Action-packed manga-inspired mysteries.
A collection of illustrated supernatural adventures.
The titular Yellow Stringer is a gossipy tabloid that reports on strange, often otherworldly happenings in town. Most people think it’s a gimmick, but seasoned journalist Naomi, who writes for the paper, knows that everything they cover is real. As this work opens, she’s just gotten a new partner—Tony, an ex-cop who quit the force for reasons he won’t readily divulge. For their first assignment together, they’re off to investigate an ancient Egyptian artifact stolen from the local museum. It belonged to Pharaoh Rehema Abayomi II; she was said to command armies of the undead using an emerald. While Tony’s a skeptic, Naomi believes this theft has triggered a curse and has something to do with rumors floating around about zombies appearing in the area. In another section, Naomi and Tony investigate murders in the Grey Heights Cemetery. Later, Naomi confronts the Abyss Demon of Choice, who has Tony under its thrall. This volume utilizes grayscale, manga-style illustrations in flashy, dynamic panels to collect several loosely related adventures featuring the Yellow Stringer reporters. Often a bit over-the-top and sometimes tropey, these journeys will nevertheless bring readers lots of fun. Naomi and Tony have light skin and black hair; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast.
Action-packed manga-inspired mysteries. (Manga. 16-adult)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-7603-7690-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Rockport Publishers
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Even so, this remains Macbeth, arguably the Bard of Avon’s most durable and multilayered tragedy, and overall, this enhanced...
A pairing of the text of the Scottish Play with a filmed performance, designed with the Shakespeare novice in mind.
The left side of the screen of this enhanced e-book contains a full version of Macbeth, while the right side includes a performance of the dialogue shown (approximately 20 lines’ worth per page). This granular focus allows newcomers to experience the nuances of the play, which is rich in irony, hidden intentions and sudden shifts in emotional temperature. The set and costuming are deliberately simple: The background is white, and Macbeth’s “armor” is a leather jacket. But nobody’s dumbing down their performances. Francesca Faridany is particularly good as a tightly coiled Lady Macbeth; Raphael Nash-Thompson gives his roles as the drunken porter and a witch a garrulousness that carries an entertainingly sinister edge. The presentation is not without its hiccups. Matching the video on the right with the text on the left means routinely cutting off dramatic moments; at one point, users have to swipe to see and read the second half of a scene’s closing couplet—presumably an easy fix. A “tap to translate” button on each page puts the text into plain English, but the pop-up text covers up Shakespeare’s original, denying any attempts at comparison; moreover, the translation mainly redefines more obscure words, suggesting that smaller pop-ups for individual terms might be more meaningful.
Even so, this remains Macbeth, arguably the Bard of Avon’s most durable and multilayered tragedy, and overall, this enhanced e-book makes the play appealing and graspable to students . (Enhanced e-book. 12 & up)Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2013
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: The New Book Press LLC
Review Posted Online: Nov. 6, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2013
Flawed but thrilling.
Black-and-white illustrations share the storytelling load in this manga adaptation of Bram Stoker’s classic tale.
A business trip becomes a source of gothic terror when a strange client named Count Dracula insists that solicitor Jonathan Harker remain in his castle in Transylvania indefinitely. Meanwhile, Harker’s fiancee, Mina, stays with her friend Lucy, whose sleepwalking problem puts her in the path of a creature who needs fresh blood. Lucy’s three suitors, with help from a trusted doctor, try to save Lucy, but when she dies and becomes one of the undead, they set her soul free in a gruesome ritual before joining forces with Harker to pursue Dracula. Mina is kept apart from the action because women are deemed unsuitable for such work, but this does not prevent her from becoming a target. The gender-based violence is more disturbing when depicted in images rather than the original text, and although the Count is described as pale, he is illustrated in dark hues and shadow, reinforcing tropes of lightness and darkness as good and evil, respectively. Journals, newspapers, letters, and telegrams are set in text boxes in varying fonts. The different characters’ perspectives feel somewhat disjointed, but the pace of the action will keep readers engaged to the end.
Flawed but thrilling. (cast of characters, how to read manga, editor’s note, guide to fonts, character design sketchbook) (Graphic novel. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-947808-06-5
Page Count: 300
Publisher: Manga Classics
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
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