RaveBooklistDebuting comics artist Dungo weaves a beautiful memoir of love, loss, and surfing ... Dungo tells these stories with a sure hand, weaving time lines and seemingly disparate elements into a rich, cohesive tale. The simply drawn illustrations are elegant and economical but deeply powerful ... A beautiful tribute to first love and living life to its absolute fullest.
Box Brown
PositiveBooklistBrown’s signature style supports the narrative well, using grayscale panels and simple, uncluttered cartoon style to deliver the facts in an accessible, straightforward manner ... an illuminating look at a complicated and relevant topic. Teens working on current events assignments will appreciate its inviting approach and critical lens.
Emma
PositiveBooklistThe somewhat flat illustrations are simply drawn figures set against extensive white space, yet they convey a remarkable amount of information through body language and facial expressions. The intensity and universality of the issues can feel overwhelming, but the gravity is tempered somewhat by pointed humor. What is so clearly evident throughout is the physical and emotional toll extracted from women and people of color by societies that continue to value white men above all others. Timely and necessary.
David Small
PositiveBooklistVeteran artist and illustrator Small turns a deeply focused lens onto the isolation, loneliness, and relentless cruelty of male adolescence in this immensely powerful new work ... Thirteen-year-old Russell Pruitt, abandoned by his mother and losing his father to a slow decline into alcoholism, navigates a seemingly endless minefield of social interactions as he attempts to integrate into his new school and neighborhood ... Drawn in Small’s signature style, the narrative feels more like a series of sketches that capture the choices made by Russell and the people around him; snapshots of actions and consequences than a traditional narrative ... Spare and powerful, this is not to be missed.
Aminder Dhaliwal
PositiveBooklistThe diverse cast of appealing characters, including a nudist mayor and transgender matriarch, focus on the practical realities of running a village, but the lack of conflict leaves plenty of time for leisure, including a memorable exploration of an adult novelty store. The sequential panels feature uncluttered, simple line drawings and grayscale tones that are energized through highly expressive body language and dry, humorous dialogue. Although their web-comic origins lend an episodic feel, several longer story arcs and the overall tone bind these vignettes together into a highly enjoyable, cohesive volume.
