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. 

Dim Sum Warriors Volume 2: Feast of Fury

After the competition that closed volume 1, Prince Roastpork Bao (a.k.a. "Porky") finds himself a disciple of the Fried Kung Academy, but he soon disappears, throwing the land into confusion and setting off a series of events that lead to upheaval, revolution, and conflict.

Sides are taken, and the four factions of the Dim Sum Warriors jockey for position. There are some surprises, as you see above, such as that old Chicken Foot actually has some amazing powers and abilities and works to protect the royal family and young children who are striving for justice and freedom.

Colonel Quickynoodle is still up to his old tricks, and his plans here come to realization. He is a stock villain in many ways, but I love how his characterization melds old-school kung fu conventions with more modern concerns such as commercialization, nutrition, and media awareness. Plus, his hair is just awesome. This book is fun, action-packed, as well as simultaneously thought provoking and silly, a difficult combination to achieve.

One of my favorite parts of these books is how food items are characterized and how their personalities emerge. These stories are full of heart, reverence of old ways, and an appreciation of our contemporary world. It is great for children, treating them respectfully by engaging their interests and current concerns while still providing doses of humor, action, intrigue, and invention. Add to all these positive features of the narrative that this book is the physical manifestation of an educational app that helps emerging readers learn in either English or Mandarin Chinese, and I think the result is an excellent teaching and learning resource as well as a fun, engaging story.

The story for Dim Sum Warriors was written by Colin Goh and Yen Yen Woo, a married couple who have developed multiple websites and films. They speak about their work and backgrounds here at their official website. The artwork is expressive, fluid, fun, and crisply presented by Soo Lee. This volume is also pretty interesting in its back pages where we see the earlier efforts of these creators to use these characters in a syndicated comic strip and a comic book anthology. Looking at them, a budding creator can gain some insight into the creative process of making comics.

Feast of Fury has received deserved positive attention and was named a Featured Title on Diamond Bookshelf. Here is a list of review excerpts posted on the book's official site.

This book was published by Yumcha Studios. Here is an online tutorial for using the app version, which is also a quick preview of the story from Volume 1.

Thank you, Yen Yen, for making a great new product and keeping me up to date with your delightful work!

Dim Sum Warriors, Volume 1: Enter the Dumpling

Recently at the 2013 AERA Conference in San Francisco I had the honor and privilege of meeting and presenting with a group of comics scholars, Nick Sousanis, Jarod Roselló, Christy Blanch, and one of the authors of today's book, Yen Yen Woo. She described this book as a combination of two major parts of Chinese culture, dim sum and kung fu. Using these cultural touchstones, she was able to create a story and characters that are simultaneously appealing and apt for use in language learning. Interestingly, this book is the English version of a dual language app meant to instruct English language learners (ELLs) who speak Chinese with English.

Knowing that sometimes texts written for educational purposes can be dry, stilted, or just plain boring, I am happy to report that none of those pitfalls are present here. These comics are well drawn, action-packed, and funny. There are fun similes:

There are also interesting characters, like Colonel Quickynoodle:

Never trust anthropomorphic instant ramen

The main plot of the book involves Prince Porkroast Bao, who is somewhat at odds with the rest of his royal family. The young prince sneaks out to the marketplace and sees situations that do not quite match up with the news and counsel from the palace. His mother coddles him. His father thinks that he is just immature and ignorant of the demands his esteemed position entails, but there does seem to be an intricate subterfuge in play that involves the poor peasant classes, a popular energy drink, and the mighty Dim Sum Warriors, the defenders of the kingdom. This plot culminates in a competition between the four major factions of the Dim Sum Warriors (boiled, steamed, baked, and fried), with the winner given the honor of accepting Prince "Porky" (he hates being called that) into their fold.

This story is full of twists and humor. It was written by Colin Goh and Yen Yen Woo, a married couple who have made multiple websites and films. They speak about their work and backgrounds here at their official website. The artwork is dynamic, fluid, fun, and crisply presented by Soo Lee. There is much more about the creators and this work in this interview and also in this article from Publishers Weekly. The app was also written up in Time magazine.

I have not been able to find many reviews about the book online as yet, but I can personally say that it was a delight to read, with a cliffhanger ending that left me yearning for more. Additionally, the reviewer at Publishers Weekly commented positively about "Lee’s delightful illustrations and Goh and Woo’s engaging narrative" in this book version.

This book was published by Yumcha Studios. Here is an online tutorial for using the app version, which is also a quick preview of the story.

Thank you, Yen Yen, for making a great product and introducing me to your delightful work!