Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy

Hockey/romance books seem to be all the rage right now, and I just borrowed this one, published a couple of years ago, from my local library. Have I mentioned before that libraries rule!? I have not read a book by Faith Erin Hicks in a while, and with Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy she is hitting on all cylinders. This books has strong, fully realized characters, interesting personal dynamics and relationships, and a plot that left me wanting more. 

It is about Alix, a star hockey player on a team where her teammate and captain Lindsay constantly berates her in the locker room and on the ice. 

One day she snaps and attacks Lindsay, which shocks everyone and herself. In order to help herself and also convince her coach to approve her invitation to the Canada National Women’s U18 Team’s summer camp, she decides to ask Ezra for help managing her anger. Ezra is a drama kid who presents as gay and deals with a lot of antagonism from a couple of bullies because of that. Alix admires how Ezra can diffuse the hostility directed against him and redirect it through cleverness and humor. The two strike up a friendship and get to know each other. It turns out that Ezra is more gender fluid than gay, and they end up in a relationship.

The artwork and how it conveys emotional scenes and facial expressions is one big reason this book works so well. The characters come to life in their reactions and in actions, but the hockey and drama scenes work just as well as the interpersonal ones. Hicks is magical with her line-work, an alchemist who makes the flat images breathe and emote. 

I also loved how this book contained so many nuanced, complex, and realistic relations. Alix and Ezra's relationship is a focal point of the book, but there are also a few forays into their family lives, including how they deal with their parents and their own relationship issues. None of the love stories here are idealistic or perfect, but they all feel real. In addition, Alix and Ezra have to navigate how some of their friends take these new developments, and they find out about some other unresolved feelings related to bullying from the past. Ironically, it does not look so much in depth at the hockey team dynamics, other than to point out that no on in that locker room ever had Alix's back. The way the book ends is very open-ended, and I hope that it gets a sequel because I would love to spend more time with these characters. They were very easy to fall in love with.

As I mentioned above, this book was written and drawn by Eisner Award winning artist Faith Erin Hicks. She has created some of my favorite books over the past decades, including The Nameless City trilogy, The Adventures of Superhero Girl, Pumpkinheads, and Friends with Boys. She talks about her work on this book as well as her own hockey skills in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read of this book have been positive. Kirkus Reviews wrote that "the ending feels a bit abrupt, but readers will forgive that thanks to the overall incredible storytelling and character building." Ian Keogh concluded, "The general path is predictable, but handled with such delicacy and sympathy that Alix and Ezra carry readers through with the smoothness of skates on ice." Amanda Melilli called it "a feel good romance that doesn’t shy away from the painful side of life."

Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy was published by First Second, and they offer a preview and more here.

Pumpkinheads

Pumpkinheads is a lighthearted but insightful look at a couple of older teens growing up and figuring out who they are. Josiah and Deja are two high school seniors working their last fall at their local pumpkin patch, and they are a pair of opposites. Josiah is a straight-arrow, shy, and has been named MVPPP (Most Valuable Pumpkin Patch Person) almost every month he has worked there. Deja is more outgoing and brash, and she decides that on their last night that Josiah is going to finally talk to Marcy, that girl he's been mooning over for years. She cajoles him to leave their regular post, and they gallivant across the pumpkin in a quest for delightful treats and for him to maybe actually go on a date. It's a night for throwing caution to the wind, she says, and Josiah reluctantly agrees.

 

What follows is a cheerful and funny trip across a pretty fantastic pumpkin patch, with lots of interesting attractions and delicious sounding food. Also, they run into a number of Deja's exes in their sojourn, which makes for some discomfort and humor. Marcy proves elusive to find, as she is pretty mobile and apparently acting as a sweeper. These misadventures give Deja and Josiah lots of time to talk, revisit their past relationships, and reflect on their four years together at the pumpkin patch.

I loved spending time with these characters. Josiah is responsible but clueless in many ways, while Deja is passionate and perceptive, and I appreciate getting to see their dynamic in action. Over the course of the book, they figure out some things about their lives and themselves, and it's a sweet tale. Moreover, there's lots of great banter, and their personalities come across in powerful, relatable fashion. This book might not feature heavy subject matter, but it is a wonderful amusement with excellent character work.

Both of this book's creators, writer Rainbow Rowell and artist Faith Erin Hicks, are highly accomplished in their fields. Rowell is a novelist known for her best-selling books Eleanor & Park, Fangirl, and Wayward Son, as well as for writing the latest version of Runaways for Marvel Comics. The Eisner Award winning Hicks is a graphic novelist who has created some of my favorite books over the past decade, including The Nameless City trilogy, The Adventures of Superhero Girl, and Friends with Boys. Both creators speak about their collaboration on Pumpkinheads in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read of this book have been glowing. In a starred review, Kirkus Reviews summed it up, "A heartwarming, funny story filled with richness and complexity." J. Caleb Mozzocco wrote of the collaboration, "Pumpkinheads simultaneously feels a lot like a Rowell work and a lot like a Hicks work, and it synthesizes the virtues of each half of the creative team in the process of telling a light-hearted but touching teen romance." Karina Yan Glaser wrote that it "is more than a story about a last evening at a beloved pumpkin patch; it is about being confident enough in a friendship to speak both challenge and truth — even the truth that makes you feel vulnerable, but could set you on a new, rewarding path."

Pumpkinheads was published by First Second, and they offer a preview and much more here.

The Stone Heart

The Stone Heart is the second book in the eventual The Nameless City trilogy, and I know that second books can often feel like filler to get through before the dramatic conclusion, but this one left me breathless. So much happens in it that kept me wondering what was to come next that I really don't want to give much detail and spoil things for others. Let me just say that the political scheming gets complicated, there is a murder, and a new war for the city seems to be looming.

Pretty much the detail I will reveal is that a couple of new characters get introduced, friends of Rat. Iniko and Hannya are a couple of street performers. Iniko plays guitar (badly) in a band, and Hannya and her family are acrobats. They are not around for much of the book, but because of them we learn that Kai is pretty good as a musician.

 

Part of what makes this book so compelling is its interesting characters and their relationship dynamics. There are a couple of father/son conflicts, between Kai and his dad as well as between the General of All Blades and his son Erzi, which make for good points of juxtaposition. Also, we learn more about Kai's and Rat's parents. Still with all of this great character work, there is no shortage of action in this book. I cannot wait to see how all of it comes to a conclusion in the next volume.

This book's author Faith Erin Hicks has been an excellent, prolific comics creator, and she is one of my favorite artists. Among her growing list of graphic novel publications are Friends with Boys, Brain Camp, and Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong. She also has published webcomics, including The Adventures of Superhero Girl, which won an Eisner Award. She was joined by Jordie Bellaire who colored this book in beautiful fashion, adding lots of rich, lush flourishes to the detailed illustrations. Hicks speaks about her work on this book in this interview, where it is also announced that this trilogy will be made into a cartoon series.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been glowing. Kirkus Reviews gave it a starred review and explained that it "introduces a few new characters but mostly provides a vital and enthralling closer look at those readers have already met as well as unfurling more of the Chinese-inspired city’s past, as colorist Bellaire brings all to stunning emotional life." Elizabeth Reid wrote that in addition to "its page-turning plot, every page of The Stone Heart has gorgeous, full-color artwork." Oliver Sava commented that it is full of "smart, evocative creative decisions."

The Stone Heart was published by First Second, and they have a preview and much more available here.

A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher.

The Nameless City

The Nameless City is the first book of a trilogy, and I must say it is an impressive introduction that left me eager for the forthcoming volumes. The narrative is set in a fictional Asian city that has no name, or rather it has so many names because it is constantly being conquered and overrun by warring factions that all they are meaningless. The main players are a couple of adolescents named Kaidu and Rat. Kaidu was born a Dao, one of the current occupiers of the city, and he is being trained to be a soldier. Rat is a native to the city, and she lives a hardscrabble existence.

These unlikely friends begin with a very utilitarian relationship: she will teach him to run across rooftops in exchange for him bringing her food and other necessities. Still, their friendship is forbidden, and he should not even be outside by himself in the city. Their secret gets complicated when the pair overhears an assassination plot and are moved to action, but so much of what I appreciated and enjoyed about the story was seeing how a weary partnership led to growing respect and an organic friendship. I foresee many readers growing to feel strongly for Kaidu and Rat in quick fashion.

Additionally, there is a lot of world-building going on here, with entire peoples, legends, classes, tribes, and places being established. But much of it feels very familiar and intriguing, and I was impressed by how quickly I got into the narrative and grew to like these characters. The artwork is impressive; the storytelling expert, and the entire enterprise is exceptionally well packaged. If there is any justice in the world, this book will be very popular.

This book's author Faith Erin Hicks has been an excellent, prolific comics creator, and she is one of my favorite artists. Among her growing list of graphic novel publications are Friends with Boys, Brain Camp, and Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong. She also has published webcomics, including The Adventures of Superhero Girl, which won an Eisner Award. She speaks about her work on this book in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read of this book find it well crafted, and it already has garnered a number of starred reviews. One, from Kirkus Reviews, called it "A superb beginning" and stated that fans "will appreciate its mix of fun and adventure and its exploration of questions of identity, belonging, and history." Another, from Publishers Weekly, praised the "polished " artwork and "significant depth" of the story. Claire Thorne offered a contrary opinion, finding the book too neat, writing that "the simple and predictable nature of the plot left me searching for more intrigue, more tension, and more entanglements between the characters."

The Nameless City was published by First Second, and they have a preview and much more available here.

Thank you, Gina, for the review copy!

The Adventures of Superhero Girl

Faith Erin Hicks has been knocking the ball out of the graphic novel park for a while now. I very much enjoyed her books Friends with Boys and Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong. She is a graphic novelist, webcomics creator, and animator whose growing list of impressive works also includes The War at Ellsmere and Brain Camp. Today I am looking at a compilation of her webcomic, The Adventures of Superhero Girl.

This series began as a strip in Halifax's free weekly newspaper, The Coast, and was also published online. It follows the exploits of a superheroine who is trying to make it in the big city. She has a roommate, short job prospects, and a good, occasionally strained relationship with her mom and golden child older brother.

She does her requisite superheroic duties, which include fighting aliens and ninjas, and of course she also rescues cats from trees.

Aside from creating art packed with personality and verve, Hicks does an excellent job playing with superhero conventions and mixing them with more mundane matters. I think she is awesome at delivering laughs as well as evocative scenes and characters.

The most obvious shift in the compilation from the webcomic is the introduction of color by Cris Peter. He is well versed in coloring comics for all manners of companies, and I enjoy how he makes these strips look slightly pixelated, like print comics did before the 1990s.

I like these comics in either black and white or color, but I thought I'd include an original just for contrast.

The reviews I have read about this book have been overwhelmingly positive. Hillary Brown compared it to Friends with Boys, offering that "this collection is less polished in many ways, but also more charming, especially with Cris Peter’s smart coloring and halftone-dot backgrounds." Laura Sneddon made an impressive list of this book's positive features: "brilliant and funny comic with great characters; starring a woman superhero (whoot!); ninjas!; accessible without any prior comics knowledge; equally enjoyable with said knowledge; kitties!; lovely physical book with extra features and great colouring; suitable for all ages!" Joe Grunenwald summed up, "Your bookshelf will definitely a brighter place for having Superhero Girl on it."

This collection was published by Dark Horse, and they provide a preview here. The online version of the comic can be found here.

Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong

A fresh take on the eternal struggle that is brains versus jocks, Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong is as enjoyable and engaging as it is beautifully and playfully drawn. The central issue here is that there is only enough student group funding to pay for one of these things: new costumes for the cheerleading squad or covering the robotics team at a national competition. Things get ugly when the cheerleaders make Charlie, the likeable, laid back captain of the basketball team, the frontperson in the upcoming student class elections. Also running in this mud-flinging campaign is Nate, the captain of the robotics team, Charlie's next door neighbor, and probably best friend. Neither Nate nor the cheerleaders hold back in going after what they want and the result is one ugly election.

Charlie gets caught in the middle of their squabbles, which we learn is nothing new in his life. He also has issues with his divorced parents and has not spoken to his mother in about a year. Although a lot of what I have described sounds vaguely cliched, in execution this book does not really feel like a retread because of how well the characters, their motivations, and their actions are fleshed out. I do not want to spoil anything, but both sides end up having to collaborate with the other more than they would like, and what begins as an "us versus them" plot shifts. Also, the take on gender and personal dynamics is interesting and nuanced, and overall all of these factors contribute to a comfortingly familiar but still fresh and fun feeling.

The collaborators that pulled up this book are Prudence Shen and Faith Erin Hicks. Shen is an author, and this is her first book. Hicks is graphic novelist, webcomics creator, and animator whose growing list of impressive works includes The War at Ellsmere, Brain Camp, The Adventures of Superhero Girl, and Friends With Boys (one of my favorite books from last year). There are a number of comedic and dramatic scenes in the book, and Hicks does an excellent job of depicting them as well as imbuing a lot of personality into the characters. Both creators speak more about their work on this book in this interview. 

Reviews I have seen of this book praise it for its story, characters, and art. Jonathan H. Liu at GeekDad commented on the story that it "works really well as a comic book" and on the art that "Hicks does a great job of portraying the characters and is able to communicate a lot with facial expressions." The reviewer at Guys Lit Wire wrote that the book struck "a great balance between the humor and pain of being in high school." JD DeLuzio called this book " a standout North American graphic novel that eschews capes, tights, and magic."

A preview and much more are available at the book's official website. It was published by First Second.

A huge thank you to Gina, a wonderful person who sends me review copies of great books such as this one.

Faith Erin Hicks interviewed about Friends with Boys

Here is a great interview Faith Erin Hicks did with John Hogan at Graphic Novel Reporter about Friends with Boys. Enjoy!

Friends with Boys

With Friends with Boys, Faith Erin Hicks paints a very human, relatable, and moving picture of a girl in transition. Maggie has been home-schooled her whole life, but now she is about to enter public high school, and she feels like her life is being turned upside-down. Her mom, her only teacher, has left. Her three older brothers, her only friends, are growing up and becoming distant. Her dad has become the chief of police and has to change how he looks and acts because of his new role. To add to everything, Maggie is also seeing a ghost who follows her around more and more.

Hicks is a long publishing web cartoonist who is known for smart, idiosyncratic series like The Adventures of Superhero Girl and Demonology 101. She has also worked on a number of graphic novels including Brain Camp and The War at Ellsmere. She has won multiple Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards as well as a 2008 Joe Shuster Award for Best Creator (English Language) for her graphic novel Zombies Calling. Hicks talks more about the business side of creating graphic novels in this article.

Thus far this book has been extremely well received, with many expressing enthusiasm to see Hicks' latest work. Reading Rants wrote that "this insightful, smart" graphic novel "does a great job of not only telling the real deal about high school but also sensitively exploring the interesting dynamics of sibling relationships and how brothers and sisters can be your best friends—if you let them." Librarian assistant director Tasha Saecker commented that this book uses the graphic novel format well and that "the story takes several surprising twists, which makes it all the more readable." The tough critics at Kirkus Reviews awarded it a starred review. Also, for those who like to listen to their reviews, here is 3 Chicks Review Comics podcast.

I know it is early in the year, but I would be shocked if this graphic novel did not appear on any year-end "best of" lists. I was taken by how well executed and emotionally charged it was. Hicks is expert at creating small but powerful moments in very subtle ways.

This edition is published by First Second, and they provide a preview, discussion guide, and more here. Friends with Boys is also published as a webcomic.

Brain Camp

Camp Fielding is the answer to troubled parents' prayers. Unruly, troubled, and academically challenged kids check in, and obedient, respectful, and ready to learn young adults check out. And what's more, the camp is absolutely free, though you do have to receive one of their private invitations. Meanwhile at camp and outside of parents' view, the campers face some odd circumstances, including a high amount of camper turnover, strange skin conditions that affect people's foreheads, and the occasional coughing up of feathers.

Jenna and Lucas enter into this "camp for losers," and begin to unravel what is going on. Lucas is a classic down-on-his luck kid. His mom struggles to raise him on her own, and he's fallen in with a bad crowd. Jenna's worst sins are being interested in drama and not following in her sister's footsteps and getting accepted into Yale at age 14. This unlikely pair are the last students excepted to the camp this summer, and they enter a world that is part arts and crafts, part Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

Brain Camp is the second graphic novel collaboration between Susan Kim and Laurence Klavan. Both are playwrights who also write for television. Kim has been nominated for an Emmy Award multiple times and is also famous for her stage adaptation of Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club. Notably, Klavan is also a mystery novelist. Faith Erin Hicks provided the artwork. She has created a few of her own graphic novels, including The War at Ellsmere and Zombies Calling!

From what I have seen, reviews have been mostly positive. Jim Mroczkowski pointed out that Brain Camp is a graphic novel that does not insult adolescents' intelligence and called it "an excellent, unqualified recommendation for anyone who wants to get a young person into comics." Reading Rants found this "sweetly sadistic" story reminiscent of a scary campfire tale. Offering a contrary opinion, Johanna Draper Carlson wrote, "There’s an overall lack of cohesion, leaving me wanting more of the pieces that had nothing to do with the story while not particularly enjoying the predictable main plot."

A preview and video trailer are available here from the book's publisher, First Second.

Thank you, Gina, for the review copy!