A fun, magical, time-hopping update on a decades-old TV series.
In this YA graphic novel based on a short-lived 1990s cartoon series, a football team takes up the mantle of King Arthur’s knights.
In the Middle Ages, Morgana and her warlord, Viper, manage to defeat Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, banishing them to Morgana’s Cave of Glass. To further cement her victory, Morgana binds Merlin to the battlefield, where he’ll be stuck for eternity, watching as she conquers Camelot. Fortunately, the magic-wielding Lady of the Table manages to free the wizard’s spirit, allowing him to travel throughout time to find 12 men to take on the mantle of the Knights of Justice. In the present day, a young man named Arthur King has just led Chalopin High’s football team, the Knights, to victory against the Warlords. While the teammates discuss the game in the locker room, they’re transported back to the Middle Ages, where Merlin and the Lady of the Table explain that they’ve been chosen as the world’s best chance to defeat Morgana, and that “for a time” they shall be the new King Arthur and the Knights of Justice. The Lady of the Table grants them knowledge of various combat strategies and gives Arthur the legendary sword Excalibur. But if the true King Arthur couldn’t defeat the most powerful sorceress in the world, how will this Arthur and his teammates succeed? In this graphic novel suitable for ages 12 and older, writer Corallo and illustrator Cardinalli present a thrilling story of teamwork, magic, and legends that updates the original material upon which it’s based. This reboot features a diverse cast, including characters of various ethnicities, and (unlike the original animated series) a same-sex relationship. Overall, this entertaining, well-illustrated graphic novel maintains the visual style of its source, although it’s somewhat bloodier, as well as darker in tone. Although this book contains a complete story, there are hints at the end that this may be the first of a new graphic-novel series, and readers will likely be eager for more.
A fun, magical, time-hopping update on a decades-old TV series.Pub Date: April 23, 2024
ISBN: 978-1960578600
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Maverick
Review Posted Online: Feb. 14, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A few rough bits but inventive and visually stunning.
A young witch whose magic has been burned away undertakes healing journeys both physical and metaphorical in this graphic novel that was first serialized on Instagram.
Mingling riveting illustrations that incorporate fades, flashbacks, and other cinematic effects with a typographically venturesome narrative, Dhaliwal tells a tale of heroic exploits in which allegorical elements are never far beneath the surface. Burned at the stake but rescued by a pair of helpful (if often annoying) witches on a quest of their own, dark-skinned young “Singe” goes in search of her real name and the rest of her burned-away memories, as well as her lost magic, while her body slowly recovers. Along the way to a climax on the shores of Perish Lake, she meets other witches—notably Smoke Witch, a collective gathering of burnt but still aware ashes that rides the night wind—and engages in desperate struggles with three powerful, vividly portrayed demons: Disgust, Doubt, and Despair. The author’s imagination and graphic skills outpace her literary chops, but there’s plenty of entertaining friction and bonding in the colorfully wrought cast, and more than enough action in the plot to make it easy to overlook awkward phrasings and inappropriate word choices. Said plot does take some arbitrary turns, perhaps so that the ending can be left conveniently open. Still, it’s a grand adventure in a richly articulated setting, featuring a racially diverse cast and clever twists aplenty.
A few rough bits but inventive and visually stunning. (Graphic fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: May 28, 2024
ISBN: 9781770466999
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024
A warm hug of a tale.
Four friends grapple with everyday challenges.
For Hazelton High juniors Sasha, Christine, Abby, and Brit, the new school year brings new trials. Sasha struggles to balance her love life and academic aspirations. Scholastically minded Brit finds herself in a love triangle between a good-hearted grump and a handsome playboy. Abby feels anxiety about her once-popular blog and putting a label on her sexual orientation when confusing new feelings emerge. Christine fears coming out to Abby (although she is out to Brit and Sasha), on whom she’s harbored a long and tortuous crush that she worries will destroy their friendship. The girls navigate timely and important issues like establishing and communicating boundaries, defining one’s sexual orientation, righting miscommunications, and (staying in the vein of its predecessor, 2020’s Go With the Flow) menstrual equity. Williams and Schneemann’s warm and engaging graphic novel is a welcome return to this world, with vibrant art; short, episodic chapters; fast pacing; and the right blend of tension and sweetness. The group’s dynamics and communication skills as they work through their issues are commendable, modeling openness and honesty and leaving aside cattiness and drama. The main cast is diverse and inclusive, showing a range of skin tones, body sizes, and sexual orientations.
A warm hug of a tale. (authors’ note) (Graphic fiction. 11-16)Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2023
ISBN: 9781250834102
Page Count: 336
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
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