Readers will want tissues in hand for the final, bittersweet pages of this remarkable series
The follow-up to the slice-of-life manga about Japanese single father Yaichi, his daughter, Kana, and his deceased brother’s white Canadian husband, Mike.
The story seamlessly picks up where the first entry left off, inviting readers back into Yaichi’s swirling thoughts as he considers how much more comfortable he’s become with Mike’s homosexuality and the areas where he’s still learning. Importantly, Yaichi finally recognizes that despite what he’s told himself, he treated his twin brother, Ryoji, differently after he came out. Here, Tagame (My Brother’s Husband, vol. 1, 2017, etc.) demonstrates how quietly refusing to affirm a family member’s sexuality can be just as harmful as outright rejection. As in the previous book, paneled black-and-white illustrations balance precisely with the light-handed translated text, allowing room for readers to relax into the world and interpret characters’ expressions for themselves. The plot’s leisurely pace also gives time to elements of the gay experience rarely covered in other stories, including the complications that can arise when an out gay man interacts with a closeted man in public. Additionally, this volume delves deeper into how Ryoji’s death has changed Mike, particularly his new understanding that nothing in life is guaranteed. Though both Mike and Yaichi reflect on the uncertainty of the future, the comfort between the two men and their mutual desire to stay connected proves a heart-filling resolution.
Readers will want tissues in hand for the final, bittersweet pages of this remarkable series (. (Graphic novel. 13-adult)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-101-87153-9
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Pantheon
Review Posted Online: Oct. 22, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
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
A fast-paced dip into the possibility of a world without human emotions.
A teenage girl refuses a medical procedure to remove her heart and her emotions.
June lives in a future in which a reclusive Scientist has pioneered a procedure to remove hearts, thus eliminating all “sadness, anxiety, and anger.” The downside is that it numbs pleasurable feelings, too. Most people around June have had the procedure done; for young people, in part because doing so helps them become more focused and successful. Before long, June is the only one among her peers who still has her heart. When her parents decide it’s time for her to have the procedure so she can become more focused in school, June hatches a plan to pretend to go through with it. She also investigates a way to restore her beloved sister’s heart, joining forces with Max, a classmate who’s also researching the Scientist because he has started to feel again despite having had his heart removed. The pair’s journey is somewhat rushed and improbable, as is the resolution they achieve. However, the story’s message feels relevant and relatable to teens, and the artwork effectively sets the scene, with bursts of color popping throughout an otherwise black-and-white landscape, reflecting the monochromatic, heartless reality of June’s world. There are no ethnic or cultural markers in the text; June has paper-white skin and dark hair, and Max has dark skin and curly black hair.
A fast-paced dip into the possibility of a world without human emotions. (Graphic speculative fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: June 13, 2023
ISBN: 9780063116214
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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