She can transform into practically any disguise, teleport herself anywhere in an instant, and even turn enemies into swine—all through casting spells by speaking words backwards. In this alternate standalone story of the mystic DC universe superheroine Zatanna, Mariko Tamaki (This One Summer, Skim) and Javier Rodríguez (Batgirl: Year One, Daredevil) bring a new spin on the sorceress supreme in Zatanna: Bring down the House.
This alternate story begins with a spotlight on Zatanna as a young teenager attempting to perform a classic cups and balls trick. Through sleight of hand and manipulation, she manages to make the balls vanish, but fails to bring them back, prompting jeers from a nasty bully who taunts her relentlessly. Fast forward to the present day, and Zatanna appears on stage in Las Vegas conjuring forth a series of illusions. One evening, she spies a mysterious stalker in the audience who has been attending her show consecutively for a week. This stranger identifies herself only as “Stranger.” Meanwhile, back at her apartment, Zatanna runs into another green-haired girl with bunny ears. Who are these characters and why are they appearing at every turn? As the mystery deepens, all roads lead to her late father Zatara.
Reminiscent of scenes spiraling forth from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Tamaki and Rodríguez conjure up a tale of magic and mystery ensconced in a dream-like world. While Zatanna is bereft of all supernatural powers (she continually asserts, “I do tricks, not magic”), fantastical occurrences unfold spontaneously: In the middle of one act, a monstrous demon upends the theater stage; a swarm of rabbits pops up in her apartment; even the cynical wisecracking conjuring magician John Constantine pays her a visit at a diner. Fragmented memories of her domineering father haunt her dreams, which lie at the heart of these deep-rooted mysteries. A noir-like, gothic quality mixed with surrealism and vibrant psychedelics permeate flashback sequences and liminal spaces, strategically rendered through quarter to full-page panels. Rodríguez’s artistic flair blends beautifully into plot, revealing glimpses into Zatanna’s childhood as she wrestles with demons from the past and reactivates her supernatural powers. An added bonus in the back matter features variant cover designs and a handful of character sketches to round things out in this self-contained story.
Quirky characters and a darker version of Zatanna’s father cloaked in mystery and shadows punctuated by flashbacks of Zatanna’s adolescence as a foster child add layers of complexity that expand the mythos of this longstanding mystic of magic, supplementing adult graphic novel collections with a unique foray into the supernatural.
Zatanna Bring down the House By Mariko Tamaki Art by Javier Rodríguez DC Black Label, 2025 ISBN: 9781799500803
Company Age Rating: 17+
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18) Creator Representation: Japanese-Canadian,
The first time you visit New York City is a rite of passage. It’s a magical metropolis, full of famous museums and people and shops, with people from all over the world making the pilgrimage every single day. Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki’s incredible new adult graphic novel Roaming lets readers spend time with three friends as they spend five days in the city, finding themselves somewhere on the path to adulthood.
It’s spring break 2009. Dani has dreamt of New York City; she was that girl who was reenacting songs from Rent in high school. Now a freshman in college, she’s apart from her best friend Zoe for the first time. The two friends are reuniting in the city for their getaway, with Dani bringing along her new friend Fiona, a fellow art school student. Dani’s been planning for this trip for years and she is ready for the three of them to see the sights of the Big Apple. Fiona will help them navigate; she has American parents and her brother lives in Brooklyn, so she’s very familiar with the city (and she won’t let you forget it).
But, even though it’s only been a few months away at school, Zoe is different. She’s shaved her head and only wears black. She isn’t as excited by Dani’s meticulously planned binder full of maps and activities as Dani hoped she’d be. Zoe finds herself increasingly intrigued by Fiona. Sure, she can be a bit of a know-it-all at times but, unlike Dani, she’s not acting like a typical Canadian tourist. She’s magnetic and new. The trio quickly finds they all are seeking much different New York experiences on this trip.
Roaming is a beautiful look at early adulthood and the intricacies of relationships during that time. The characters spend time essentially playing what it’s like to be an adult around the city, even as Dani resists it and tries to stick to plan. There’s worth in fulfilling the dreams you’ve had for yourself, even if it’s as simple as visiting all the museums and tourist sites. The story is simultaneously very simple and very intense. Dani, Zoe, and Fiona all experience and navigate situations both familiar and brand new.
The book is aimed at an adult audience and includes scenes with nudity, sex, and substance use. It is recommended for older teen and adult readers. With its 2009 setting, it is both incredibly nostalgic for millennials (the thrill of visiting a Uniqlo for the first time!) and just retro-tinged enough for readers currently in college (what life was like before most people had smartphones).
Mariko Tamaki writes characters who speak like your own friends, ones you can relate to and understand. Readers will find themselves wanting to be friends with every character and also annoyed by every character. Jillian Tamaki’s art is expressive with a simple, warm color palette. There are multiple conversations about art throughout the book. Tamaki mirrors this art in the captivating double page spreads throughout the book, including as day/chapter breaks. The art and the words fit beside each other perfectly, it is a true collaboration between the cousins.
Another graphic novel by the duo, This One Summer, was a smash hit and a Caldecott Award winner. Many of the readers of that graphic novel are older now and will find themselves just as drawn to Roaming. You may not find yourself understanding or knowing everything about these characters, the story is truly a moment in time, but you will find yourself engrossed and enchanted by this story of three friends and their 2009 spring break trip to New York City.
Roaming Vol. By Mariko Tamaki Art by Jillian Tamaki Drawn & Quarterly, 2023 ISBN: 9781770464339
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18) Creator Representation: Japanese-Canadian, Gay, Character Representation: Canadian, Canadian-American, Gay, Queer,
In a personal interview with author J. Torres, he explained that as a young man he was not aware of Canada’s response to the attack on Pearl Harbor. It was not a subject taught in schools, so it came to him as a surprise that there were Japanese internment camps situated in this country. He knew that this was a story he wanted to tell and spent over a decade thinking about how he could tell it for young readers before realizing that family dynamics intertwining with history was the natural direction for his tale. “There are a lot of stories that never got told about Canadians, especially Asian Canadians,” and the time to tell them is now, especially when the world is witnessing repeats of this type of historical response and behavior. Torres stated several times that if we still haven’t learned it is obviously because we don’t know how this affects people. This is why this story is so important to him and to illustrator David Namisato.
The story is told through the eyes of Sandy Saito, a young boy living with his family on the west coast of Canada. He enjoys reading comic books and adores baseball, following the Vancouver Asahi team* with great fervor. Their loss in the 1941 semifinals is not only devastating to the Japanese Canadian baseball fans, but it is also thought to be a bad omen. By the end of that year, the losses to Sandy and his family and friends are even more devastating. He is bewildered at the changes of perception by his former friends and neighbours, the curfews that are imposed on the Japanese Canadians after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, which culminated in their removal to isolated and primitive internment camps. His parents, especially his mother, try to maintain a sense of normalcy for Sandy and his brother, but with his father, a medical doctor, sent elsewhere to where he was needed more, there is little that is predictable or stable. Based on the true experiences of Japanese Canadians and the Vancouver Asahi team, the graphic novel offers insight into how their lives were affected by government action.
While the story is based on historical research and interviews conducted by both Torres and Namisato, the Saito family members and the interment camp are composites conceived by the two creators. The story is told through the child’s point of view, both colouring and erasing some of the more troubling aspects of the camp and overall treatment of these Canadian citizens. After hearing David Suzuki, the Canadian scientist and environmental activist, speak about his initial response to his encounters in the internment camps as attending summer camp, Torres engendered the same type of experience for Sandy and the other children in the camp. There is a sense of freedom and the pleasure of baseball and other games—at least until winter makes itself known to a community housed in shacks without any insulation or conveniences. The arrival of a tuberculosis epidemic in the camp provides a turning point for the story and Sandy’s relationship with his father. The continuous thread of baseball and the idea of team efforts permeates the story and Sandy’s coming-of-age. The story leaves the reader with hope, but also with unanswered questions. While some reviewers are negative about the perceived abrupt ending, Torres explained that it was intentional, as he wanted the readers to seek out the answers to “what happened next”. In our discussion, Torres asserted that learning about other people’s stories helps with empathy and fulfils a need to emerge from one’s own little bubble where everyone else outside of the bubble is considered “the other.” While his major focus is telling an entertaining story for his readers, it is a definite bonus if he can educate and encourage reading. This was, he stated, one of his rationales for ending the story where he did.
The fact that tuberculosis in the camps was rampant was something Torres was not aware of until he began researching the history of the camps. He speculated that if he was writing the book now, with the Covid pandemic being so prevalent, he might have developed this part of the story more. Nevertheless, it is one more element that can be raised in discussions of the graphic novel in reading circles. There are so many thematic and social issues such as inclusion, differences, racism, and diversity within the story, with strong links to social studies and history lessons for Canadians and beyond. In aid of further research, the author has included a list of resources and an afterword by Canadian author Susan Aihoshi offering supplementary background information regarding interment camps.
Torres was exuberant in his praise for David Namisato’s illustrations for his story. Long-time friends, he had always wanted to work with him and had pictured Namisato’s manga art style for the project from the onset. Namisato’s captivating sepia-toned illustrations effectively capture the settings, the emotional struggles and disorientation in the faces of the characters as they navigate their new reality, and the joy of baseball. The layouts and perspectives within the panels complement and extend the story offering, again, additional discussion points. This reader, in fact, particularly enjoyed the clean and detailed art work.
I thank J. Torres very much for his time in talking with me. We discussed several other topics such as gendered reading (neither one of us agree with it, which made that a short conversation) and first-person narration. We also touched about provocative topics such as reluctant readers, cultural appropriation, and the lack of critical thinking. Happily, we were in total agreement with the importance of well written historical fiction and with encouraging people of any age to read critically and with great joy.
I highly recommend Stealing Home for baseball fans, people interested in Canadian history, World War II history, especially in North America, and for those interested in family relationships. It should be in school and public libraries everywhere as well as incorporated in classroom reading lists.
*The Asahi, a Japanese Canadian baseball club in Vancouver (1914–42) was one of the city’s most dominant amateur teams, winning multiple league titles in Vancouver and along the Northwest Coast. In 1942, the team was disbanded when its members were among the 22,000 Japanese Canadians who were interned by the federal government. The Asahi were inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003 and the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame in 2005. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/vancouver-asahi
Stealing Home By J. Torres Art by David Namisato Kids Can Press, 2021 ISBN: 9781525303340 Publisher Age Rating: 8-12
Aging can be a scary ordeal, one which we must all experience as we travel along the path of life, for the threat of death looms overhead. In her debut graphic novel Shadow Life, Hiromi Goto and Ignatz-nominated cartoonist and illustrator, Ann Xu take us on a slice-of-life journey through the lens of an elderly woman who defies the pervasive, menacing fear of death, preferring, instead, to embrace and savor life to its fullest.
Kumiko Saito, a seventy-six-year-old widow, resides in an assisted living home where her well-intentioned daughters have placed her, much to her discomfort. One night, she sneaks out and runs away in pursuit of a little freedom, finding refuge in a cozy apartment. She touches base online with her eldest daughter Mitsuko, but refuses to divulge her secret hangout. While relaxing at her home away from home, she relishes in the mini pleasures in life—swimming at a community pool, snacking whenever she pleases, and taking cat naps at her leisure. In the midst of her private revelries however, a malevolent supernatural being has surfaced and begins to hound her with relentless determination. Later on, she pays a visit to have tea with her former female lover from another life time, but detects another spirit occupying her home. Sinister forces and other eerie occurrences are set into motion as she must soon combat the onslaught of death itself.
Goto and Xu have constructed a captivating story that explores the steadfast will of an elderly character who challenges stereotypes of aging. While she goes about taking care of daily tasks such as taking pills and cooking meals, the feisty Ms. Saito must also navigate a labyrinth of threatening obstacles seeking to ensnare her at every corner. Shadow Life depicts the dynamic resilience of an elderly woman whose courage perseveres at all odds while she dispenses a few bad ass tricks to battle the encroaching specter of death. A fluid storytelling style, combined with intrepid characters and sparse dialogue, creates a symbiotic narrative flow. Similar to watching a silent film, each shot captures minute details with careful attention, sometimes in a montage style. From quizzical facial expressions and photo snapshots to shadowy beings lurking in the corners, the intricately crafted elements in each panel unify to produce a visually gripping and well-designed plot.
Many stories featuring Asian seniors portray them as sage gurus, but this story offers a refreshing and rarely seen take by creating one imbued with agency. A haunting story interspersed with bits of the macabre and supernatural realism, but also radiating with warmth and compassion, Shadow Life offers a thrilling piece of literary fiction fit for all library collections.
Shadow Life By Hiromi Goto Art by Ann Xu First Second, 2021 ISBN: 9781626723566
Publisher Age Rating: General Adult
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+) Creator Representation: Japanese-Canadian, Queer, Character Representation: Japanese-American, Bisexual,
Kimiko Tobimatsu, a 25-year-old queer, mixed-race Canadian woman with no history of health problems discovers a lump on her breast. In this powerful and honest autobiographical memoir, depicting her emotional and physical experiences with breast cancer, superbly illustrated by Keet Geniza, the reader weaves through the corridors of this disease with Kimiko. Her story commences with the newly complex life of constant appointments, evaluations, treatments, and the difficult conversations with everyone she cares about as she contemplates having breast cancer. The most appealing aspect of this novel, for me, is how the author and illustrator expand the customary narrative of cancer patients to illuminate the continual issues, rarely discussed, once a patient is deemed “cancer-free.”
“There’s not a lot of writing out there on cancer and disability. Maybe because for those of us who are now cancer-free, the ongoing symptoms are after-effects (of surgery, radiation, meds), not the result of disease still being present. Or maybe it’s because the mainstream cancer narrative is about overcoming adversity, not about experiencing ongoing disability” (92).
Kimiko’s relative youth generates a multitude of additional concerns once the cancer has been contained. She becomes highly aware of her body, its image, the food she consumes, the relationships new and old, being queer, all while becoming attuned for the perpetual need to rest, regroup, and rejuvenate. Her relationships with her family, especially her mother, play a huge role in Kimiko’s self-discovery as does her floundering relationship with her partner. She addresses many popular mindsets, within and outside, the medical profession regarding gender expression, reconstructive breast surgery, reproduction, early menopause, and the stereotypes perpetuated by the ubiquitous “pink ribbon” campaigns. In this compellingly told story, she shares with the reader her discoveries of how she found her own approach to move forward and the energy and dedication that the move demanded on her personally. As mentioned previously this is a robust resource for others who do not see themselves in standard breast cancer tales.
Geniza’s use of muted blues, blacks, and grays intensify the gravity of the situation, highlighting, through the expressive facial portraits, the fatigue and worry that the experience has on all those involved, not only the protagonist. The illustrations add to the tenderness, the pain, and the hope of those within Kimiko’s circle. The illustrations effectively and economically enhance the text in the relating of the narrative and in bringing the characters alive for the readers.
I must add a disclaimer here, your reviewer experienced similar encounters with the upside-down experiences of being diagnosed with breast cancer and its after effects. Kimiko’s story, although quantitatively different, strongly resonated with me as I reviewed her story and especially her disclosures about the aftermath of being “cancer-free”. Ironically, perhaps, I found reading this graphic novel experience joyful and poignant. It reverberated loudly with me although I match the perceived demographic of breast cancer patients in Canada. Her story strongly demonstrates that each person’s experience is uniquely their own, regardless of common, or in this case, uncommon markers of the disease and treatment. It also points to the unexpected interconnections in the shared experiences as well.
This graphic novel is a strong entry in the genre of graphic medicine and should be widely accessible in all public libraries as well as academic library collections highlighting memoirs, health and wellness narratives, and LGBTQ dialogues.
Kimiko Does Cancer: A Graphic Memoir By Kimiko Tobimatsu Art by Keet Geniza ISBN: 9781551528199 Arsenal Pulp, 2020 Publisher Age Rating: Adult
Title Details and Representation NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+) Character Traits: Queer Creator Highlights: Japanese-Canadian, Queer, Genderqueer, Disability
The Lumberjanes have put together a guidebook on the most amazing creatures you’ve ever heard of and a few you haven’t.
This hilarious collection of magical beings is sorted into six categories. Each has been written by a different scout, giving each section their own unique flair that Lumberjanes fans will love. The scouts are working together to earn the BEAST or Best Everything Amazing Study Trophy for recording the supernatural creatures they’ve encountered. It’s the biggest achievement in Lumber-know-how that can be achieved, so the stakes are high but the girls are up to the challenge.
The scouts have run into many different creatures at Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s Camp for Hardcore Lady Types. From outer space to under the sea we have details of these beings documented in just as many different styles as you can think of. Interviews, lists, stickers, badges, side bars, recipes, photos, facts and let’s call them fictional facts. This wide variety keeps readers engaged.
This book is so artistically and beautifully put together that it feels like a collector’s piece for anyone’s Lumberjanes’ library. The cover artwork is styled like a diary, as this is a BEASTiary, after all. It has fun googly eyes, embossing, stickers, sticky notes and washi tape bringing together the multicolored text. Inside the brightly colored pages are decorated in scrapbook style with post-it notes, cue cards, unique fonts, fun borders, paper clips, photos and all kinds of little doo-dads.
Mariko Tamaki guest authors several Lumberjanes books, but she is best known as the award winning Canadian co-author of the graphic novel This One Summer. Her writing style does not disappoint here and she works wonderfully with artist Brooklyn Allen. Allen is the original illustrator for this series and co creator so you can expect the same quality in this book as you do in the rest of the series.
Fans of the Lumberjanes series will love giggling and flipping through the pages of this companion novel. Readers get the opportunity to learn more about their favourite scout in their mini biographies which include fun facts like their favorite song, a quick quote and of course, a fun photo.
Additionally, this series always does an outstanding job of creating characters that are truly role models for children reading these books, well, except maybe Ripley who would encourage anyone to take home a whole litter of kittens given the chance. However the love of reading shines through as something that is to be not only proud of, but something that is cool to do. This is a great message for kids to hear. Reading competency is such an important life skill and this series makes it fun to achieve. I highly recommend adding this book to your collection.
Lumberjanes BEASTiary By Mariko Tamaki Art by Brooklyn Allen ISBN: 9781419736445 Amulet Books, 2020 Publisher Age Rating: 9-12
Browse for more like this title NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Tween (10-13)
Fake‘s final volume starts out with Dee and Ryo being dragged into an FBI witness protection case — their witness being an informant on the mob who also just happens to be the wife of Ryo’s parents’ killer. Neither partner is looking forward to the work, especially as the wife seems to be up to quite a bit more scheming than usual for an innocent witness. The one nice part of the case is reteaming with the high-energy and blunt Special Agent Diana Spacey. In getting reacquainted, Diana casually asks just how far Ryo’s progressed with Dee, and when Ryo blushingly admits to only kisses, she’s astounded. Knowing a bit about pining herself, she gives Ryo a good kick in the pants and warns him if he doesn’t figure himself out, all he’ll be doing is breaking Dee’s spirit and heart slowly instead of showing Dee the honesty he deserves. Ryo strains to maintain balance as he’s confronted once again by his parents’ murderer, but in the end he finds himself in Dee’s comforting embrace, acknowledging at least that side of his heart. Will he backpeddle the morning after, or will Dee finally get his heart’s desire? As they work through their case, the very twisted example of love and loyalty at its climax jolts both into realizing that the time has come to admit their feelings (finally, amid the cheers of readers everywhere).
As a finish for the series, this volume is a fine achievement, though any fans of Bikky and Carol will be disappointed at their absence. The sex is more explicit than a traditional teen manga, and thus why this series is for adults and older teens, but it’s also sweet and passionate, as anyone with an ounce of schmoopiness wants it to be. This volume also features Dee giving one of the sweetest and most jumbled confessions of love I’ve seen, which makes him, and it, all the more convincing.
Fake Volume 7 ISBN: 9781591823322 By Sanami Matoh Tokyopop 2004
shops, with people from all over the world making the pilgrimage every single day. Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki’s incredible new adult graphic novel 
In a personal interview with author J. Torres, he explained that as a young man he was not aware of Canada’s response to the attack on Pearl Harbor. It was not a subject taught in schools, so it came to him as a surprise that there were Japanese internment camps situated in this country. He knew that this was a story he wanted to tell and spent over a decade thinking about how he could tell it for young readers before realizing that family dynamics intertwining with history was the natural direction for his tale. “There are a lot of stories that never got told about Canadians, especially Asian Canadians,” and the time to tell them is now, especially when the world is witnessing repeats of this type of historical response and behavior. Torres stated several times that if we still haven’t learned it is obviously because we don’t know how this affects people. This is why this story is so important to him and to illustrator David Namisato.
Kimiko Tobimatsu, a 25-year-old queer, mixed-race Canadian woman with no history of health problems discovers a lump on her breast. In this powerful and honest autobiographical memoir, depicting her emotional and physical experiences with breast cancer, superbly illustrated by Keet Geniza, the reader weaves through the corridors of this disease with Kimiko. Her story commences with the newly complex life of constant appointments, evaluations, treatments, and the difficult conversations with everyone she cares about as she contemplates having breast cancer. The most appealing aspect of this novel, for me, is how the author and illustrator expand the customary narrative of cancer patients to illuminate the continual issues, rarely discussed, once a patient is deemed “cancer-free.”
The Lumberjanes have put together a guidebook on the most amazing creatures you’ve ever heard of and a few you haven’t.
