A colorful and engrossing tale that will draw readers in and leave them wanting more.
Threats are looming for a team of iconic superheroes in this series-starting graphic novel, which reimagines a 1986 animated TV series.
Several years ago, the Defenders of the Earth won the war against planet Mongo, defeating its ruler Ming the Merciless. Since that time, Flash Gordon has kept busy overseeing the Defenders Organization in a towering high-rise. He apparently no longer has time for his son or any of his teammates, including Lothar, Mandrake the Magician, and the Phantom. Meanwhile, it hasn’t been easy for these men to trust Kro-Tan, Ming’s son, even if his powerful Barin Atomicshelped to rebuild war-ravaged Earth in record time. Because the world doesn’t seem to need them anymore, the Defenders make other plans: Lothar, a former chieftain, heads home to Africa, where the Seven Nations are “coming apart,” and Mandrake eyes a return to performing onstage. However, there’s word that the ferocious Singh Brotherhood has been scared into hiding by a more formidable menace. This first issue of writer DiDio’s series ably gets things started: Readers get a taste of the explosive war, as well as witness a shocking death before the gradual introduction of a vibrant cast of classic comic-book characters in the present day. As in the cartoon, at least some of the Defenders have children; there’s Flash’s son, Rick, who’s pals with L.J., Lothar’s son. The story, in addition to setting up a potential supervillain, aptly establishes character relationships to explore in future issues, including Rick’s resentment of his negligent father and the Phantom’s barely masked contempt for Kro-Tan. Calafiore’s artwork truly brings the panels to life; the action scenes are short but exhilarating and the facial expressions—most notably, the Phantom’s perpetual scowl—aptly establish character.
A colorful and engrossing tale that will draw readers in and leave them wanting more.Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Review Posted Online: April 25, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Immensely enjoyable.
The debut graphic novel from Mohamed presents a modern Egypt full of magical realism where wishes have been industrialized and heavily regulated.
The story opens with a televised public service announcement from the General Committee of Wish Supervision and Licensing about the dangers of “third-class wishes”—wishes that come in soda cans and tend to backfire on wishers who aren’t specific enough (like a wish to lose weight resulting in limbs falling from the wisher’s body). Thus begins a brilliant play among magic, the mundane, and bureaucracy that centers around a newsstand kiosk where a devout Muslim is trying to unload the three “first-class wishes” (contained in elegant glass bottles and properly licensed by the government) that have come into his possession, since he believes his religion forbids him to use them. As he gradually unloads the first-class wishes on a poor, regretful widow (who then runs afoul of authorities determined to manipulate her out of her valuable commodity) and a university student who seeks a possibly magical solution to their mental health crisis (but struggles with whether a wish to always be happy might have unintended consequences), interstitials give infographic histories of wishes, showing how the Western wish-industrial complex has exploited the countries where wishes are mined (largely in the Middle East). The book is exceptionally imaginative while also being wonderfully grounded in touching human relationships, existential quandaries, and familiar geopolitical and socio-economic dynamics. Mohamed’s art balances perfectly between cartoon and realism, powerfully conveying emotions, and her strong, clean lines gorgeously depict everything from an anguished face to an ornate bottle. Charts and graphs nicely break up the reading experience while also concisely building this larger world of everyday wishes. Mohamed has a great sense of humor, which comes out in footnotes and casual asides throughout.
Immensely enjoyable.Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-524-74841-8
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Pantheon
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES
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