ISBN: 9781419777813
Company Age Rating: 14-18
NFNT Age Recommendation: Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16) Creator Representation: French, Mauritian, Character Representation: French,
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,
A political allegory for the rise of dictatorship all framed through the anxious lives of… some pigeons?
Street Noise Books delivers the English language edition of Pigeons! A Fable for Our Time from Marc Chalvin. The book opens boldly, introducing the reader to a vast number of hapless pigeons and the merciless crow who terrorizes and controls them.
The pigeons themselves are not known for complex thought. They eat poisoned seeds, walk in front of cars, and generally look for crow to give them instruction in every area of life. Simultaneously, the crow revels in this power, killing pigeons at will and toying with the living ones, safe in the knowledge that they will never object. Into this scene enters an idealistic seagull. She believes the pigeons are capable of more; the challenge is to convince them of that. The plan—stage democratic elections so that the pigeons can understand the concept of freedom and escape crow’s tyranny. The problem—the pigeons may prefer an iron claw to an uncertain world in which they make their own decisions.
While there is a clear narrative from start to finish, Chalvin balances story and character with a heavy emphasis on the political themes of the book. The pigeons often understand very little of what is happening around them, but the book intersperses debates between crow and seagull on topics such as democracy, control, and self-actualization which serve to bring the social and political topics to the forefront. In this way, things are a bit on the nose for readers who prefer subtler messaging. That being said, the book is far from a dry treatise on political thought. The pigeons banter and squabble, crow struggles to manage even the most basic interactions with the feathered populous, and seagull looks on in dismay as even the best intentions struggle in the face of reality. With dry humor and biting observations about humanity, Chalvin turns loose three factions in a struggle that feels immensely relevant to human history and the moment we live in today.
Chalvin’s art as well is simple, keeping the emphasis on the characters and the content over highly detailed scenes. With heavy line sketches and simple shading, there are stylistic touches of political cartoons while still allowing the book to take on its own shape and character. The wide-eyed pigeons are often indistinguishable, but Chalvin still imbues them with life amidst their fear and their naive joy as they wander their way through each new day. Most pages are broken into a simple four-panel layout while occasional scenes are given more space for detail and emphasis as key moments unfold at a larger scale. It’s a style that serves well, as Chalvin takes the simple visuals and fills them with personality and meaning.
There is some semi-graphic animal death throughout the book that is mitigated by both the style and the ironic humor that define the book. While the themes and questions are important, younger readers are likely to bounce off of this in favor of less overt political explorations. However, for older teens who are interested, and definitely for adults, Pigeons! is packed with sharp messaging and enough lingering complexity to give the reader something to contemplate once the book is done—rather than tying everything off in a bow that invites no further exploration. As a piece of social and political commentary, Chalvin delivers an excellent and tightly told fable here, and it’s a worthy addition and warning for any readership inclined to sit with it. And for any space looking to teach on the ideas the book contains, Pigeons! offers a very palatable entry point into subjects that can sometimes be dry in a purely academic context. In short, it’s not for everyone, but it’s a book well worth picking up for the right audience and an important book to see on shelves today.
Pigeons! A Fable for Our Times By Marc Chalvin Street Noise Books, 2025 ISBN: 9781951491505
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18) Creator Representation: French,
Best friends Grace and Lola are on a mission to understand love! In volume one, the girls decide to research the topic, interviewing people at school to learn more about the elusive and confusing emotion and keeping their findings in a notebook called The Love Report. In volumes two and three, they have other things going on: new friends and fun adventures, including a beachy trip to Sardinia. Everywhere they go, though, Grace and Lola find reasons to wonder about love. Boys flirt with them, but what are their intentions? Should Grace confess her feelings to her new crush?
The girls are more casual now about their investigation; no more notebook or interviews, just lots of conversations and musing. And love isn’t the only thing on their minds. A boy at school is bullying and harassing people, including some of Grace and Lola’s friends. Grace is frustrated with shuttling between the households of her newly divorced parents. Lola struggles with body image issues. Their friend Adele has a rough home life, but is suddenly finding major success as an artist. But in and around all that, there’s enough romantic drama and intrigue to keep Grace and Lola asking questions about the nature of love.
Strong female friendships are the throughline of this series. Grace and Lola have some challenges to their bond in volume one, but come through them closer than ever. They also befriend Adele, Felicity, and Charlie, who all get more attention in the second and third volumes. Sometimes, the story follows one of them for awhile, showing the reader things that Grace and Lola don’t know. This expands the world of the story, since their experiences are very different—and sometimes creates juicy drama, as when the readers learn a secret Charlie is keeping from the others. All of these girls mean well and care about each other, and they are all spunky and willing to get creative to take on bullies or help their friends.
These books are translated from French (BeKa is a France-based two-person writing team). The translation is polished – minor errors noted in my review of volume one appeared in an advance copy, and have been corrected. The first two English volumes each collect and translate two of the shorter French volumes, while the English book three translates only one volume, so these three books contain volumes one through five of the French version of The Love Report.
These books touch on some heavy topics. Multiple characters have body image issues, and several have strained relationships with their parents. The school bully is constantly harassing people, especially girls, both in person and online. He even gets scandalous photos of a classmate (wearing a bra but no shirt) and shows them to other classmates. There is some harsh language (e.g. slut, bitch), which is used very rarely and not by the protagonists. Sex is only referred to occasionally, with no specifics. Refreshingly, the one queer couple is quickly accepted by most of the characters.
The manga-inspired art is detailed and full of rich, exuberant colors. Each character has a different personal style and shows it off with lots of fun, varied outfits and hairstyles. There are many different settings, from school to Adele’s art studio to the beaches of Sardinia, and they all add visual interest without stealing the spotlight from the characters.
This series will appeal to readers who like lots of emotion and drama. Grace and Lola are curious but tentative and nervous about love and romance, which will be relatable to some young readers. Hand it to fans of school stories and friendship stories, especially those who like high-drama manga.
The Love Report By BeKa Willcox Art by Maya Willcox Hippo Park / Astra Books for Young Readers, 2024 ISBN: 9781662640605
Volume
ISBN
2
9781662640605
3
9781662640889
Company Age Rating: 10 and up
NFNT Age Recommendation: Teen (13-16), Tween (10-13) Creator Representation: French, Italian, Character Representation: Queer,
“As I delved deeper into the narrative, day by day, step by step, I realized that the fact which made this story famous worldwide became almost secondary.”
It’s a bold claim.
But we’ll get into that later.
Just a quick note: I am very far removed from this story. And this is not the case with author Frédéric Bertocchini, who states that he was born almost 1 year after Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 and the harrowing events that followed. The first I had heard of this story was, strangely, in my high school freshmen chemistry class. Couldn’t tell you how it came up.
The story about the Uruguayan rugby team (Old Christians Club) that crash landed in the remote Andes and what they did to survive is perhaps not well-known in this day and age. Certainly, not particularly well-known to American audiences – there is one movies from the 90s that I can recall (Alive, directed by foreign media have covered the story through documentaries, films, and even theater. And seeing this book up for release, well, I was compelled to take a look. This is Bertocchini’s English-language debut.
The story is told from the perspective of Roberto Canessa; at this point in his life, he is a 19-year-old medical student and has nothing but hope for his future. The comic wastes little time; the disaster strikes early, and now Canessa is tasked with doing what he can with his medical knowledge to try to keep the first round of survivors alive. But the conditions are harsh out this far, the snow is falling, and the airplane has little amenities to offer first aid, let alone serious medical treatment. And it’s not just outside forces that threaten the survivors – infighting, power struggles, threats, dwindling supplies, and paranoia also take hold.
It is on the 10th day of their suffering that Canessa suggests eating the bodies of the deceased. Obviously, an incredibly difficult and painful thing to put forth, something that only can be done by someone who is on the brink of death with no other options for life-supporting nutrition. This is the “fact which made this story famous worldwide” that does, in fact, become secondary to the day-to-day survival activities this group of people had to endure. The story gets grimmer as the days go on – the search for their plane is eventually abandoned by the authorities, the mountain sends its arbitrary wrath, more survivors die, and the ups and downs of hope and despair are experienced with disgust and faith in turn. For the sake of the review, I will say that the survivors are eventually rescued after Canessa and Fernando Perrado trek through the mountains for 10 days, eventually coming to the nearest town and alerting the authorities. The passengers of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 were stuck in the remote Andes for 72 days. Of the 45 occupants on the plane, 16 survived.
The art is flat and blocky with a minimalist color pallet, reminiscent of Mike Mignola’s work. There is something matter-of-fact about the straight lines and square compositions. It makes for an enjoyable, straightforward reading experience.
This story is certainly not for everyone, but I was that kid in school reading about the Donner Party and Franklin’s lost expedition for fun, and I knew what I was getting into. The illustrations are not graphic or violent, an amazing feat, really, considering the subject matter. The book is not exploitative nor morbidly gaze-y. But the slicing of human flesh from human bodies for consumption is shown, and I would say the overall melancholy of the events depicted is definitely something to be aware of. If you can get through that, then you will be able to enjoy this harrowing narrative of loss, grit, and teamwork.
Shadows on the Ice: The 1972 Andes Disaster By Frédéric Bertocchini Art by Thierry Diette Black Panel Press, 2025 ISBN: 9781990521294
Publisher Age Recommendation: High school/16+ NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult, High school Character Representation: Uruguayan
Shadows on the Ice: The 1972 Andes Disaster? Vol. By Frédéric Bertocchini Art by Thierry Diette, Pacal Nino, , Not in listBlack Panel Press, 2025 ISBN: 9781990521294
Company Age Rating: 16+
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18) Creator Representation: French, Character Representation: Uruguayan,
Aside from being the creator of Citizen Kane, who was Orson Welles?
If you’re like me, mention of Citizen Kane’s director brings to mind some concept of an early and influential Hollywood figure, someone who set the course of filmmaking and left a mark for decades to come. But what if you were asked to describe his other films? Perhaps his roles in television, on stage, on the radio? Even his connection to the early and infamous radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds. How much does the average moviegoer know about Welles’s antagonism with Hollywood, or his career and artistic vision which were hampered by a variety of obstacles that seemingly stood between him and the artist he craved to be? Created by French cartoonist Youssef Daoudi and published by 23rd St., The Giant Orson Welles: The Artist and the Shadow seeks to capture the life of the influential director honestly, but also with an artistic flair worthy of a man who chased his vision regardless of whether those around him believed it possible.
Narrated by Welles himself, this graphic biography highlights key moments in the life and career of the director, writer, and actor. Although he continually crossed paths with other significant figures in world and film history, the story keeps the lens close to Welles. From his childhood as a declared prodigy where he was told he could accomplish everything, through an adulthood where such promises failed to materialize, until he found himself raging against a world that felt it did not appreciate him. Welles created Citizen Kane at only 25 years of age, and despite its controversies, it was the film that would follow him for the rest of his career, setting the bar for any later attempts to grasp success.Welles was a complicated man who created goodwill documentaries and artistic films that pressed back against the mainstream, and faced accusations of communism and the fears of the red scare. It is these complexities that Daoudi tries to capture on the page. With the character of Welles as storyteller, the book is immensely sympathetic to the man and all that seemed stacked against him. At the same time, it shows that he was a man who struggled with his own success, who could be abrasive and uncompromising to those around him, and who struggled to find his way while he refused to let others chart his course. The Welles of this book would prefer to watch his promising career crumble around him than compromise the artist he sees himself to be. It is a difficult thing to create a biography of any person, much less to condense such an immense life and career into a singular graphic novel. Nevertheless, with extensive citations and a clear appreciation for a man who shaped modern cinema, Daoudi’s book is an immensely inviting and readable guided journey that feels informative without ever failing to remember that it is meant to be telling a story.
And make no mistake, the book is entertaining. It is nonfiction, but from the opening pages of Welles striding across the Hollywood landscape in a long coat and hat, swirling smoke around him as he declares his name to the reader, it is also clear that this will be no dry recounting of facts. The book unfolds with stylized realism, moving across time with a mix of straightforward presentation and interjections from Welles himself. The color palate is bold black and white with shocks of yellow consistently brightening the illustrations. Daoudi does not waste the graphic format. Episodes are introduced and play out with script directions and scene setting. The imagery splays across the page with a cinematographer’s intent. Sequential panels follow dual page spreads scattered with scenes from movies, advertising posters, and dramatic stagings of Welles’s own life. In one of the more remarkable scenes, a pile of televisions reminds the director of the multitude of seemingly worthless commercial jobs he has taken, solely in an effort to fund his more passionate projects. At another turn of the page, Welles is confronted by characters from his own incomplete films, specters that follow him through life as reminders of the things he has yet to achieve. Always easy to follow but never overly simple, the book endeavors to create a visual and artistic experience that gives shape to a story with the completeness that such a life deserves.
The book does not carry a specific age rating, but 23rd St. is a comics line aimed at adults. The more mature content elements include violence both in a science fiction context and in realistic depictions of bullfighting. There is occasional strong language and a couple illustrations of nonsexual nudity. None of these elements are pervasive, but coupled with the tone and content of the comic, it’s a read aimed mostly at adults and older teens with an interest in film history. Anyone curious to learn more about Welles or the earlier days of Hollywood should find something to appreciate here, along with more general readers of graphic nonfiction and anyone who wants to take a journey through a biographical comic clearly created with intention, respect, and striking artistic vision. Whatever else one may say about Orson Welles, he was an imposing man, a driven visionary whose work casts a shadow even into the present day.
Turning an eye toward that legacy and those complexities, The Giant Orson Welles is a bold and quite readable work of graphic biography that earns a place in any collection where a comic of this subject matter and style might be appreciated.
The Giant Orson Welles: The Artist & The Shadow By Youssef Daoudi Macmillan 23rd St., 2025 ISBN: 9781250805942
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18) Creator Representation: French,
Junji Ito is a name synonymous with horror manga. Much like Stephen King is with horror novels, it is virtually impossible to separate Junji Ito from the genre he helped revolutionize. When a creator becomes synonymous with a genre, they are bound to attract their fair share of imitators, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. What separates an homage to the original from merely a ride on the creator’s coattails is how the artist/writer creates their own unique spin on what came before. Luckily, Antoine Revoy avoids falling into the trap of being merely an Ito imitator with The Harrowing Game, a book Revoy has both illustrated and written.
This game has gone on for thousands of years. Three ghosts gather together in a room to tell scary stories. The one with the scariest story wins and gets the chance to move on, possibly letting their soul transcend. Tonight’s contestants are a girl with no memory of who she is, an old lady trapped in a mirror, and a small boy in a bathtub. The stories they tell will take the reader from the lands of ancient Egypt to an art school in New England, and these stories are designed to terrify beings that are already dead. However, there is also a ravenous entity who delights in corrupting the innocent, whose presence can be felt throughout these stories, and who may have its own plans for the storytellers.
Ito’s influence might be all over this book, but Revoy does manage to tell an intriguing story without being derivative. The ghosts themselves, who are revealed by Revoy as the book progresses, have backstories beyond just being ghosts trapped in a bathroom. Also, the book’s anthology format exposes readers to a variety of stories, giving them the opportunity to find a story that will satisfy, while allowing Revoy a chance to experiment with different kinds of stories. However, the stories are not only united by one narrative thread; they are all united by themes like hunger, desire, and being very careful what you wish for.
Where Ito’s influence is most keenly felt within this book is in the art style. Utilizing a black and white manga artstyle similar to Ito’s, the book’s panels are relatively large and full of action, making the overall narrative move at a surprisingly fast clip. While Revoy doesn’t create the mindbending images that Ito is most known for, he does create his share of eye-catching images that will at least unsettle the reader. Ultimately, Revoy may fail to perfectly capture Ito’s beautifully horrifying imagery and style, but the interconnected story/narrative helps the book become something more than merely Ito Lite.
The book is just enough Ito to earn its stop in a library’s adult graphic novel collection. For librarians responsible for these collections, and those still wondering whether Revoy’s The Harrowing Game is imitation or imagination, adult patrons who are fans of Ito, horror manga, or simply horror graphic novels might be the best judges. This book also happens to be ideal for those who love short story collections like Tales from the Crypt and Jay Stephens’ Dwellings.
The Harrowing Game By Antoine Revoy 23rd Street, 2025 ISBN: 9781250248329
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18) Creator Representation: French,
In the distant future, monsters have taken over the Earth. Clouds dominate the skies, blanketing the land in eternal winter. The sun is a myth, remembered only vaguely by the eldest humans. Total silence is required to evade the sharp-eared creatures in the dark, and, in one remote village, everyone communicates with sign language.
It is here a youth named Saber has come to the age that he is allowed to accompany Gray, the hunter of the village, in checking his traps. Unfortunately, Saber is a flighty lad, better at telling stories to calm the younger children than staying silent. As a result of his panic, Gray is permanently injured and the village endangered.
Salvation arrives in the form of Lune, a young woman whom Saber encounters after he and his friend, Spot, sneak outside to recover the food Saber lost. Lune is an oddity, being unafraid of speaking out loud, and wearing bells that attract monsters. This is because Lune found a way to fight back, though it is risky and requires devouring parts of the monsters and consuming their essence. This grants those bold enough the ability to transform into something not quite human.
With Lune’s guidance, Saber is the first to test her strange alchemical stew. However, the greater challenge is convincing the people of the village to risk a journey to a nearby settlement Lune thinks will offer them a better chance of survival. Thus begins a grand exodus, as Saber struggles to master his new power and redeem his past mistakes.
Silence Vol. 1 is an eclectic mash-up, mixing the plots of A Quiet Place and Delicious in Dungeon, without the humor of the latter. French creator Yoann Vornière draws off the mythology of his native France for his monsters, though his artwork has a distinctly Japanese influence. The setting of Silence is ambiguous, however, as it could be nearly anywhere on Earth. The final pages, however, do suggest a European setting, as we see Christian monks in the apparent paradise of High-Fort.
Vornière is an engaging scribe, whose characters are distinctive in terms of appearance and dialogue. Saber is an likeable protagonist and Lune an interesting mentor. Spot is somewhat less well developed, being a semi-Tsundere who is jealous of Saber being allowed privileges she is denied as a girl. This issue is forgotten midway through the volume, however, as everyone must pitch in to the village’s battle for survival.
Unfortunately, the artwork is where Silence Vol. 1 suffers most. Many of the action sequences are poorly blocked and the linework does more to clutter the artwork than enhance it. It is a stylistic choice I’ve seen in many modern shonen, meant to suggest the chaos of combat. In this case, however, the choice does not work.
Silence Vol. 1 is rated for audiences 13 and up by the publisher. I believe that to be a fair assessment. There’s a bit of violence and body horror as Saber tries to master his transformative powers. There’s no nudity or sexual content, beyond Saber questioning if he really must take his shirt off for Lune to study his transformations.
Zack and Joe Kazuma went down drastically different paths after the death of their father. Zack followed in their father’s footsteps, becoming a Police Sergeant in the Mirai City Police Department. Joe dropped out of school and spent his days playing video games until his mother made him get a job as a delivery boy.
Life has not gone the way either of the Kazuma brothers hoped. Zack is frustrated by the indifference and corruption of his superiors regarding the gangsters running wild in their city. Joe is similarly outraged, after he is fired from his job after being repeatedly cheated by customers who wouldn’t pay for their food or simply being mugged for what money he collected. The only release the two brothers have is a shared love of boxing, though Joe is out of practice and hasn’t hit the gym in a while.
Things change after a gangster hunts Zack down while the brothers are on a camping trip together, seeking revenge for Zack’s trying to arrest him. The two brothers fight back, with Joe finding a strange reservoir of strength when he wears his father’s old boxing gloves. This inspires Joe to head back to the gym, as Zack renews his efforts to clean up his department and take on the mob.
Space Punch is notable as the first manga by French comic creator ZD. However, had I not been informed of that fact, I would never have guessed this was a freshman effort. The story represents a unique blend of genres, with the early chapters presenting dual crime and slide-of-life dramas that are united only by the connection of the two brothers. Things shift into second gear midway through the book, however, as Joe starts displaying super-strength through feats like ripping the door off a car and throwing it like a discus. By the end of the final chapter, the story takes a supernatural turn, as it becomes clear that Joe’s newfound powers are tied to his father’s old boxing gear. Each of these story elements is introduced naturally and they all mesh splendidly.
The same can be said of ZD’s artwork. There is intricate line-work throughout, particularly in the action sequences featuring Zack. The sequences focusing on Joe look more comedic by comparison, but the visual differences between the brother’s stories flow into one another as they cross paths. Things shift at the end subtly, as Zack’s true crime tale begins to look more light-hearted compared to the body horror Joe experiences as he tries to remove his father’s boxing gear. This continual shift keeps things interesting, and I look forward to the next volume of this series.
Kana rates this volume as appropriate for readers 13 and up. I consider that a fair assessment. There is no sexual content or nudity in this volume and no real romance apart from some one-sided flirtation between Joe and Kim, a childhood friend who works at the boxing gym. The violence and action is considerable, however, with some intense car chases and bullets flying. There is nothing more intense than what would be seen in a PG-13 movie, however, making this a worthy read for any fan of Shonen manga.
Space Punch, Volume 1 By ZD Morrison Kana (Abrams ComicArts), 2025 ISBN: 9781419777943
Company Age Rating: 13+
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16) Creator Representation: French, Character Representation: Japanese,
While not the first graphic novel to be written about the atrocities of the Holocaust (and surely not the last), Ginette Kolinka’s Adieu Birkenau approaches the subject with a surprising amount of levity and accessibility. The comic splits its time between the present (well, the present of 2020), in which the 95-year-old Kolinka re-visits the Auschwitz-Birkenau prison camp with a group of students, and the events of the past. Kolinka recounts her early life in France, her large family’s attempt to escape Nazi persecution, and most notably the experience of trying to survive in camp as she was being abused, humiliated, and dehumanized.
Kolinka and her co-writers J.D. Morvan and Victor Matet present her time in the concentration camp with a matter-of-factness that avoids the dramatic, emotionally-wrought approach one might expect of a Holocaust survivor’s story. This comes across less as objectivity and more so like a survivor who has almost curated her memories so as to not be incapacitated by them. Indeed, memories seem to be a major theme of Adieu Birkenau.
It’s difficult to read Adieu Birkenau without viewing it in the context of the great tradition of memoirs that use comics and graphic novels as a way to process extremely traumatizing events, such as They Called Us Enemy, Persepolis, March, and especially Maus. Like those books, Kolinka’s work is deeply concerned with memory, and how it plays a role in processing grief. Kolinka is exceedingly upfront about how her memory is unreliable and that her tendency to block out some of the most horrendous aspects allowed her to survive. This is cleverly conveyed visually, as figures in the camps are often depicted as dark, vaguely human-shaped clouds, as if Kolinka can only remember the slightest impression of them. In the back half of the book, panels often contain scenes from both the past and present, as if to remind the reader that these events long past are still very much alive today.
Artists Cesc and Efa bring a sense of whimsy and warmth to the art that seems more informed by the animation of Disney or Studio Ghibli than most comic illustration. Characters have soft, rounded features, and big, expressive eyes that give the reader an immediate glance into their thoughts and feelings. The playfulness of the line work contrasts greatly, however, with the subtle brown and gray tones that characterize much of the graphic novel and add to the dreariness and despair of recounting life in a prison camp.
Although Adieu Birkenau is recommended for adults, there is very little that would make it inappropriate for younger readers–especially if you’re looking for an accessible way to introduce them to the horrors of the Holocaust. There are brief depictions of nudity in recounting the ways the Nazis forced the prisoners to strip down in the camps, but it’s handled very carefully and clearly used to highlight the sense of embarrassment and dehumanization that Jewish prisoners were subjected to. The most gruesome imagery one might expect to find in a comic written by a Holocaust survivor is also not explicitly shown–which certainly ties into the way that Kolinka repressed the worst aspects of her experience just to survive.
If you like stories that put a human face on big, overwhelming tragedies, like the previously mentioned Maus, then Adieu Birkenau will be right up your alley. Kolinka approaches the subject matter with much more humor than, say, Art Spiegelman, but she doesn’t gloss over the ways that trauma sticks with survivors and how our memory plays an important role in processing such horrors. It is a worthwhile addition to the hugely important genre of comics by creators trying to make sense of real world horrors.
Adieu Birkenau By Ginette Kolinka, Jean-David Morvan, and Victor Matet Art by Ricard Efa and Cesc F. Dalmases SelfMadeHero, 2024 ISBN: 9781914224232
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18) Creator Representation: French, Jewish Character Representation: French, Jewish
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Birkenau approaches the subject with a surprising amount of levity and accessibility. The comic splits its time between the present (well, the present of 2020), in which the 95-year-old Kolinka re-visits the Auschwitz-Birkenau prison camp with a group of students, and the events of the past. Kolinka recounts her early life in France, her large family’s attempt to escape Nazi persecution, and most notably the experience of trying to survive in camp as she was being abused, humiliated, and dehumanized.
