Good hook to pull you into the series that both sets the stage while not bothering with a bunch of exposition. Instant chemistry among the characters Good hook to pull you into the series that both sets the stage while not bothering with a bunch of exposition. Instant chemistry among the characters and a feeling of lost souls creating found family. Enough to check out subsequent volumes....more
Cute, light middle-grade graphic novel in the DC Universe about two junior-high supers (one who wants to be a super hero and one who is already a deceCute, light middle-grade graphic novel in the DC Universe about two junior-high supers (one who wants to be a super hero and one who is already a decent villain/thief) who trade bodies accidentally and have to learn how to appreciate each other and accept themselves. Decent diversity and great matriarchs as a bonus....more
4.5 stars - a sweet and melancholy study of culture, inherent bias, and the meaning of family (of-origin and found). Looking forward to the follow-up
K4.5 stars - a sweet and melancholy study of culture, inherent bias, and the meaning of family (of-origin and found). Looking forward to the follow-up
Kana's (big, hairy, affable Canadian) uncle Mike appears out of nowhere one day and asks to visit and get to know his deceased husband's family in Japan. Kana and her father Yaichi invite him to stay and slowly adapt to all the cultural ways in which they are different (he hugs!) and the ways in which he's not as different as they thought. Yaichi and his brother were twins and while he didn't outright reject him when Ryoji came out, he now questions if he withdrew out of prejudice. Both men grieve their loss while Kana blossoms with another grown-up to love (and be loved in return). It's a lovely story that doubles as armchair travel during the quarantine as I learned a lot about Japanese culture at the same time.
note - I always struggle reading graphic novels from right to left but this domestic story (with a lot of dialogue) is just the right pace and clarity to keep me in the loop. ...more
3.5stars - I nearly gave up 50pages in as the beginning feels incredibly derivative of the original: 80's nihilism vibe, lack of women-who-speak/displ3.5stars - I nearly gave up 50pages in as the beginning feels incredibly derivative of the original: 80's nihilism vibe, lack of women-who-speak/display-agency, Rorschach 'i am sam' narration, its-the-end-of-the-world again media circus... but it gets a bit better eventually. Most of the time it's a cross between the original and the worst hyper-masculine Batman volumes (e.g. Killing Joke) but a few items make it worth wasting some quarantine time: sliding into Gotham as an alternate earth/a decent wacko-couple alternative to Joker/a black and white noir tv serial re-running in the background as an alternative to the pulpy pirate horror story-within-a-story from the original. There are also surprisingly tender (or at least humane) scenes in retirement homes and psychiatric wards (during which many of the tv re-runs feature).
Bechdel test: doesn't even show up for the exam...more
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