Lunar New Year Love Story

The 2025 Eisner Award winner for Best Publication for Teens, Lunar New Year Love Story is a book that I approached much differently than I usually do when I read a graphic novel. Typically, I read through one in as close to one sitting as I can. I tend to read voraciously and at a fast clip, but this one I took my time with, reading each chapter individually and taking time over a few days to complete the book. It worked really well, because this book's narrative is set over the space of a year and is divided into chapters that each had so much going on in terms of plot, revelations, and emotions that the extra time helped me develop my thoughts and get ready for what was to come. So, I treated it like a serial comic, even though I had the entire graphic novel.

I have to say that the payoff for me was a great one, as this was one of the most satisfying books I have read this year and the ending gave me the tingles. It is a love story of sorts, but it is based strongly in family and community relationships. The plot revolves around Valentina, a Vietnamese-American teen whose mother died when she was young and is being raised by her father. They tend to be a self-contained unit, not even having much interaction with her paternal grandmother, who is a vivacious character who loves cooking and poker. She learns that her family is cursed to be unlucky in love while also developing a strange imaginary relationship with St. Valentine. Eventually, she enters into a dire bargain with Saint V., vowing to abandon love and give her heart away to him if she cannot find true love in one calendar year.

Over the course of the book, Valentina learns that she has been lied to by multiple people her entire life, and the revelations rock her world and cause her to look for community beyond her best friend, Bernice. She joins a lion dance troupe and meets a boy named Les, who is sort of a flirt and attention hog, but somehow they click. She begins to question her destiny and also goes on a surprising path of discovery, which includes her getting more familiar with her heritage, the local Vietnamese-American community, and Les's sullen cousin Jae.

I feel I am not doing this book justice with my descriptions, and I am trying not to give too much of it away, but it is simply fantastic. The artwork and narrative meld to make a very moving and impactful story, and it deserves the many accolades it has received.

Lunar New Year Love Story was created by powerhouse graphic novelists Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham. Yang is one of the premier comics creators working today and a former National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Additionally, he was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship and has also won the Printz Award for his graphic novel American Born Chinese. He has won multiple Eisner Awards. He has explored themes of immigration, belief, identity, and growing up in his many works. Pham is one of the premier children's book illustrators working today, the winner of the Caldecott Medal for her work on the Bear Came Along. She is known for her collaborations on the popular Friends series of graphic novels and The Princess in Black picture books with Shannon Hale. And she also drew the Vampirina Ballerina series of picture books that were adapted into a Disney cartoon. Both creators speak about the book and romance in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have sung its praises. Thúy Đinh wrote of its use of lion imagery and how "this dual, transcontinental symbol of life and death, truth and mystery, reason and emotion, male and female, gracefully captures the complicated heritage of characters impacted by their parents' diasporic experiences." Kirkus Reviews concluded their starred entry, "A sparkling romance anchored by a poignant coming-of-age story." Zack Quaintance commented on the "stellar" artwork, adding that "the character acting is strong yet distinct, making for an immersive reading experience."

Lunar New Year Love Story was published by First Second, and they offer a preview and more information about it here.

Mujirushi: The Sign of Dreams

Being contacted by the Louvre, one of the most well known and prestigious museums in the world, to collaborate on a comic seems a highly unlikely proposition, but then again most artists are not as renowned as Naoki Urasawa. Among his many manga credits are contemporary classics such as 20th Century Boys, Monster, Pluto, as well as the ongoing Asadora! Urasawa has won numerous awards, including the Shogakukan Manga Award three times, the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize twice, and the Kodansha Manga Award. He has also been recognized internationally, with honors from the Angoulême International Comics Festival and the Eisner Awards.

Mujirushi is exceptional among Urasawa's works in two ways: first, because it is based on holdings and input from the Louvre, it features a lot of the architecture, artworks, and behind-the-scenes schematics from the buildings. Second, it is a serial story that can be contained in one graphic novel-seized volume and not a multi-volume epic that takes years to be published. Still, it features the grand craftsmanship, pacing, and vivid characters that are a hallmark of his past work. 

The plot focuses on a father Kamoda and his young daughter Kasumi. Kamoda stops paying taxes and gets mixed up in some get-rich schemes, which end up with him destitute, desperate, and stuck with a factory full of unwanted rubber novelty masks. Also, his wife leaves him. Through a convoluted series of events he and Kasumi end up involved with a Francophile con man ("the Director") who has a scheme to "borrow" a Vermeer painting from the Louvre. What they do not know is that they have all become people of interest in an investigation of an international art smuggling ring, and the detective is determined to catch them in the act.

What makes this book work is its incredible artwork, strongly defined characters, and a plot that takes many twists and turns as the complicated backstory of the Director is slowly untangled. There are many revelations and twists in these nine chapters, maybe too many coincidences, and the ending is a clever weaving together of seemingly unrelated plot threads. If you would like to get a taste of what makes Urasawa's work so appealing and do not want to invest the time to read multiple volumes of a manga serial, this book is for you. If you are already a fan of his, this book is another gem to be enjoyed. 

The reviews I have read of this book have been mixed. Morgan Santilli wrote, "Though perhaps not as engrossing or complex as some of Urasawa’s other offerings, Mujirushi does leave the reader with that familiar feeling of awe at a master’s manipulation of line, panel, and story." Irina found it "to be both entertaining and endearing in many ways." In a long critique of this book and Urasawa, Austin Price calls the story "cute" but also "contrived and overblown."

Mujirushi was published by Viz Media, and they offer more information about it here.

Karate Prom

Karate Prom was written and drawn by Kyle Starks and colored by Chris Schweizer, two of my favorite comics creators who have collaborated before on the series like Rock Candy Mountain, Mars Attacks!, and Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton. Their storytelling and artistic chops complement each other very well, and they are expert at conveying action and atmosphere. 

In Karate Prom they are abetted by Liz Trice Schweizer (on color assists) as they spin the tale of Don Jones. He is participating in the All-City Karate Tournament, but he has been training so much that he almost arrives late for his match, where he meets Sam (short for Samantha) Steadman. He is instantly smitten, then she knocks him out with one kick. 

After he comes to, they get snow cones, they get to know each other, and she asks him to prom. What follows is an escalating series of high school dramas involving exes, ninjas, crime cartels, and a battle royale to end battle royales. However, this book is not just a fight-fest, it is also hilariously funny. There are witty banter, fun nicknames, and clever plot twists that subvert stereotypes. Karate Prom is a lot of fun to read, and I hope that it opens up opportunities for more YA-focused work from Starks and Schweizer.

These two creators have a bevy of other graphic novel and comics work available as well, including Starks's Kill Them All, Sexcastle, The Legend of Ricky Thunder, Old Head, and Assassin Nation. Among my favorite works of Schweizer are his series The Crogan Adventures and The Creeps as well as his contributions to the History Comics and Makers Comics graphic novels. Starks speaks about making Karate Prom in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read of this book have been positive. Kirkus Reviews called it "mercurial and cartoonishly violent but enjoyable thanks to its exuberance." Jordan Jennings wrote that it is "a delightful graphic novel that is full of action and romance," featuring "a strong cast of characters that you will come to love by the end of the story." In a starred review, Adam Fisher summed it up as "a joy-filled story about two teens who want to be together so badly, they are willing to fight for it."

Karate Prom was published by First Second, and they offer a preview and more information here. 

Barbaric Book One: Murderable Offenses

Sometimes you just need to read some fun genre fiction, and Barbaric is just that. The star of this fantasy series, Owen the barbarian, starts out as a typical ruffian, drinking, fighting, and enjoying all sorts of carnal desires. However, he runs afoul of a trio of witches who curse him to only do good for the rest of his life, saddling him with an enchanted, talking axe (named Axe, of course) who constantly craves the blood of evil-doers. Together this terrible duo has a streak of misadventures, applying justice in their own warped way, with Axe constantly yakking Owen's ears off.

As their journeys continue, they pick up a motley assortment of allies and rack up quite the body count. What I loved about this book is how weird it is, with Axe explaining its strange sense of justice that determines just who is and isn't worthy of slaying. And there is also witty wordplay that complements the gore and nudity, making this book into a fun, engaging adventure. What is more, there are three subsequent volumes as well as some related series, which I have also read and enjoyed. So if this book is to your liking, you have more in store.

This book was written by Michael Moreci, drawn by Nathan Gooden, colored by Addison Duke, and lettered by Jim Campbell. Moreci is a screenwriter and author known for his comics series The Plot and Wasted Space as well as the movie Revealer. Gooden is a co-founder of Vault Comics and is involved in developing a number of series, including Post Malone's Big Rig. Duke began his career as a production artist, and Campbell has lettered a good number of comics, including The Great British Bump-Off. Moreci speaks about his work on the development of the series in this interview. 

Certainly, this series has a specific audience, and the reviews I have read about it have been positive. Brad Gullickson penned the memorable line, "If Gooden's art does not belong in a museum it sure as hell belongs on the side of a van." Matt wrote, "The prudish will not approve, but fans of dark fantasy will love it and eagerly anticipate Barbaric, vol. 2."

Barbaric Book One was published by Vault Comics, and they offer a preview and more information about the series here. This book contains profanity, gore, nudity, violence, and is suggested for adult readers.