I absolutely have to purchase a physical “trophy” copy of this masterful work. Mathias chronicles the work of various anti-fascist groups working against the rise of fascism in the United States with a through line of one particular civilian undercover operative whose real name is never revealed for his safety. Mathias brilliantly balances historical accuracy with narrative depth that both encourages – there are people fighting this –
and discourages – reality shows how so many have escaped the consequences of their actions.
For most of this graphic novel I prepare to write a review that painted it as fair to middling until I reached the author’s note and discovered that this is based on the author’s life. My biggest issue lies with the friend that the main character/author immediately latches onto due to the fact that she is the only other gril her age in the area. (The main character grew up nomadically, on a boat with her parents.) Ultimately, I found the book fine
but it is not one that I would rush to recommend.
I struggled so much through this book. I wanted to enjoy it and found the narrative intriguing at points. Unfortunately, I really struggled to engage with the main character and thus the narrative as a whole. Having read another one of her previous works, a Greek myth retelling, I have to admit that the problem, for me, is likely North’s narrative voice.
If I had read this book ten years ago when it first released, I likely would have learned even more. Since that time I have learned a lot of what the author presented. Even with that, I still appreciated the author’s motive, methodology, and information presented. This is fascinating information, just no longer groundbreaking.
I wish that I had read the original prior to the graphic novel so I could compare the adaptation. That aside, Rhodes created a masterful, heartbreaking narrative about a black boy who tragically, like so many others, finds himself on the wrong end of a gun held by a cop with plenty of implicit bias/racism. You know the tragic outcome at the beginning of the novel since the main character tells the story of what happened after his death with
the appearance of at least one other famous murdered black boy. The art brilliantly complements and enhances the narrative making it even more compelling.
In this YA romcom, the curvy main character finally gets her opportunity to work at the nearby theme park – a Disney-style stand in for licensing reasons of course – and dreams of finally getting her chance to play one of the most famous characters. The rest of the graphic novel holds the expected pushback from the status quo, a Prince Charming like assistant with a heart of gold and a secret past as well as a hijink that pays off in typical
fairytale fashion. This book breaks no new ground and is ultimately fine and a bit forgettable.