The Girl Who Owned a City

The Girl Who Owned a City by Dan Jolley. Illus by Joëlle Jones (Graphic Universe, 2012, 132pp.)

Lisa Nelson and her brother Todd live in a world without adult supervision—and it’s not as fun as it might sound. A deadly virus has killed every person over the age of 12. It’s everyone for himself, pretty much. Lisa has managed to support both Todd and herself by scavenging for food, but it’s not a lifestyle that she’s very fond of. After their food supply is stolen by Tom, the neighborhood bully and his gang, Lisa decides she’s had enough. She gathers the other children in the neighborhood and forms a community—a “city,” in her mind—that will live together and share food. Lisa and her followers settle into the abandoned local high school, building defenses and hidden tunnels—and soon find themselves under attack from Tom’s army. Adapted from O.T. Nelson’s 1975 novel of the same name, this treatment of the oft-visited “kids in control” theme is fast-paced and exciting. While there is some violence, including use of guns and guard dogs, the situations aren’t too perilous. Recommended for young adults, but could be enjoyed by older elementary children as well.

Not Terrible, But Certainly Disappointing

Bloody Chester by J.T. Petty. Illus by Hilary Florido (First Second, 2012, 160pp.)

Set somewhere in the Old West, Bloody Chester follows the story of Chester Kates, a ragged teenage waif who’s always falling in and out of bar fights. After one particular scrape, a man from the railroad company plucks him from the gutter, gives him clothes, a gun, and a mission: burn the neighboring town of Whale to the ground to make way for the brand new rail-line. When he reaches the town in question, however, he finds plague victims littering the streets, and a dead man with a sign around his neck that reads: Coyote Waits. Three survivors are all that remain: Caroline, a young woman whose father has fled to the hills, Father Goodnight, the ailing town priest, and Potter, his dimwitted adopted son. Despite Chester’s urgings, the three refuse to leave. Caroline is waiting for her father’s return, and the priest, who has just come down with the “heathen plague,” has quarantined himself and is determined to die alone for the betterment of mankind. As Chester continues his efforts to lead them to safety, he soon discovers the true horror of the plague’s origin.

Bloody Chester isn’t a terrible graphic novel, but when all is said and done, it’s a pretty big disappointment. Petty employs some big themes, like the corruptness of Western men and the savagery of modern progress. He even goes so far as to suggest that the “heathen plague” is brought upon Whale by moral corruption, not actual disease--which, coupled with the Old West setting, is pretty cool at first. Unfortunately, the author abandons his exploration of these “big themes” in order to pursue a confusing series of convoluted plot twists that left me thinking, “I’ve read better.” Much, much better. Recommended for Ages 16-18 for Language.

A Nice Opening Act To Continuing The Series

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Season 8), Vol. 1: The Long Way Home by Joss Whedon. Illus by Georges Jeanty (Dark Horse, 2007, 136pp.)

“The thing about changing the world...once you do it, the world’s all different.”

A lot has changed in the Buffyverse since the hit show Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended in 2003. Now, instead of there being one Chosen Slayer, there are 1,800 of them. In addition to this, wicked witch Amy has teamed up with a skinless, reanimated Warren from Season 6. Oh, and did I mention that the United States Armed Forces is out for Buffy’s head?
 
Where the TV seasons were made of 22 episodes, this graphic novel “season” is made up of eight volumes. There’s not much I can say about The Long Way Home. While not exactly emotionally engaging, it still exhibits the series’ trademark quirkiness, and acts as a nice foundation stone for continuing a much beloved series, albeit in a different genre.

Showcases Faith's Nonconventional Nature, While Advances the Plot on Twilight

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Season 8), Vol. 2: No Future For You by Brian K. Vaughan and Joss Whedon. Illus by Georges Jeanty (Dark Horse, 2008, 120pp.)

“The final triumph of the base humans over the demons. It’s your life’s goal achieved, slayer. The death of magic.”

In the first story of this volume, “No Future For You,” Giles recruits Faith on a secret mission to take out high-class Slayer, Lady Genevieve, who kills weaker Slayers for sport. Faith strikes up a surprising friendship with her intended target, but finds herself conflicted when Lady Genevieve declares her intentions to kill Buffy. She’s always felt second-best when it comes to perfect Buffy, but will she stand by and let her on-again, off-again ally be slain? “No Future For You” probes Faith’s complicated character, showcasing her non-conventional nature, while highlighting her secret desire for acceptance.

In the second story, “Anywhere But Here,” Buffy and Willow seek mystical guidance to the series’ current Big Bad, Twilight. His goal? To bring about the death of all magic. While this story definitely moves the overall plot forward, it’s somewhat confusing, in that it mentions things that make me wonder if I missed something from the first volume. Despite these shortcomings, it’s a pretty entertaining volume overall, and makes me want to move on to Volume 3.

Adventures of a Stand-Out 21st Century Heroine

Faith, Vol. 1: Hollywood and Vine by Jody Houser. Illus by Francis Portela and Marguerite Sauvage (Valiant Comics, 2016, 112pp.)

Faith Herbert: daydreamer, pop culture geek, and plus-sized super-heroine. In a world where her superhero ex-boyfriend, Torque, makes millions with his own reality TV show, Faith quietly chooses to pay the rent as a mild-mannered entertainment blogger at Zipline. On her own time,  she takes to the skies searching for ways to help out humanity, even if it is just busting a gang of jerks trying to steal puppies from a shelter. But now someone’s kidnapping psiots, other superheroes like herself, and her determination to save them just might blow her cover.

I have to say, I was very impressed with Faith. In addition to being a real sweetie, she’s also a good role model. She knows how to stand up for herself, and seems genuinely comfortable with both her body-type and herself as a person. In other words, she’s stand-out 21st century heroine. Aside from one instance of bad language (a bad guy uses a well-known slang term for urination), there’s very little objectionable content, making this a perfect fit for teen readers, Ages 13-Up.

Well-Meaning, But Lack of Subtlety Dampens Overall Quality

Stereotypical Freaks (Forever Friends #1) by Howard Shapiro. Illus by Joe Pekar (Animal Media Group, 2012, 140pp.)

Senior class misfits Tom and Dan want to participate in their school’s Battle of the Bands. Dan plays a mean bass, and Tom is a whiz on both guitar and keyboard—but two people, unfortunately, don’t a band make. They still need a drummer and at least one more guitarist if they want a chance at beating the competition. That's when Tom reaches out to Mark, a former friend and now star athlete, for his mad guitar skills. Later, they’re joined by exchange student Jacoby, who proves to be formidable on the drums. And so is born a new band, the “Stereotypical Freaks.” As the night of the competition draws close, the four boys revel in their awesome new sound—until one of them comes forward with a heartbreaking secret. Will misunderstanding and tragedy unmoor their new-found sense of comradery? Or will it bring them closer together?

Oh, where to begin? The thing I liked most about this graphic novel were the lists of suggested songs at the beginning of each chapter. Since I was reading this as a galley on my computer, I was able to go to YouTube and listen to the songs as I read, which was really a nice touch. Supporters of the We Need Diverse Books movement will also be pleased by the inclusion of minority characters as key players in the story. Mark is black and has two mothers, while Jacoby is Inuit. However, that's where my praise ends. Although it’s a nice, well-meaning story with an important message, it also tends to suffer from preachiness and lack of subtlety. When the boys are discussing possibilities for their new band name, Tom muses: 

“The name should be unique to us...who we are, what we are. And when people look at us I think they see four, I guess for lack of a better word, stereotypes… We have a brainiac, a goof with zero social skills […], an African-American football star and a tiny and very shy foreign exchange student… To them, that is who we are. The truth is, we’re not the stereotypes they define us as. In a way we are freaks...because we're not who we’re perceived as.”

This is where, as a writer, I’m going to on my creativity high horse and point out that in a good story, readers should be able to pick up on themes by themselves. If a story requires direct intervention by the writer, then the story isn’t as strong as it could be. And unfortunately, I think that’s the case here. Recommended for older teens, ages 16-Up.

A Swift, Funny, Moving Sports Story

Ghost (Track, #1) by Jason Reynolds

Castle “Ghost” Cranshaw knows how to run from his problems. Three years ago, his dad went after him and his mom with a gun, and the two of them had to run for their lives. His dad’s in prison now, but Ghost and his mom are still dealing with the emotional fallout. Ghost is a good kid, but his past has left him angry and with an attitude problem. One day, he decides to disrupt the school’s track team tryouts by running onto the field and beating everyone’s best time. Some coaches would discipline him for the interruption—but loud-mouthed Coach Brody is impressed with Ghost’s athletic ability, and ends up giving him a shot at making the team. To his surprise, Ghost really likes the other track candidates, and adopts the group as his own. He decides he’ll do anything to make the team. But when he steals a pair of new track shoes to replace his torn-up sneakers, he comes to realize that his bad choices just might cost him everything.

Swift, funny, and moving, Ghost is a gem. While there’s some potentially heavy stuff on the story’s periphery (characters have conversations about abuse, parental drug use, and hard upbringings), Reynolds deftly handles it in a way suitable for younger teens. The first installment in a projected trilogy, it’s the perfect book for librarians to hand to students or parents seeking “clean” realistic fiction. Recommended for Grade 6-8.