Jesus “Chuy” Reyes, age 12, starts the story by introducing himself and his best friend, Yael Levy or Yaya. Chuy is super smart and fascinated by all things intellectual—Yaya is a hands-on inventory and can make anything, even if she is a bit goofy at times. When a comet strikes earth and people gain mysterious powers, Chuy is super bummed – not only do these powers not conform to scientific laws, but he didn’t get any! When one of the second-rate supervillains of New Bork City ruins their ice cream, Yaya makes up her mind – they will become superheroes! With Chuy’s smarts and Yaya’s maker skills, the two take on Mr. Anti-Freeze, who is threatening to slimerize all the ice cream in New Bork City!
Florentine’s illustrations are bright and cheery, with lots of primary colors and drawn with clean, sharp lines. Chuy has brown skin, heavy eyebrows that move dynamically to indicate his exasperated moods, including up onto the outside of his pink baseball cap, and square glasses. He’s a tall, sturdy kid who gets a little excited about intellectual pursuits, but otherwise is mostly dragged along by the exuberant Yaya. Yaya, a skinny kid with short blue-black hair, is wildly enthusiastic about everything from superheroing to ice cream, despite the more cautious Chuy’s warnings and her younger brother’s embarrassment. Her family home is decorated to show her Jewish culture and Yoel, her younger brother, wears a kippah. Their villain has brown skin and pink hair.
The story is fairly simple, interspersed with lots of helpful (and random) facts from Chuy and step-by-step guides to making things from sorbet to grappling hooks from Yaya. The story ends with character studies and links to websites with guides for young makers.
Superhero take-offs like this tend to be cheesy, but this story is fully aware of its silliness and plays it for all it’s worth. Chuy’s repeated complaints that he’s NOT a superhero, the ridiculous villain, and Yaya’s wild enthusiasm will make readers giggle along with the author and maybe catch the making bug, even if they don’t want to put on a costume or have a super-powered bag to hold all their tools. While this is unlikely to satisfy readers who want “real” superheroes, it will certainly please younger readers who like funny stories and are interested in hands-on building. A must have for libraries and schools that include a maker space.
Maker Girl and Professor Smarts Vol. By Jasmine Florentine Candlewick, 2025 ISBN: 9781536239584
NFNT Age Recommendation: Easy Readers (5-9), Middle Grade (7-11)
“The human race needs art that makes it uncomfortable,” Karen’s brother Deeze tells her early on in this long-awaited sequel to Emil Ferris’s acclaimed My Favorite Thing is Monsters.
I know that I’m not the only one who has waited anxiously for the release of this sequel volume, delivering the second half to the story of Karen Reyes and her quest to solve the suspected murder or her neighbor amidst the chaos of 1960s Chicago. I reread book one before diving in, but a handy synopsis at the start of book two does help to refresh the most immediate plot points in this complex story of multiple timelines and tangled character relationships.
Book Two drops us back into the exact moment where the first volume left off, inside one of Karen’s dreams as she subconsciously tries to make sense of the dead brother she never knew existed and all that has been kept from her by the adults in her life. Karen’s unique POV continues to define the story, even as she comes to recognize more of the harsh truths around her. Her core desire is still to understand what led to the death of her neighbor Anka, but this journey will take her closer to the countercultural movements of her day, deeper into the past horrors of Anka’s experience under Nazi occupation, and dangerously close to the corrupt and violent underworld that controls her brother and so many of those Karen cares about. The story remains, in part, a murder mystery—but as Karen continues to uncover secrets, the answers to her original questions may prove to be secondary to her own immense challenge of growing up in a violent and confusing world that often seems to have no place of safety for her to call home.
With this second volume, Ferris continues following the multitude of thematic and narrative threads laid out in book one. Karen does begin piecing together the story of her own family’s tumultuous history while also glimpsing the harsh truths behind the violence that surrounds her. Woven into each of these revelations are examinations of sexuality and belonging, social movements and individualism, art and violence. The writing is rich with complexity, capturing the turmoil of the time as well as the deeply uncomfortable coming-of-age revelation that the world is a much more difficult place to navigate than we realize when we are young. Karen continues to frame her understanding of the world through the monster movies that are a grounding point of her life, as well as a means of connection to those precious few she is close to, including fellow outsiders and the possibility of first love. But even her love of monsters has its limits, and the things that once comforted Karen are not as safe or as comforting as they once were. There is pain in this loss, but it is not enough to slow the march of time.
The visual style remains as striking as it was at the start, with pen illustrations on lined paper tumbling across the page, interspersed with segments of color. Shifting in levels of realism and detail, the imagery of monsters and classic horror magazines shapes the aesthetic of the story. But it is the quiet moments—where the monsters fall away to reveal the hurting humans beneath—that carry some of the greatest weight. A current of grief runs through this series, grief and uncertainty at being cast adrift and finding that even things which were once certain can no longer entirely be trusted. The visuals build this tone page by page and image by image, interspersed with Karen’s recreations of the classic art pieces which help her try to make sense of the life unspooling around her. There is tenderness mixed into the shades of blue and the nightmare creatures dripping blood. There is vulnerability and intimacy in each jagged stroke of Karen’s pen along the page. At the end of the day, this remains the journal of a young girl fighting for her life as she desperately tries to hold her own life together.
I have immense respect for Ferris and the incredible undertaking that this series is, both visually and narratively. Fantagraphics does not assign it an age rating, and though the central character is a child, the subject matter remains aimed at older audiences. From violence, sex, and assault to the prejudices and harms of the time, the content is mature and often intentionally uncomfortable as Karen progressively comes to understand that even the things we love can carry darkness inside of them.
If I have any criticism of book two, it is simply that there are so many narrative elements to juggle that it is difficult to strike a balance between natural ambiguity and effective conclusions of each story thread. Karen is seeking answers regarding the fates of multiple dead and missing people while also learning more about Anka’s past, herself, her friends, and her remaining family. All of this is happening while the world around her reckons with war and turmoil. There are multiple scenes which Karen says she will return to later—but never does. There are histories uncovered where the ending is implied but never confirmed. And some mysteries that once seemed vitally important do not get the full conclusion that one might expect. In uncovering all these revelations and simultaneously delivering some of the larger thematic ideas, there are moments where the pacing feels slightly rushed, where I was more notably aware of the way that that the story was unfolding. And as everything draws toward its immediate conclusion, there are some abrupt shifts that interrupt the flow of where things appeared to be headed.
But perhaps this too, is intentional. Karen’s journey has never been a smooth one, just as the transition into adulthood is rarely as clean and easy as we might hope. Some long-awaited answers are disappointing, and others never come. This book does not end with a neat conclusion that resolves all that has come before, but I don’t believe that was ever the goal. I will have to sit with this story and its ending for a while longer to decide truly how I feel abut it. Like Deeze says about art—the book succeeded in making me uncomfortable, delivering a resolution that remains in the reader’s hands across the last few blank pages of the story of Karen Reyes. Even as I mull the questions and emotions it left me with, I reflect on the journey it took to get here. Visually and narratively, with a striking aesthetic and a deft creative hand, My Favorite Thing is Monsters is a masterwork of a graphic novel and a powerful experience for anyone who takes the time to read it.
My Favorite Thing is Monsters Book Two By Emil Ferris Fantagraphics, 2024 ISBN: 9781683969273
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18)
Three teens named Sam (Samuel, Samir, and Samantha) go for a walk in the woods and discover a gooey cocoon hanging from a tree, in Alienated by Simon Spurrier. When they take a classmate, Leon, to see their discovery, one thing leads to another and Leon vanishes. The three Sams learn that the cocoon is an alien creature they name Chip. Chip has feet, but tentacles for arms and he wears armor on his face and chest area. Chip syncs his brain with the teens’, allowing the teens to share their thoughts and feelings through their minds. Each of them is hiding secrets and Chip will be the one to bring them out.
The story appears as if it is telling a science fiction tale that will either turn out to be a version of E.T. or War of the Worlds. Instead, it turns into a story about teens struggling with personal demons and Chip being the catalyst to help them find closure. What I liked about the group was the diversity among the three leads. Samantha is Latinx and Samir is a Muslim Pakistani. Samir also struggles with being gay and coming out to his family. Samuel on the other hand was a character I had conflicting feelings over. I didn’t find him to have an issue that I related to. He seemed more like a misguided youth who felt that his views were the only ones that mattered. Another character, Chelsea, is an antagonist to the main three. She’s an influencer, always taking videos of herself and posting them online. There is the face she projects to her audience, that of being a concerned friend of the missing Leon, where in private she only cares about fame, attention, and how many clicks she will receive.
The artwork stood out and so many sequences popped for me. The artist, Chris Wildgoose, knows how to draw your eyes in and make simple scenes stand out. For instance, one scene has all the school kids hanging out in the quad. You have Chelsea in the foreground wearing purple and a greyish blue. In the background, you can see the three leads wearing orange, green, and blue. The trees and grass are yellowish-brown. I love how the artist mixes and matches colors to contrast the action that is going on in the frame. Another thing I like is that the teens look like real teens, not in an exaggerated form. In other graphic novels I’ve read you might have contorted body shapes or eyes. Realistic-looking teens are easier to identify with and it’s easier to believe the story is taking place in a more grounded world.
I can’t recommend Alienated enough. I think it’s one of the best graphic novels I have read this year. The artistry is amazing and the story is one that any teen or adult can relate to. I would rate this work for older teens 16+. This story features storylines about alcohol abuse, teen pregnancy, and suicide. These are heavy topics to grapple with individually, let alone all at once in one story. Trigger warning, there is a storyline that features a graphic depiction of self-harm. I found it quite unsettling and feel the artist lingered on it for way longer than I liked.
Alienated By Simon Spurrier Art by Chris Wildgoose BOOM! Studios, 2020 ISBN: 9781684155279
Publisher Age Rating: 16+
NFNT Age Recommendation: Older Teen (16-18) Character Representation: Hispanic, Pakistani, Gay, Catholic, Muslim
In his first work intended for young readers, Jaime Hernandez reworks three traditional folktales from Latin America. F. Isabel Campoy’s useful introduction speaks to universal importance of folktales, the complex interplay of the folklore from various countries on the folktales from Latin America, and the importance of strong independent women in the body of tales.
The title tale, “The Dragon Slayer,” has many familiar motifs from other folklore traditions. The youngest daughter’s generosity to an older stranger results in a reward of a magic wand that informs her about everything she needs to know. Armed with her courage and wit, she seeks employment at a castle, falls in love with the prince and, in a series of clever maneuvers with the help of the magic wand, slays the dragon, saves the day, marries the prince, and, in a slight twist to a traditional ending, establishes a new home and kingdom.
The second tale, “Martina Martinez and Perez The Mouse,” is adapted from Alma Flor Ada’s version of the traditional story of Raton Perez’s marriage from Tales Our Abuelitas Told. Martina and her red hair ribbon catch the attention of several suitors, but it is little Raton Perez that captures her heart and hand in marriage. Unfortunately, one day he falls into a cauldron of boiling soup creating a series of overemotional and unhelpful chain reactions from Martina and neighbours and friends. Thankfully, for Raton and Martina, a wise older woman offers wisdom rather than melodrama and another happy-ever-after-ending is the result. The final story, “Tup and The Ants,”’ is another amusing tale, this time of three brothers, none of whom are particularly clever. The youngest, Tup, is especially lazy and he manages to create an advantageous alliance with ants to win the respect of his in-laws and family.
All three folktales are told sparingly and simply in both text and illustration. The brightly coloured illustrations are generally divided into six panels with ten pages allocated for each tale. These colourful, unpretentious, and unadorned illustrations are extremely appropriate for the retelling of folktales for readers of all ages. While economically drawn, the characters, human and non-human, are imbued with expressive body language and emotions. Their eyes, in particular, are effective in developing character, tension, and moving the story from panel to panel just as the oral storyteller would use his or her facial expressions to bring the stories alive. There is a joyful movement and play that is evident in each panel, in the gutters, and, ultimately, in the telling of the three tales.
There are four pages of notes following the stories that provide background on each of these tales. The notes, aimed at older readers, include a bibliography of print and online resources and several stock beginnings for oral storytelling in Spanish and English. They explain antecedents and put the tales within context of the history of the area where the tales were traditionally found. Realizing that this collection is intended for young readers and those who share books with young readers, I will not take umbrage at the fact that a moral or lesson for each tale is spelled out in the notes. Stories from a rich heritage such as these should not have to be elucidated to the reader or listener of the tales and, as told by Hernandez, they are left for the audience to embrace their own conclusions. At the same time, I am very pleased that the background information to the tales is included in this slim, colourful, approachable, and enjoyable collection. Also available in Spanish: La Matadragones: Cuentos de Latinoamerica. hardcover and paperback editions of both languages.
Highly recommended.
The Dragon Slayer: Folktales from Latin America by Jaime Hernandez ISBN: 9781943145287 Toon Graphics, 2017 Publisher Age Rating: 8+
Strange things are happening in the town of Blithedale. Teenager Claudia Jones is missing, and other odd things have begun to happen around town. In this offbeat look at teen life, a diverse cast of characters struggle with complex issues as the mystery continues to mount. Class clown Nigel hopes to find a girlfriend. Emily faces life-changing decisions. Paula longs to form her own identity apart from Emily. Handsome Brett feels misunderstood.
Each chapter is drawn in a different style representing each of the four characters’ points of view. Nigel’s chapters are in grayscale with many diagonal panels, Emily’s in stark black and white with square and rectangular panels, Brett’s in shaded grays, and Paula’s in line drawings with no panel divisions. Throughout the volume, characters are often shown as shadows, or as only faces instead of fully-formed figures. Color only enters the art in rare places near the end of the book, and its presence gives significant clues as to what may have happened to Claudia. This stylistic choice adds depth and interest to the story, though it can cause confusion in identifying characters, as they are drawn differently in each chapter.
Nigel’s narrative begins and ends this volume, yet the primary narrative lies with Emily. While Claudia’s disappearance is significant to each character, it is not the central plot. As the series title suggests, the focus of the narrative is trained upon “life on earth,” the sometimes-mundane, and sometimes earth-shattering experiences of the four central characters. Emily’s story is the main focus of Losing the Girl. This makes one wonder who the titular “Girl” might be. Claudia is lost from the beginning of the book, but there are ways in which other girls in the story could be lost, as well. As this is the first volume of a planned trilogy, it will be interesting to see how Claudia’s disappearance and possible reappearance plays out, as well as how the stories of the other characters might continue.
This title will appeal to teens with more sophisticated tastes. As some sections have very spare text and meaning is communicated subtextually, readers must bring some level of analytical skill to this work. There is much to be gleaned from analyzing the different art styles and perspectives in the points of view, and adept readers will enjoy questioning Marinaomi’s choices and what they might mean. Due to the unconventional art style, and because many questions remain unresolved at the end, some readers will find this selection too unusual, but those with more diverse tastes will really enjoy Marinaomi’s take on high school life and teen angst. The content is suitable for high-school aged teens, and does include some mild language and sexual content, though none is shown visually. Losing the Girl will be a good addition to YA graphic novel collections where science fiction and unique artistic styles are popular.
Life on Earth, book 1: Losing the Girl by Marinaomi ISBN: 9781512449105 Graphic Universe, 2018 Publisher Age Rating: 14-18
This satisfying anthology of 20 original tales begins with a well-written and well-researched foreword by romance comic historian Jacque Nodell offering the contemporary reader background information about the history of the gothic romance genre generally and, more specifically, the comic book renditions of the 1970s, accompanied by samples of cover art. As Nodell points out, the visual elements of the gothic tradition are well-suited for comic book renditions. The gothic romance tradition features “isolated and eerie locations, inherited crumbling manors, family secrets, ghosts, secret identities, and passions heightened by mysterious circumstances.” Tales in the genre “ultimately revealed to be merely a diabolical plot by a person who either abhors change, or who uses the illusion of the supernatural to satisfy their own greed.”
But not in this anthology! The supernatural and gruesome elements of the stories are embraced by the contemporary comic book authors and illustrators without discomfiture or explanation. The protagonists are all agents of their own autonomy…some victims but just as frequently, villains. Even more exciting is the celebration of marginalized people. This anthology presents a diversity of culture, gender, sexuality, race, language, and setting. One tale is told totally in Vietnamese and, rounding out the collection, a reprint of a 1973 story is bilingual: English and Korean. The authors and illustrators of the collection also come from diverse backgrounds.
Plot twists abound in this collection of vengeful, heartbreaking, and touching stories and artwork. Various comic book elements, including the effective use of black and white, vibrant and pastel colour palates and creative panel and page layouts, add to the allure of this anthology. Each story offers a fresh approach to the gothic romance genre in the portrayal of the horrors awaiting the characters (and readers) on the page.
The stories are also to be celebrated for their pragmatism and truth telling. The story “Green, Gold, and Black,” for example, does not shy away from the horror of slavery. Here the wife, incapable of conceiving children, drowns the children of slaves who have been raped and impregnated by her husband. Several of the stories remind me of inverted renditions of the horrific folktales Bluebeard and Mr. Fox. Others explore historical truths such as “Goldblind,” written by editor Hope Nicholson and illustrated by Scott Chantler in which the bleakness of the environment and the quest for gold is heart-rendering.
Highly recommended for library collections, comic historians, and readers interested in romance comics, gothic romance, and diversity in all aspects.
Gothic Tales of Haunted Love Edited by Hope Nicholson, S. M. Beiko Written by Nika, Samantha Beiko, Cecil Castellucci, Colleen Coover, Kitty Curran, Barbara Guttman, Janet L. Hetherington, Cherelle Higgins, Megan Kearney, Sanho Kim, Hope Nicholson, Svetla Nikolova, Jacque Nodell, Amber Noelle, Hien Pham, H Pueyo, David Alexander Robertson, Sarah Winifred Searle, Femi Sobowale, Chris Stone, Katie West, Larissa Zageris Art by Allison Paige, LAB, Nika, Dani Bee, Scott Chantler, Colleen Coover, Kitty Curran, Willow Dawson, Caroline Dougherty, Ray Fawkes, Barbara Guttman, Scott B Henderson, Megan Kearney, Sanho Kim, Maia Kobabe, Dante L, Svetla Nikolova, Hien Pham, Rina Rozsas, Sarah Winifred Searle, Ronn Sutton ISBN: 9781988715070 Bedside Press, 2018 Publisher Age Rating: Adult
Superhero comics, and Marvel Comics in particular, have been making strides in representation, featuring characters, like Ms. Marvel and Moon Girl, who are not excessively sexualized, and come from underrepresented segments of American culture. With America Chavez, aka Miss America, the Marvel Universe has dipped a little deeper into the American melting pot. This queer Latina hero has been present on various superhero teams since 2011, and shone in Kieron Gillen’s and Jamie McKelvie’s 2013 Young Avengers. In 2017 the hero received her first solo title, America. This book, collecting the series’ first six issues, is an upbeat and fun comic that mixes representation politics, satire, and charming characters to make an enjoyable—if sometimes chaotic—read.
The name “Miss America” has a bit of a comics pedigree. It dates back to 1943 and Marvel Comics’ predecessor Timely Comics, which included the hero in its Nazi battling team, the All-Winners Squad alongside the Sub-Mariner, Human Torch, Captain America and (yes) The Whizzer. Having a dark-skinned immigrant from another dimension take up this mantle is a clear political statement, but fortunately America doesn’t make the mistake of letting its politics interfere with its sense of fun. In terms of powers the character is basically a teen girl Superman—cosmically strong, unbreakable, flies—though her signature move of punching open star-shaped holes in reality belongs to exclusively to America herself.
The book’s plot centers around the newly unaffiliated America Chavez searching for an identity outside of her various super teams and recently ended relationship by—what else?—going to college. At the inter-dimensional Sotomayor University, America proves semi-resistant to new friendships, and is challenged both by invasions by prep school cyborgs and by her “History of Revolutions” professor. She seeks help from her super-genius former teammate, Prodigy, and starts to refine her power to travel in time and space. Along the way she bumps into various potential mentors, including the X-Men’s Storm and the Nazi fighting Agent Peggy Carter, while she is repeatedly asked to pledge in the super-powered sorority, Leelumultipass Phi Beta Theta. The jokes and references come fast and frequent, with a fair number of them on repeat.
Sound like a lot? This is a book that suffers from the serial superhero problem of requiring a graduate degree in the history of comics. It’ also not a tightly scripted book, more the kind of plot that works best if you let it wash over you and don’t think too hard about the details. America’s connections to her surrounding characters are impaired by her pin-balling around the multiverse—bad in a book that centers around family, found and otherwise. The comic’s story (stories?) gets bogged down too, both in America’s romantic relationships and in Marvel superhero history. While the threats that Chavez faces are plentiful and colorful, they don’t always make logical or logistical sense. For example, after fighting a bunch of helicopters, America and her allies get surprised by…a helicopter? Not a science fiction stealth helicopter, mind you, but the kind that you can and do hear from miles away. So yes, a lot of fun but also just…a lot. This book is at its best when expressing its hero’s joy at finding herself, her family, and her power rather than when it delves into details like its villains’ cliched actions and unclear motivations.
Different artists tackle the pencils in this collection. The art in general is unsurprising for a superhero book, but there are important differences in style. Joe Quinones takes on the early issues with a light touch, bright color palette, and manga-influenced faces; he also excels at dynamic action. Ramon Villalobos takes over the later issues with a more subdued color scheme, and lots of strong chins and muscles, giving the title character a butch-but-glamorous look that she wears well. Villalobos’ action sequences and storytelling are muddy compared to Quinones’, but his expressive characters and unique style help compensate for any deficits in this regard.
Fans of superhero books will likely enjoy this comic, and both POC and queer readers will likely appreciate the fact that this book is filled with characters that look like them and mirror their relationships in important ways. Teen readers in particular will likely be drawn to America’s contemporary sensibilities and sense of humor—though it should be said that the Buffy references feel dated. Librarians looking to reach out to underrepresented populations should consider this book an important addition. That said, it’s not a book that will endure more than a few years, and is unlikely to join the Important Comics Club. There should be room in most comics collections for light fun, though. While America could have been more, it’s still a book worth enjoying.
America, vol. 1: The Life and Times of America Chavez by Gabby Rivera Art by Joe Quinones and Ramon Villalobos ISBN: 9781302908812 Marvel, 2017
If you encountered a ghost on your shortcut to school, what would you do? Scream? Run? Convince yourself you imagined it? Not in Spectreville! In fact, as the daughter of paranormal investigators, Sophia Campos is not only used to ghosts, she’s eager to start investigating hauntings herself. Since a mysterious paranormal event led to her parents’ divorce, Sophia has been living with her dad while her brother, Felix, lives with their mom. When Sophia meets Whitney, a ghost with no memory of her death who haunts a local bridge, Sophia decides to solve her murder. To do that, Sophia must team up with Felix and her old crush Jake, which creates a love triangle when Sophia begins to develop feelings for Whitney.
Ghost Friends Forever, vol 1 was released under Papercutz CHARMZ imprint, which the publisher describes as targeting tween and teen girls. The age range is listed as 10+, which feels appropriate. Sophia and Felix are 15 and 14, respectively, yet they often act younger than that. Their thoughts and actions, as well as the book’s romantic elements, feel right at home with a teen/tween audience. Ghost Friends Forever is well-suited to readers who are just developing an interest in character romance, where the affection never goes beyond a kiss. There is little content-wise that would raise a flag for the recommended age group; Sophia’s mother says “dammit” once, and the story and circumstances of Whitney’s murder come across as a bit darker than the rest of the story. However, there are enough other plot elements working within this story that the murder often takes a backseat.
Ghost Friends Forever is one of those great comics where the images and text work together so well that it’s tough to talk about one without the other. For example, the text in this book is almost exclusively character thoughts or dialogue. I’ve become accustomed to narration boxes of text in many other comics I read, yet I hardly noticed their absence here, nor did I miss them. The images and speech/thought bubbles did an excellent job of conveying everything in the story. Writer Monica Gallagher captures character speech well, and all of the dialogue is natural sounding. Though a few elements of the story did feel weirdly juxtaposed (murder alongside sweet teen romance), I found the overall plot to be enjoyable, and the ending allows the book to work as either a stand-alone or the start of a series. The book is marked “volume 1,” suggesting there will be more to follow, but the last panel also reads “end,” rather than presenting a blatant “to be continued” scenario, so readers can stop here easily if they choose. A few plot points were left open or ambiguous, and readers dying to learn every detail, or those who gobble up graphic novels and character-driven stories, will be seeking out the sequel.
Kata Kane’s art isn’t overly detailed, and that works well for this story; it focuses on the most important parts of each panel, without filler, which allows younger readers to focus on the story’s progression without getting bogged down. Character facial expressions often play a crucial role in setting the mood and scene, and they are used to great effect. I truly enjoyed the depictions of characters overall; there are a variety of racial/ethnic backgrounds shown, even in background characters, and I liked that. The art style is rather cute, with occasional panels of small (chibi) characters, fitting well with a story targeted to a tween and young teen audience. Matt Herms’s colors work well with Kane’s art, setting the tone for each scene with how light or dark the color palette is.
Representation is a crucial element for me when it comes to the books I choose, both as a reader and as a librarian, and Ghost Friends Forever does not disappoint in that category. In addition to the diverse depictions of all characters throughout, Sophia and Felix are biracial (White/Hispanic), but their background is never treated as a big deal, which I liked. Characters’ sexualities are also treated as normal; Sophia’s previous crush on Jake and her realization that she likes Whitney are treated the same. Felix expresses some concern over Sophia’s feelings for Whitney, but they are focused more on the fact that Whitney is a ghost than that she is a girl. Ghosts provide an important way for characters to address acceptance, and Sophia argues that even if ghosts seem “transparent,” that doesn’t mean that they don’t still have feelings. The art, presence of a take-charge female character, and young romance mixed with coming-of-age themes make Ghost Friends Forever a great read-alike for anyone who enjoys Raina Telgemeier, Faith Erin Hicks, and Lumberjanes. The story’s few minor flaws did little to detract from my overall enjoyment, and I would happily recommend this book to any tween or teen in my library.
Ghost Friends Forever, vol 1 by Monica Gallagher Art by Kata Kane ISBN: 9781629918037 Papercutz, 2017 Publisher Age Rating: 10+
It seems like a long time ago now, but Cici used to be a regular girl with a regular family: mom, dad, little sister Sofia, and Abuela. But then her dad left, her Abuela came to stay, and Cici turned 10 and discovered she was a fairy! Since then she’s been struggling with learning to control her powers and use them correctly, adjust to family changes and her mom’s new friend, and learn to look beneath the surface and think about her actions.
In her third adventure, A Perfect View, Cici and her new friend Kendra, her mom’s boyfriend’s daughter, are going camping with Cici’s dad and little sister. Cici has everything planned down to the last detail despite her Abuela’s warning that she should be open to surprises, especially with her magic. But she hadn’t planned for getting the wrong campsite, rain, missing marshmallows, or a mischievous forest sprite!
Page and Doerrfeld’s art is consistent with the first two books. Cici looks younger than her ten years, with her large head and eyes. Readers can see her in transition, moving from a young child to a teen, as she struggles with her feelings, her magic, and her changing family. Kendra has a more mature face and often seems taken aback at Cici’s childish behavior, but she’s also understanding of her struggles. Cici’s fairy sight continues and through her eyes we see her father portrayed as a lovable, happy-go-lucky bear, her little sister as a cautious turtle, and brief glimpses of her mother as an octopus, whose many arms are always busy. The colorful illustrations and their pink and purple backgrounds, shifting to green for outdoor scenes, are as charming and eye-catching as in the first volumes.
This series won’t appeal to readers who have moved on to the more exciting and involved middle grade graphic fantasies like Amulet or Bone, but readers who are still not quite ready to leave childhood, are struggling with family and friendship issues, or enjoy sparkly-sweet stories will be delighted by the next volume in this series. Parents will appreciate the gentle lessons about growing up that are woven into each story, and the introduction of new magical creatures, like the forest sprites, are sure to charm new readers immediately. The portrayal of a happy, suburban Hispanic family is also a welcome addition to the canon of graphic novels for elementary age students.
Cici: A Fairy’s Tale: A Perfect View, vol. 3 by Cori Doerrfeld Art by Tyler Page ISBN: 9781467761543 Lerner Graphic Universe, 2017 Publisher Age Rating: 8-12
Welcome to Bitch Planet, where crime is aesthetic, gendered, sexual, political, and most certainly racialized. In a male-dominated world, women who are noncompliant with the law are exiled from Earth and sentenced to serve time in the Auxiliary Compliance Outpost (A.C.O.) otherwise known as Bitch Planet, a massive prison floating in space. They are sent here because authority figures fear that if they are allowed to remain on Earth, their “sickness” will spread to otherwise well-behaved women citizens. The main characters are charged with crimes such as political incitement, sexual deviancy, development and distribution of gender propaganda, marital neglect, malicious manipulation, and cyber infidelity. In prison, the women are treated in order to be reformed into compliant citizens (“How long since you prioritized how others see you?”) and are forced to compete in a violent, frequently fatal sport called Megaton in order to generate profit for the prison. Marginalized women take center stage in this book; the majority of prisoners are black and brown women, with a very small percentage of women being white. About a dozen women are introduced by name, forming the Megaton team led by Kam, one of the first main characters we meet.
This trade paperback collects single issues 1–5 of Bitch Planet and includes the covers and endpapers for each of these single issues in context rather than displayed at the end of the book as a gallery. A discussion guide of eight questions is included at the end of the book, covering major themes and referencing an essay by Kimberlé Crenshaw that can be perused as further reading. The covers and endpapers are drawn in a retro art style, full of trashy adverts for diet parasites and medication to change one’s personality. The comic is packaged for consumption much like a tabloid. The cover art drives this home with quotes like “Girl gangs…caged and enraged!”
The incredibly detailed art—expressive background characters, legible lettering instead of standard lorem ipsum—contributes to both the foreshadowing and worldbuilding. The characters don’t act as extras once they shift into the background of a scene, instead the action continues to follow them, and the world as a whole is informed by their actions. They do not become insignificant simply by shifting into the background. This gives the women power in an environment where the world is doing its best to strip them of it.
Following the flow of the layout did take some getting used to. I found myself reading dialogue out of order at times. Certain pages use very small panels to break up the art, though the art is meant to be read as if these strict borders were not present. The art is thus noncompliant to the rigid borders it is forced into, reinforcing the noncompliance of the women in the story.
The pacing of the art with the writing is very fluid and natural. I’ve often found DeConnick’s other work (Pretty Deadly, Captain Marvel) to feel rushed and clipped, so reading Bitch Planet was a very welcome change of pace. The broken up panels and background details force you to slow your reading. This is anti-consumption, in a sense, in contrast to the tabloid presentation of the book as a whole. The discussion questions presented also further this goal, asking readers to not simply accept what they have just consumed, but to question it, digest it, and relate it to the world they live in.
Bitch Planet is targeted toward adults (rated M for Mature) but I think it would be suitable for older teens as well. It serves as a good introduction to learning about intersectional feminism, the prison industrial complex, and misogyny. Librarians should be aware that this book contains nudity, blood, death, violence, swearing, and some brief sexual content.
This story would appeal to fans of the first season of Orange is the New Black, readers looking for women-centered fiction, and readers who enjoy a classic dystopia.
Bitch Planet, Vol. 1 by Kelly Sue DeConnick Art by Valentine De Landro, Robert Wilson IV ISBN: 9781632153661 Image Comics, 2015 Publisher Age Rating: M
fascinated by all things intellectual—Yaya is a hands-on inventory and can make anything, even if she is a bit goofy at times. When a comet strikes earth and people gain mysterious powers, Chuy is super bummed – not only do these powers not conform to scientific laws, but he didn’t get any! When one of the second-rate supervillains of New Bork City ruins their ice cream, Yaya makes up her mind – they will become superheroes! With Chuy’s smarts and Yaya’s maker skills, the two take on Mr. Anti-Freeze, who is threatening to slimerize all the ice cream in New Bork City!
to Emil Ferris’s acclaimed My Favorite Thing is Monsters.
Three teens named Sam (Samuel, Samir, and Samantha) go for a walk in the woods and discover a gooey cocoon hanging from a tree, in Alienated by Simon Spurrier. When they take a classmate, Leon, to see their discovery, one thing leads to another and Leon vanishes. The three Sams learn that the cocoon is an alien creature they name Chip. Chip has feet, but tentacles for arms and he wears armor on his face and chest area. Chip syncs his brain with the teens’, allowing the teens to share their thoughts and feelings through their minds. Each of them is hiding secrets and Chip will be the one to bring them out.
In his first work intended for young readers, Jaime Hernandez reworks three traditional folktales from Latin America. F. Isabel Campoy’s useful introduction speaks to universal importance of folktales, the complex interplay of the folklore from various countries on the folktales from Latin America, and the importance of strong independent women in the body of tales.
Strange things are happening in the town of Blithedale. Teenager Claudia Jones is missing, and other odd things have begun to happen around town. In this offbeat look at teen life, a diverse cast of characters struggle with complex issues as the mystery continues to mount. Class clown Nigel hopes to find a girlfriend. Emily faces life-changing decisions. Paula longs to form her own identity apart from Emily. Handsome Brett feels misunderstood.
This satisfying anthology of 20 original tales begins with a well-written and well-researched foreword by romance comic historian Jacque Nodell offering the contemporary reader background information about the history of the gothic romance genre generally and, more specifically, the comic book renditions of the 1970s, accompanied by samples of cover art. As Nodell points out, the visual elements of the gothic tradition are well-suited for comic book renditions. The gothic romance tradition features “isolated and eerie locations, inherited crumbling manors, family secrets, ghosts, secret identities, and passions heightened by mysterious circumstances.” Tales in the genre “ultimately revealed to be merely a diabolical plot by a person who either abhors change, or who uses the illusion of the supernatural to satisfy their own greed.”
Superhero comics, and Marvel Comics in particular, have been making strides in representation, featuring characters, like Ms. Marvel and Moon Girl, who are not excessively sexualized, and come from underrepresented segments of American culture. With America Chavez, aka Miss America, the Marvel Universe has dipped a little deeper into the American melting pot. This queer Latina hero has been present on various superhero teams since 2011, and shone in Kieron Gillen’s and Jamie McKelvie’s 2013 Young Avengers. In 2017 the hero received her first solo title, America. This book, collecting the series’ first six issues, is an upbeat and fun comic that mixes representation politics, satire, and charming characters to make an enjoyable—if sometimes chaotic—read.
If you encountered a ghost on your shortcut to school, what would you do? Scream? Run? Convince yourself you imagined it? Not in Spectreville! In fact, as the daughter of paranormal investigators, Sophia Campos is not only used to ghosts, she’s eager to start investigating hauntings herself. Since a mysterious paranormal event led to her parents’ divorce, Sophia has been living with her dad while her brother, Felix, lives with their mom. When Sophia meets Whitney, a ghost with no memory of her death who haunts a local bridge, Sophia decides to solve her murder. To do that, Sophia must team up with Felix and her old crush Jake, which creates a love triangle when Sophia begins to develop feelings for Whitney.
It seems like a long time ago now, but Cici used to be a regular girl with a regular family: mom, dad, little sister Sofia, and Abuela. But then her dad left, her Abuela came to stay, and Cici turned 10 and discovered she was a fairy! Since then she’s been struggling with learning to control her powers and use them correctly, adjust to family changes and her mom’s new friend, and learn to look beneath the surface and think about her actions.
Welcome to Bitch Planet, where crime is aesthetic, gendered, sexual, political, and most certainly racialized. In a male-dominated world, women who are noncompliant with the law are exiled from Earth and sentenced to serve time in the Auxiliary Compliance Outpost (A.C.O.) otherwise known as Bitch Planet, a massive prison floating in space. They are sent here because authority figures fear that if they are allowed to remain on Earth, their “sickness” will spread to otherwise well-behaved women citizens. The main characters are charged with crimes such as political incitement, sexual deviancy, development and distribution of gender propaganda, marital neglect, malicious manipulation, and cyber infidelity. In prison, the women are treated in order to be reformed into compliant citizens (“How long since you prioritized how others see you?”) and are forced to compete in a violent, frequently fatal sport called Megaton in order to generate profit for the prison. Marginalized women take center stage in this book; the majority of prisoners are black and brown women, with a very small percentage of women being white. About a dozen women are introduced by name, forming the Megaton team led by Kam, one of the first main characters we meet.
