Sunburn

The main character of Sunburn is Rachel, a 16-year-old British teen whose summer plans involve working at a butcher shop where she'll be elbow-deep in pig guts as well as the typical week-long family trip to a rainy cabin. Those plans get exploded when a mysterious invitation appears from the Warners, family friends who own an island house in Greece. They invite her to a summer of fun and sun, and she happily accepts.

Once there, she lives a comfortable life, with wonderful food, free new clothes, and scenic views. She also gets daily visits to the beach, afternoon naps, and dinner parties at different people's houses. The cherry on top of this sundae is that she also gets to spend time with Benjamin, a slightly older British boy, and the two flirt and get involved. 

Of course, nothing this awesome comes for free, and over the course of the book Rachel uncovers the details about why she is there. I very much enjoyed this book, as it made me nostalgic for my own vacations in Greece when I was younger, but it is also a compelling combination of a mystery and character study. Aside from the interesting plot, the artwork is also gorgeous, with a limited color pallette and plenty of landscape imagery that sets the atmosphere.

Sunburn was a collaboration between writer Andi Watson and artist Simon Gane. Watson is a cartoonist, writer, and illustrator who has created a number of books and graphic novels and who has been nominated for four Eisner Awards, two Harvey Awards, and an official selection of the Angoulême International Festival. Gane has drawn a number of comics series and books, including They're Not Like Us and Ghost Tree. Watson talks about making this book as well as some of his other projects in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read of this book have been positive. Darryll Robson wrote, "You will not find immediacy here, but the narrative is better for its slow, dreamy walk through the lives of its characters." Kirkus Reviews called it "a contemplative study of a girl battered and disillusioned by her first glimpses of adult complexities." Ramon Piña opined, "The art in the book is nothing short of spectacular."

Sunburn was published by Image Comics, and they offer more info about it here. 

Asgardians Book 1: Odin

How do you follow up the Olympians, a 12-volume series of graphic novels that took more than a decade to come out? With another series of graphic novels, ones that focus on Norse mythology, naturally. George O'Connor is back with more mythological adventures, and I am glad to say that this new series is just as excellent (so far), even though it tackles a much different sort of culture and ethos. The Norse gods and legends have a much more earthy feel, with a lot of literal spit and blood (among other bodily fluids) involved in the proceedings. The artwork is also subtly different, and O'Connor is mindful to change his art style and coloring to suit different subject matter.

 

This volume follows Odin, the king of the gods and warrior, searcher, and man of many faces and names. Among the adventures here, he loses an eye, gains great wisdom, battles giants, and travels the nine realms. Additionally, much of this book introduces the narrative world of Norse mythology, conveying an excellently detailed account of this strange, new universe. It features many weird creatures, like six-armed maws, beardless dwarfs, and an eagle full of mead. I learned so much from it, including just how much I did not know about these stories, because I have read tons of Marvel Comics about them and the actual source material is waaaaaay different, even if  the names are the same. If you like reading about myths and having your mind blown, this book is for you.

In addition to all of his graphic novels adapting mythology, O'Connor has adapted the American history journal account Journey into Mohawk Country and illustrated the dystopian future book Ball Peen Hammer, written by Adam Rapp. He also drew the political graphic novel Unrig: How to Fix Our Broken Democracy with author Daniel G. Newman. He speaks about his work on Odin in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read about it have been celebratory. Kirkus Reviews gave it a starred entry that summed up, "A rainbow bridge to a fresh set of mythological places and faces." Chris Cole concluded his review, "Overall, this book was a great start to the series. I’m excited to follow it to Ragnarok." Benjamin Russell called it "an excellent authority in distilling the complexities of Norse mythology and making it accessible to younger readers interested in folklore."

Odin was published by First Second, and they provide more information and a preview here. Because of violence, bodily fluids, and booze, I recommend this book for middle school and above readers.

Light It, Shoot It

 

I love a good noir story, especially one that features excellent artwork like Light It, Shoot It. It follows the travails of Billy Bonney, a young man who has just gotten out of prison for arson. He has troubles getting along with his peers as well as just fitting in to society. Luckily, his older brother is in the film business (on a low rung, but still), and he helps him get a gig being a actor's assistant. Mainly that involves him making sure the older alcoholic leading man is in working shape and on time to the set, not very glamorous work.  

As you can see from the excerpt above, the artwork is very expressive and lovingly portrays the gritty realities of 1970s Hollywood. The excerpt also features a lot of characters and moving parts, which are a hallmark of this book. There is a lot going on and lots of people with their own motives. Billy is trying to fit in; his brother is trying to get laid; one of the producers has a plan to recoup shooting costs through insurance fraud; some people are trying to make a movie; some people are trying to get famous, and still others just want to bask in the glow of showbiz. I am not going to say that the plot is the most original I've ever read, but I think that this book hits its story beats hard: a quintessential exploitation tale in graphic novel form. It's clearly a labor of love, and I got very much caught up in the enthusiastic way this story was told both through its narrative and art.

Light It, Shoot It was written and drawn by Graham Chaffee, who mainly works as a tattoo artist. He has published a couple of other graphic novels, including To Have & To Hold and Good Dog. He speaks about his work on this book in this interview.

All of the reviews of this book I have read highlight its strengths. Publishers Weekly wrote, "Chaffee’s pastel washes, clear affection for the period, and well-stocked gallery of colorful hoodlums and reluctant heroes make up for the lack of suspense." Jason Green called it "an excellent example of noir storytelling at its finest, soaked in a uniquely 1970s mood." Paul Dunne opined, "Drawn in bold brushstrokes, and hand-painted in subtle washes, Chaffee brings vintage LA to the page in a propulsive adventure."

Light It, Shoot It was published by Fantagraphics, and they provide a preview and more info about it here. This book is suggested from mature readers.

Parachute Kids

Parachute Kids is a compelling and moving graphic novel about immigration. It is set in the early 1980s, but I feel that the issues and experiences are still sadly relevant in contemporary times. The narrative follows a family from Taiwan who are visiting California except there is a huge twist: the parents have decided to leave their children to have a better life in the USA until they can return.

Most of the narrative then follows Feng-Li, the younger sister as she tries to fit in at school and life. She feels isolated and out of touch, and learning English is a huge hurdle. Also, she gets teased by other kids for being out of touch with US pop culture and also not having enough money to get some of the things she feels would help her fit in. However, this book is not just about her plight but also features two other prominent plots with her older siblings. Her older brother Ke-Gang has different issues than her fitting in, as he falls into a group of other immigrant children, but they often get into trouble outside of school. Her older sister Jia-Xi perhaps struggles the most, as she has to maintain finances as well as shoulder many of the parental roles. All of them fall into peril when she is victimized by a phishing call.

What I loved about this book was how it told individual tales in a way that reflects universal struggles that immigrants face. Even 40 years later, many of the prejudices, pitfalls, and obstacles still exist for people seeking to find better living conditions for themselves and their children. Both of my parents are immigrants so I am especially sensitive to immigration tales, and this one is told in beautiful and heart-rending fashion.

Although this book is fictional, it is based on the experiences of its author Betty C. Tang, herself a parachute kid from Taiwan who still lives in the USA. She has worked for various Hollywood animation studios including Disney TV and Dreamworks Animation. She has been working on her second graphic novel, a sequel called Outsider Kids, which is due to be published in April.

Parachute Kids won an Excellence in Graphic Literature Award, was included on the National Book Award Longlist, and was named an Asian/Pacific American Award Honor Book. Consequently, it has been extremely well reviewed. In a starred entry, Kirkus Reviews summed it up, "Emotionally moving and beautifully executed." In another starred entry, this one in The Horn Book, Jerry Dear wrote, "Tang weaves themes of family, racial stereotyping, cultural adaptation, sacrifice, peer pressure, sexuality, bullying, and survival into a poignant and triumphant story of perseverance and resilience, presenting a remarkably honest depiction of an Asian American immigrant experience." Esther Keller opined, "The endearing artwork, with color that pops and wide-eyed characters that mimic manga-style artwork, will easily find its audience."

Parachute Kids was published by Scholastic, and they provide more information about it here.

Reckless

I have read pretty much everything that Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have published. Together they have produced some of the most compelling and well crafted crime/suspense stories of the past couple decades, sometimes melded with superhero tropes, supernatural tales, movie history, or even westerns. Of late, they have moved from producing monthly comic books to original graphic novels, and Reckless is the first of a series.

The titular star of this series is Ethan Reckless, an ex-student radical from the 1970s who has flamed out and taken up residence in a run-down movie theater and who takes on private cases for those he deems worthwhile. For a price. In this book, he runs into a woman from his past and is faced with a case that brings up lots of baggage. I know all of this seems cliche to those who relish a good pulp tale, but the way the story is executed and paced is pitch perfect. 

The artwork clearly displays a love for the recent past, with accurate depictions of old locales and cars, as well as hairstyles and fashions. This book is homage not only to classic pulp authors like Donald Westlake and John D. MacDonald but also past decades. The coloring by Jacob Phillips resembles that of classic paperback covers, adding to the tone and timbre. I loved getting swept up in this story, and there were just enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. It's another winning piece of genre fiction from these masterful creators.

Even the exposition is interesting!

All of the reviews I've read of this book have been glowing. Jake Owens wrote, "Reckless showcases all that the comic book/graphic novel genre is capable of. Exquisite art and skillful dialogue meet in a display of subtlety that weaves together and makes something much larger than the sum of its parts." Zac Owens called it "nearly perfect." Justin Harrison summed it up as "a damn compelling introduction to an intriguing anti-hero."

Reckless was published by Image Comics, and they offer a preview and more about the entire series here. It features violence, drug use, and sexual situations so it is suggested from readers mature enough to deal with those topics. And if you like this book, there are four subsequent sequels.

Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: Above the Trenches

I have read and reviewed every graphic novel in this series (go see), and this one is a sequel of sorts to Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood in that it also is about World War I. However, this one does not look at the broad scope of the war but at a specific area, namely the origins of aerial combat. 

It is crazy to think that people took their lives into their own hands in early airplanes and even crazier than not even ten years after man-powered flight was invented that someone thought to use these vehicles for war. At first, they were used to scout troop movements and plan assaults, then they were used to drop bombs, and finally someone had the bright idea to strap guns onto them. 

At the time, just flying an airplane was somewhat a daredevil enterprise, with lots of risk involved and little in the way of safety equipment. This book follows a small group of brave (or foolhardy, depending on your viewpoint) young Americans who enlisted in the French Foreign Legion in order to take part in a war that the USA had not yet entered. Their intention was to become pilots and help fight in the skies, and this book chronicles the long, bumpy road many of them took in order to become soldiers. Spoiler: As people who engage in highly dangerous situations they also frequently smoke and drink. Also, most of them die or get killed over the course of the war.

What is excellent about this book is how it puts a human face on the war. There are many stark, pronounced personalities among the pilots, and it is very easy to get to know and root for them. Also, as with all the other volumes in this series, there are plenty of details that make the past come to life. Among the various topics also at hand are the intricacies of dog-fighting, string of technical innovations, military developments, and a code of honor among all pilots. 

It is amazing to me that this book not only encompasses so much information but also communicates it clearly while also making for a compelling, human story. And I have not even mentioned how many visual references must have gone into depicting the intricate uniforms, planes, and people involved in the war. From the lack of reviews I have found online, not many people review the twelfth entry in a series, but I feel it bears repeating just how marvelous and exceptional this book and the entire series are. The art is phenomenal, the stories moving, and the facts fascinating. NHHT continues to be the gold standard for nonfiction graphic novels.

Author Nathan Hale (not related to the Revolutionary War spy) is a highly accomplished graphic novelist, so much so that I named one of my annual favorites list categories after him. Aside from his great success with this series, he has also published the fictional graphic novels The Mighty Bite,  One Trick Pony and Apocalypse Taco. He has also drawn a few others, including Rapunzel's Revenge and Calamity Jack.

Above the Trenches was published by Amulet Books, and they offer more information about it here.

Hell Phone: Book One

Sometimes, I just have to read a good, creepy story, and Hell Phone fits the bill perfectly. It's the story of a couple of hip (my word, not theirs) best friends and next-door-neighbors, Sissy and Lola, who happen upon a stray flip phone. Strangely the outdated phone continues to ring until they answer it, and when they do they get cryptic directives that lead them all over town.

Spoiler: Whoever the guy is, he's not a hermit, and he was not in that house. I won't spoil what was, but it was gross and horrifying. Of course, no one in authority believes Lola or Sissy, so they are left to their own devices in order to get to the bottom of things. 

As a fan of the teens-who-solves mysteries trope, I really like this well done and contemporary take, and a lot hangs on the two main characters. They are fashionable, savvy, sort of sensible, and darkly humorous. They are also graphically depicted in a wide-eyed, colorful manner that pops. They're cool. They know the kind of story that they are in, and they know how to game the rules. The problem is that the mystery starts taking more turns and involving more people they know, so things start to spiral out of control.

Hell Phone was created by Benji Nate, a comics artist and comedian. She has created a number of other graphic novels and comics, including Catboy, Lorna, and Girl Juice.

This book was named one of the 2023 YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens, and all of the reviews I have read have been positive. Alenka Figa commented on the "cute, appealing visuals and humorous dialogue." Arpad Okay gushed that this "book is establishing new territory in comics and crime pulp fiction." Publishers Weekly called it "a quirky and stylish supernatural mystery that still hits her sweet spot of slice-of-life friendship comics."

Hell Phone was published by Silver Sprocket, and they offer a preview and more info here. You can also read the entire story (so far) online and free at Webtoons. I have not seen Book Two solicited yet, and I hope to see it sometime soon.