An action-laden tale with vigor and cultural insight.
In Pires’ graphic novel, a near-future game show features the bloody executions of those deemed society’s worst offenders.
In mid-21st-century Los Angeles, murder is always available for streaming. The show Cancelled encourages its audience to vote on which people in the world they’d like to see die. Heavily armed assassins, including Roland Endo, who’s ranked first among the Cancellers, then track down the chosen and end their lives. One serial sexual harasser and assaulter, for example, meets an especially brutal end. For Roland, it’s just a job, but things take a disturbing turn when he learns Cancelled has been hacked, and now he’s set to be canceled. The show’s CEO anticipates a ratings boost and sees no need to stop other Cancellers from targeting Roland. Meanwhile, Roland scours the city for the hacker, and what he discovers is alarming—not only the hacker’s identity, but also what the hacker has to tell him. Although Pires’ blunt graphic novel has its share of humor, it takes itself seriously just as often. The story unfolds in a dystopian L.A. where the government has all but abandoned the working class. The taut narrative ultimately centers on the question of who among the public revels most in the violence that Cancelled delivers. Similarly, Roland isn’t the apathetic killing machine he appears to be, and his backstory hints at trauma suffered when he was a soldier. Still, the highlight of this graphic novel is its action. Castaniero’s stylized, full-color illustrations showcase Roland in battle mode as he floors opponents with fists, cookware, and what looks suspiciously like a lightsaber. The artwork is at its best in glorious full-page tableaux, whether they feature Roland calmly awaiting attackers or a collage of the show’s viewers cheering on the show’s barbarity.
An action-laden tale with vigor and cultural insight.Pub Date: Dec. 12, 2023
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 110
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Review Posted Online: Jan. 3, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
PERSPECTIVES
A clever and timely conversation on reclaiming identity and acknowledging one’s full worth.
Superman confronts racism and learns to accept himself with the help of new friends.
In this graphic-novel adaptation of the 1940s storyline entitled “The Clan of the Fiery Cross” from The Adventures of Superman radio show, readers are reintroduced to the hero who regularly saves the day but is unsure of himself and his origins. The story also focuses on Roberta Lee, a young Chinese girl. She and her family have just moved from Chinatown to Metropolis proper, and mixed feelings abound. Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane’s colleague from the Daily Planet, takes a larger role here, befriending his new neighbors, the Lees. An altercation following racial slurs directed at Roberta’s brother after he joins the local baseball team escalates into an act of terrorism by the Klan of the Fiery Kross. What starts off as a run-of-the-mill superhero story then becomes a nuanced and personal exploration of the immigrant experience and blatant and internalized racism. Other main characters are White, but Black police inspector William Henderson fights his own battles against prejudice. Clean lines, less-saturated coloring, and character designs reminiscent of vintage comics help set the tone of this period piece while the varied panel cuts and action scenes give it a more modern sensibility. Cantonese dialogue is indicated through red speech bubbles; alien speech is in green.
A clever and timely conversation on reclaiming identity and acknowledging one’s full worth. (author’s note, bibliography) (Graphic fiction. 13-adult)Pub Date: May 12, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-77950-421-0
Page Count: 240
Publisher: DC
Review Posted Online: Feb. 29, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Using modern language, McDonald spins the well-known tale of the two young, unrequited lovers. Set against Nagar’s at-times...
A bland, uninspired graphic adaptation of the Bard’s renowned love story.
Using modern language, McDonald spins the well-known tale of the two young, unrequited lovers. Set against Nagar’s at-times oddly psychedelic-tinged backgrounds of cool blues and purples, the mood is strange, and the overall ambiance of the story markedly absent. Appealing to what could only be a high-interest/low–reading level audience, McDonald falls short of the mark. He explains a scene in an open-air tavern with a footnote—“a place where people gather to drink”—but he declines to offer definitions for more difficult words, such as “dirges.” While the adaptation does follow the foundation of the play, the contemporary language offers nothing; cringeworthy lines include Benvolio saying to Romeo at the party where he first meets Juliet, “Let’s go. It’s best to leave now, while the party’s in full swing.” Nagar’s faces swirl between dishwater and grotesque, adding another layer of lost passion in a story that should boil with romantic intensity. Each page number is enclosed in a little red heart; while the object of this little nuance is obvious, it’s also unpleasantly saccharine. Notes after the story include such edifying tidbits about Taylor Swift and “ ‘Wow’ dialogs from the play” (which culls out the famous quotes).Pub Date: May 10, 2011
ISBN: 978-93-80028-58-3
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Campfire
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2011
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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