Comic Crush Saturday: June 20th, 2020
Welcome to Comic Crush Saturday, our bi-weekly feature focused on the graphic elements of the book world. Comics became a huge part of my life a few years ago when I started reviewing them (and comic related TV shows) on Forever Young Adult. I’ve maintained a pull list through my local comic shop, Isotope Comics, and even got Kelly to start one ;). You’ll find mini-reviews, what we’ve read recently, and more so check it out!
Featured Reviews of the Week
Fence: Rivals
by C.S. Pacat, Johanna the MadPublished by: BOOM! Box
on June 25, 2020
Audible
Goodreads
The team at King’s Row must face the school that defeated them in the fencing state championships last year, but first Nicholas and Seiji must learn to work together as a team...and maybe something more!
FOILED AGAIN?
Just as Nicholas, Seiji and the fencing team at the prodigious Kings Row private school seem to be coming together, a deadly rival from their past stands in their way once more. MacRobertson is the school that knocked Kings Row out of the State Championships last year - but unless Nicholas and Seiji can learn to work together as a team, their school is doomed once again! And maybe those two can learn to be something more than teammates too…
For the first time, best-selling novelist C.S. Pacat (Captive Prince) and popular online sensation Johanna The Mad present the next all-new thrilling chapter in the story of Nicholas Cox’s entry into the world of competitive fencing where scoring points is the name of the game—but finding out who you really are is the only way to truly win!
I thought we were going to have to wait until Fence: Striking Distance to get more of this slow burn, angsty fencing story but SURPRISE, Fence: Rivals will soon be here.
At the end of vol 3, we see Nicholas and Seiji face off after 12 issues of WILL YOU JUST KISS ALREADY and Fence: Rivals follows that by tossing the team into a, well, TEAM environment. So much of the fencing we’ve seen has been focused on individual attainment, giving Rivals a new take on familiar characters.
I loved that this story focused not on the rivalry within the team but within the sport. This team has their individual strengths but we’ve never seen them take on a challenge together. This pushes them all in new ways, and we see new sides of each of them.
I can’t wait to see where Sarah Rees Brennan takes them in Striking Distance. I’m on board so long as my slow burn continues to spark!
The new DC UNIVERSE drama series, STARGIRL follows high school sophomore Courtney Whitmore (series star BREC BASSINGER) as she inspires an unlikely group of young heroes to take up the legacy of a long lost superhero team – The Justice Society of America – and stop the villains of the past.
I’ve been looking for a reason to return to DC shows and Stargirl is it. By far the best of the DC shows (yes, it’s obvious within 2 episodes what a winner this series is), Stargirl follows a young woman who takes up the mantle of Stargirl and her improbable team up with her new stepfather, the former sidekick known as Stripsey. I absolutely adored the first few eps and am DYING for more.
If you’re looking for the modern take on heroes that we saw in Cloak and Dagger, the fun of Spider-Man, or the heart of Shazam!, look no further than Stargirl, airing now on the CW!
Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed
by Laurie Halse Anderson, Leila del DucaPublished by: DC Comics
on June 2, 2020
Pages: 208
Audible
Goodreads
New York Times bestselling author Laurie Halse Anderson (Speak, Shout) and artist Leila del Duca reimagine Wonder Woman's origins in this timely story about the refugee experience, teenage activism, and finding the love and strength to create change.
Princess Diana believes that her 16th birthday will be one of new beginnings--namely acceptance into the warrior tribe of Amazons. The celebrations are cut short, however, when rafts of refugees break through the Themysciran barrier. Diana tries to help them, but she is swept away by the sea--and from her home--thus becoming a refugee herself.
Now Diana must survive in the world outside of Themyscira for the first time; the world that is filled with danger and injustice. She must redefine what it means to belong, to be an Amazon, and to make a difference.
Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed is a story about growing into your strength, battling for justice, and the power of friendship.
Anderson’s Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed novel takes on:
- The patriarchy
- Child trafficking
- Immigration
- Puberty
- Family – and found family
The DC graphic novels just keep getting better and better, savoring canon when it works and tossing it out when it doesn’t. These novels are fresh but familiar – and Tempest Tossed is one of the best yet. With art that draws readers (beautiful line work, excellent layouts, and a color palette perfect for the story), this story is one readers won’t soon forget.
Also, I want to see some amazing cosplays when conventions resume!
Primer
by Jennifer Muro, Thomas Krajewski, Gretel LuskyPublished by: DC Comics
on June 23, 2020
Pages: 160
Audible
Goodreads
Primer introduces a brand-new superhero with a colorful array of superpowers to explore.
Ashley Rayburn is an upbeat girl with a decidedly downbeat past. Her father is a known criminal who once used Ashley to help him elude justice, and in his attempt to escape, a life was taken. He now sits in federal prison, but still casts a shadow over Ashley's life. In the meantime, Ashley has bounced from foster home to foster home and represents a real challenge to the social workers who try to help her--not because she's inherently bad, but because trouble always seems to find her.
Ashley's latest set of presumably short-term foster parents are Kitch and Yuka Nolan. Like Ashley, Kitch happens to be an artist. Yuka, on the other hand, is a geneticist working for a very high-level tech company, one that's contracted out to work for the government and the military. And it's Yuka's latest top secret project that has her very concerned. Developed for the military, it's a set of body paints that, when applied to the wearer, grant them a wide range of special powers. Fearful that this invention will be misused, Yuka sneaks the set of paints home, substituting a dummy suitcase with an ordinary set of paints in their place.
From here, signals get crossed. Ashley comes home from school one day with her new friend Luke and, thinking that the Nolans have purchased a surprise gift for her upcoming birthday, finds the set of paints. Being an artist, Ashley naturally assumes these are for her. It isn't long before she realizes that she's stumbled upon something much bigger and a lot more dangerous. Although she uses her newly discovered powers for good, it's not long before the military becomes wise to what happened to their secret weapon. And this spells big trouble not only for Ashley, but for her newfound family and friends as well.
| 13 year old Ashley has had a rough go at life. When her dad is incarcerated for murder, Ashley lands in foster care. Convinced she’s as bad as her emotionally abusive dad, she continually strikes out on foster parents. Until she finds the ones who see her for who she is. Primer is a sweet introduction to a new superhero that kids and adults can relate to. It’s a story of family and friendship and taking risks. I love that Primer is a new hero in the DCU; part of what makes this graphic novel great is it doesn’t rely on canon. Stacked with vibrant colors and art that jumps off the page, this is bound to find a place on everyone’s shelves! |
What We Can’t Wait For
You’re right, I didn’t know I needed this and now….I do!
Best News of the Week
The best news!
x2!
August can’t come soon enough.
Fight racism alongside Superman (and Gene Luen Yang!)
I, too, can not believe this. Can’t wait to see what Noelle does next.
