Noir-infused fantasy with high stakes, gorgeous art, and social justice themes.
In Hamilton’s graphic novel, a young scavenger searches a future dystopia for her missing best friend.
Bingo Finder and her best friend Fenn Roper spend their days scavenging the wastelands surrounding their home of Ellay, which is governed by Mayor, his wife, and their 12 children. The city has a pact with the local coyotes, who agree not to attack residents of Ellay so long as they may eat the remains of townspeople who have died by other means. One night, after Fenn kisses Bingo and leaves for a secret rendezvous, Bingo watches as Fenn throws herself from a roof and then disappears. Aided by a book she has scavenged, Bingo scours the city for clues to find her missing friend. Some of the exposition is detailed in a nightly “newsreal” that spreads propaganda about how wonderful Ellay is. Other aspects of the worldbuilding are more subtle; the naming conventions, for example, are clearly bastardizations of real-world places and things. These are not clearly spelled out, which makes for an enjoyable challenge as readers try to figure out what they mean. Tectiv is one of the more obvious examples, itself being a shortening of the word detective—the book teaching Bingo to solve mysteries has some of the letters worn from its cover. The cast’s backstories are delineated with similar subtlety by the creative team, who seed hints about the characters’ childhoods throughout (which may be expanded upon in later volumes). Matrone’s art suits the story perfectly, with its large panels and color scheme adding to the fantasy-noir vibes. The world depicted here is a true dystopia, and the graphic novel does not shy away from making statements about social justice. According to Mayor, Ellay is a “post-racial, post-feminist…post-wealth—hell, post-everything—society,” and has been for 2,000 years. The flaws in this description become immediately evident when Bingo explores different districts of Ellay; Drowntown, for example, is largely inhabited by mutants who seem to be much less well-off than the humans, especially Mayor’s family, who live on a vast plantation. The strong themes, striking art, and vivid worldbuilding make this an excellent addition to the YA graphic novel canon.
Noir-infused fantasy with high stakes, gorgeous art, and social justice themes.Pub Date: Dec. 10, 2024
ISBN: 9781545812440
Page Count: 180
Publisher: Maverick
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and...
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
Anya feels out of place at her preppy private school; embarrassed by her Russian heritage, she has worked hard to lose her accent and to look more like everyone else. After a particularly frustrating morning at the bus stop, Anya storms off, only to accidentally fall down a well. Down in the dark hole, she meets Emily, a ghost who claims to be a murder victim trapped down in the dank abyss for 90 years. With Emily’s help, Anya manages to escape, though once free, she learns that Emily has traveled out with her. At first, Emily seems like the perfect friend; however, once her motives become clear, Anya learns that “perfect” may only be an illusion. A moodily atmospheric spectrum of grays washes over the clean, tidy panels, setting a distinct stage before the first words appear. Brosgol’s tight storytelling invokes the chilling feeling of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002), though for a decidedly older set.
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and outward appearance. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-552-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
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
BOOK REVIEW
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