An engaging interpretation of the poem whose richly detailed pages demand and reward attention.
The children’s classic nonsense poem from Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass (1871) gets new and colorful illustrations by Rodgers.
The original John Tenniel illustration for the Jabberwock was black and white, but this newly illustrated version of the poem renders scenes in full color, spreading the 28-line poem in snippets over 18 pages. (The final page gives the poem in full.) In his debut book, Rodgers conjures up an alien landscape for “Jabberwocky.” It has some of the primeval feeling of Tenniel’s, whose Jabberwock had the leathery wings of a pterodactyl, but is richly colored and original. A variety of creatures, some blobby, some multilegged, some tentacled, inhabit this lushly verdant world. The young warrior is green and hairless, wearing Bronze Age–like clothing, and of course well-armed with the vorpal sword. He poles himself through swampland, then climbs up to a high clifftop to find his manxome foe. The Jabberwock itself is a frightening creature with its red eyes, lobster-claw–ish horns, and low-set bulk. And its horrible tongue could well burble; Rodgers adds some burbling for effect as the hero lures the Jabberwock to destruction and headlessness. Galumphing, in this case, involves using floating creatures roped to the Jabberwock’s head to transport it home. The father is rather frightening himself, a giant many times the size of his son, but his pride is palpable; an onlooker jumps for joy. Rodgers does a wonderful job opening up the poem, commenting on it artistically, and reimagining its figures.
An engaging interpretation of the poem whose richly detailed pages demand and reward attention.Pub Date: March 21, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4800-9565-6
Page Count: 24
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
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