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The Divine
Mark's out of the military, these days, with his boring, safe civilian job doing explosives consulting. But you never really get away from war. So it feels inevitable when his old army buddy Jason comes calling, with a lucrative military contract for a mining job in an obscure South-East Asian country called Quanlom. They'll have to operate under the radar--Quanlom is being torn apart by civil war, and the US military isn't strictly supposed to be there.
With no career prospects and a baby on the way, Mark finds himself making the worst mistake of his life and signing on with Jason. What awaits him in Quanlom is going to change everything.
What awaits him in Quanlom is weirdness of the highest order: a civil war led by ten-year-old twins wielding something that looks a lot like magic, leading an army of warriors who look a lot like gods.
What awaits him in Quanlom is an actual goddamn dragon.
From world-renowned artists Asaf and Tomer Hanuka (twins, whose magic powers are strictly confined to pen and paper) and Boaz Lavie, The Divine is a fast-paced, brutal, and breathlessly beautiful portrait of a world where ancient powers vie with modern warfare and nobody escapes unscathed.
With no career prospects and a baby on the way, Mark finds himself making the worst mistake of his life and signing on with Jason. What awaits him in Quanlom is going to change everything.
What awaits him in Quanlom is weirdness of the highest order: a civil war led by ten-year-old twins wielding something that looks a lot like magic, leading an army of warriors who look a lot like gods.
What awaits him in Quanlom is an actual goddamn dragon.
From world-renowned artists Asaf and Tomer Hanuka (twins, whose magic powers are strictly confined to pen and paper) and Boaz Lavie, The Divine is a fast-paced, brutal, and breathlessly beautiful portrait of a world where ancient powers vie with modern warfare and nobody escapes unscathed.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2015
15 people are currently reading
1970 people want to read
About the author
Boaz Lavie
2 books1 followerBoaz Lavie is an Israeli writer, filmmaker and game designer, notable for writing the New York Times best-selling graphic novel and Hugo Award nominee The Divine, a collaboration with the illustrators Asaf Hanuka and Tomer Hanuka.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 293 reviews
August 7, 2015
I was given a copy at Comic-Con, and because I had it with me, I read it almost immediately while I was eating.
This book is a great example of why it's important to read books that are given to you/recommended by other people. It's not something I would have picked up on my own. What's more, I doubt I ever would have seen it, as it's not the sort of comic my local comic book store stocks.
Some people would probably call this book magical realism. (I wouldn't, not because it's a bad description, but because I hate that term.) I prefer thinking of it as a story with fantastic elements.
Good storytelling. Nice use of fantastic elements. And I enjoyed the little bit of Meta thrown in, too.
Best of all, I learned something interesting about the real world. I learned about Johnny and Luther Htoo. This book would be worth it for me even if it were nothing but blank pages except for the names of those two kids.
This book is a great example of why it's important to read books that are given to you/recommended by other people. It's not something I would have picked up on my own. What's more, I doubt I ever would have seen it, as it's not the sort of comic my local comic book store stocks.
Some people would probably call this book magical realism. (I wouldn't, not because it's a bad description, but because I hate that term.) I prefer thinking of it as a story with fantastic elements.
Good storytelling. Nice use of fantastic elements. And I enjoyed the little bit of Meta thrown in, too.
Best of all, I learned something interesting about the real world. I learned about Johnny and Luther Htoo. This book would be worth it for me even if it were nothing but blank pages except for the names of those two kids.
October 18, 2024
Lord of the Flies meets Heart of Darkness meets The X-Men - this story of magic, war and redemption is original and questions many of the geopolitical mistakes that were made in the past (and continue to be made today). A very different kind of horror story that will hit close to home and raise lots of questions about culture and power.
July 30, 2015
A rather clumsy meditation on the effects of colonialism and war: the story looks pretty but ultimately feels shallow and a little silly in its contrived, one-dimensional approach. If you are interested in the topic I highly recommend the much more insightful and complex 2012 movie Rebelle - War Witch.
April 9, 2016
Created by the Hanuka twin brothers, this anti-colonialist tale had as its initiation a photograph I recall from social media: two twin 12 year olds, one of them smoking, both of them looking decades older than their years. They became famous for taking over a building in protest that the Burmese had taken over their lands. They became legend for having magical powers, too.
The Hanuka twins (yeah, that's interesting, isn't it, the twins writing about twins angle?!) are obsessed with this photograph and what it represents, and so they make up a story about a wholly evil white Ugly American "independent contractor" who blows up places in Asia for American profits. As the Hanukas see it, this is the kind of thing that upsets supernatural forces, magic, dragons, and so on. The kids are connected to these spirits. The indigenous children are protecting the land from the Imperialists. Sounds cool, this idea for a book, yes? I thought so, too.
So, it also gets a tad confusing for me: A Good Guy American goes there with his above-mentioned evil "friend" to blow up stuff for profit? But how could he be friends with Mr. Evil? Old friendship, they now have nothing in common? Doesn't make much sense to me, isn't convincing, and he's a stereotype of the Hulk-like American jarhead. Why does Good Guy go to do this Evil Colonialist thing? Well, his wife is having a baby, and he needs the money. . . but then Mr Good Guy encounters the kids, the twins. . . and then things get crazy. Some graphic violence happens of the First (or Last, depending on your view of this stuff) Order, and some of it I thought maybe crossed some lines. . . pretty gruesome. You might disagree.
But most of all I didn't like the simplistic version of post-colonialism, as much as I agree with it in principle. It felt suddenly like it was Colonialism 101 for a YA audience. And then the twins go from ultra-violent to Super Nice on a dime. Not convincing that after all the horror they still have this heart of gold, I say.
I wanted to like this very much more than I did, because I think there ought to be more post-colonialist comics, and more political comics, and while I think the art is pretty great, I also think it was somewhat disappointing in so many ways as it went rushing to the violent pen-ultimate conclusion (before Mr Good Guy goes home and we--in a jump to the future--see his baby has been born and is now 4 or 5). Some of the somewhat touching issues that happen between Good Guy and son seem to indicate an environmentalist and anti-colonialism future for the kid, and I like that. But I wanted a little more complexity in the characters. So this is good, not great, in my opinion.
The Hanuka twins (yeah, that's interesting, isn't it, the twins writing about twins angle?!) are obsessed with this photograph and what it represents, and so they make up a story about a wholly evil white Ugly American "independent contractor" who blows up places in Asia for American profits. As the Hanukas see it, this is the kind of thing that upsets supernatural forces, magic, dragons, and so on. The kids are connected to these spirits. The indigenous children are protecting the land from the Imperialists. Sounds cool, this idea for a book, yes? I thought so, too.
So, it also gets a tad confusing for me: A Good Guy American goes there with his above-mentioned evil "friend" to blow up stuff for profit? But how could he be friends with Mr. Evil? Old friendship, they now have nothing in common? Doesn't make much sense to me, isn't convincing, and he's a stereotype of the Hulk-like American jarhead. Why does Good Guy go to do this Evil Colonialist thing? Well, his wife is having a baby, and he needs the money. . . but then Mr Good Guy encounters the kids, the twins. . . and then things get crazy. Some graphic violence happens of the First (or Last, depending on your view of this stuff) Order, and some of it I thought maybe crossed some lines. . . pretty gruesome. You might disagree.
But most of all I didn't like the simplistic version of post-colonialism, as much as I agree with it in principle. It felt suddenly like it was Colonialism 101 for a YA audience. And then the twins go from ultra-violent to Super Nice on a dime. Not convincing that after all the horror they still have this heart of gold, I say.
I wanted to like this very much more than I did, because I think there ought to be more post-colonialist comics, and more political comics, and while I think the art is pretty great, I also think it was somewhat disappointing in so many ways as it went rushing to the violent pen-ultimate conclusion (before Mr Good Guy goes home and we--in a jump to the future--see his baby has been born and is now 4 or 5). Some of the somewhat touching issues that happen between Good Guy and son seem to indicate an environmentalist and anti-colonialism future for the kid, and I like that. But I wanted a little more complexity in the characters. So this is good, not great, in my opinion.
first-second-publications
July 16, 2015The Hanuka's art looks like nothing else -- and it's amazing.
Combine that with a gory, violent, challenging story, and you've got to check out this story about colonialism and finding that the world is stranger than you'd ever thought. (Because it is!)
Combine that with a gory, violent, challenging story, and you've got to check out this story about colonialism and finding that the world is stranger than you'd ever thought. (Because it is!)
May 13, 2016
Set on a distant, hostile continent, this is a modern day fairy tale of magic and dragons, tragedy and revenge. Based part on real life, part legend the story was powerful but relatable. The saturated art is just gorgeous, even when it's gory.
Nominated for the 2016 Hugo Award, and rightly so.
Nominated for the 2016 Hugo Award, and rightly so.
July 19, 2015
Dark and weird and gorgeously illustrated. Video review here.
April 3, 2016
Never mind inspiration, I got the distinct impression that this book only exists because the team wanted to tell a story based around this picture:
And they did, they just didn't use enough pages to fully develop a story.
The only character fleshed out in detail is Mark, an explosives technician, reluctantly working a special ops assignment and generally being a decent guy. This seems a shame when the book is trying to be about child soldier twins with special powers.
The fantasy element is there, but like everything else, it gets so little development that the end of the book could just as easily have been "It was all just a dream/fever/illusion, lol" without impacting any of the conclusions.
And they did, they just didn't use enough pages to fully develop a story.
The only character fleshed out in detail is Mark, an explosives technician, reluctantly working a special ops assignment and generally being a decent guy. This seems a shame when the book is trying to be about child soldier twins with special powers.
The fantasy element is there, but like everything else, it gets so little development that the end of the book could just as easily have been "It was all just a dream/fever/illusion, lol" without impacting any of the conclusions.
April 1, 2021
Gorgeous, beautiful art. The story feels rather simplistic, and feels more than a bit exploitative.
August 15, 2017
Sometimes you read a book and you can’t help but admire a certain cinematic quality which makes the book so damn easy to picture on-screen. The Divine most definitely has this undeniable quality. The story follows Mark, an explosives consultant who gets caught up in a secret government operation with one of old military friends. Travelling to an obscure South-East-Asian country called Quanlom for a demolition project sounds simple enough, but upon meeting some orphaned children on their journey, they discover that the country’s burgeoning civil war isn’t quite what it seems. As far as I know, The Divine is a standalone graphic novel and to be honest, it really does work. The story is fast-paced and gripping, and despite the short introduction, Mark comes across as a multi-faceted and intriguing character. The artwork will definitely not be to everyone’s tastes, but if you enjoy action-packed stories with hints of magic, then definitely check this one out.
Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 1, 2021
Mark is an explosives expert with his first child on the way. He needs money and accepts a 2 week job in Quanlon. There, they wire a mountaintop to explode. On the way back to camp, they come across a child who needs help. From there things dip into the mystical and I'll stop here so as to not spoil the rest. Solid story and art.
July 11, 2015
This is the BEST FUCKING THING. I decided to gamble that the First Second booth at SDCC would have this even though it doesn't come out till next week. The editor who sold it to me was psyched that I picked it up. I read it waiting in line for Sharknado 3 and when I finished it, I was a foot away from Tara Reid in hot pink lipstick.
This book has magic powers.
It's sort of set up to be a story about Nature punishing the world of man through a tribe of Third World orphans, which, you know, is sort of morally questionable as much as it is totally earnest, but in THE DIVINE it works as fuck. You know when the hits are coming, and the Evil White Guy is so evil and so white, but this book still nails it to the sticking place. It sets you up to feel, and then feels you all the feels.
Also it is goddamn so beautiful. SO. MUCH. PAIN. SO. MUCH. DRAGON.
This book comes out in a week. You think you want it, and you are right.
This book has magic powers.
It's sort of set up to be a story about Nature punishing the world of man through a tribe of Third World orphans, which, you know, is sort of morally questionable as much as it is totally earnest, but in THE DIVINE it works as fuck. You know when the hits are coming, and the Evil White Guy is so evil and so white, but this book still nails it to the sticking place. It sets you up to feel, and then feels you all the feels.
Also it is goddamn so beautiful. SO. MUCH. PAIN. SO. MUCH. DRAGON.
This book comes out in a week. You think you want it, and you are right.
March 2, 2017
Ok, this would probably be 2-3 stars without the art (the story is kind of simplistic and sort of feels like an Akira knock-off), but the ART, man! It's so beautiful and creepy and gruesome (a lot of exploding heads/body parts but they're weirdly gorgeous), and the coloring is exquisite. Also, once I read the page in the back about the photograph of the Htoo twins that inspired the book, the plot still felt a little simplistic but in a way I was more ok with, because it gained some specificity. Plus, seeing how the photograph grew into the artistic interpretation of the twins just made me love the art more. Did I mention that I liked the art?
August 18, 2015
This is mind-blowingly good! ( I guess "blowingly" isn't a word, but you know what I mean... )
A thrilling and relevant story expertly paced, and so exquisitely illustrated!
Great characters.
Loved everything about this book!
A thrilling and relevant story expertly paced, and so exquisitely illustrated!
Great characters.
Loved everything about this book!
August 16, 2015
This thing is awesome. Everything from the art to the story.
Brutal, beautiful, and with more going on than you might expect from something so short.
Yeah, really loved this.
Brutal, beautiful, and with more going on than you might expect from something so short.
Yeah, really loved this.
October 22, 2015
A powerful story and artwork, but thin, cliched characters meant I didn't engage with it as much as I wanted to.
August 1, 2015
I’m glad I didn’t read the premise. I just picked it because of the cover. I’m sooooo very glad I did. This book was amazing!
Max, is down on his luck. He’s an explosive technician, who gets sucked into his friends surreal adventures. He decides (since he has a baby on the way) to travel to Vietnam to make a quick buck from blowing up mountains. There are three lesson we can learn from Max:
1)YOU SHOULDN'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU HEAR. YET, YOU SHOULD ASK SOME QUESTIONS. MAYBE EVEN SEE SOME CLUES/WARNING SIGNS---
If you had of revealed to Max prior his trip, what he may face if he goes through with it---his instant reaction:
Max follows blindly. He makes a plan to follow his boss to a transfer instead of quitting after not getting promoted. He makes a foolish plan to believe his friend “only does” what is necessary in these adventures, and is in now way, shape or form, disrupting someone’s livelihood. It wasn't until the last half of the book, he awakens into developing into a half-thinker----only through some proof, and sense of morality. On the other hand, you needed someone like mask to help stop "the bad things that were happening..."
2) THE WRATH OF VILLAGE CHILDREN IS NOTHING TO MESS AROUND WITH.
Obviously, Max has not read any children war stories, any children survivor stories. Children are a reliant group, they are going to get shit done. Even if that means using your tender-hearted spirit as a result. It was interesting to go on this journey with Max as he begins to grow and lose some----I’m not sure if it’s naivete or ignorance or IGNORANCE BY CHOICE (traumatically of course) that things are not as they seem. The magical realism is so fantastically tied in because on one hand, you’re just like Max----going---I knew these kids may have actual powers, BUUUUTTTT are they really serving a mythical being or just blindly avenging their village.
3) YOUR CHOICES WILL ALWAYS LIVE WITH YOU.
Max at the end is a changed man. He's seen a facet of The Divine. He’s reunited with his family, and you can see he has some signs of maybe having PTSD. After what he’s been through? Who wouldn’t? Good thing that his wife is not only a) apparently brilliant in deducing what’s going on and b) seems to be holding the family together----yet, I’m thinking Max still needs to talk with someone.
This book brings up some great questions. There’s some existentialist questions you may ask of representation between the characters and their actions. There is a dream sequence I'm also a little confused about, but seems to fit Max's fear of the unknown. This book is quite a bloodbath, and not for the faint of heart, yet the art is beautiful and the magical-realism tie in, is fantastic.
Thanks for the ARC Edelweiss!
Max, is down on his luck. He’s an explosive technician, who gets sucked into his friends surreal adventures. He decides (since he has a baby on the way) to travel to Vietnam to make a quick buck from blowing up mountains. There are three lesson we can learn from Max:
1)YOU SHOULDN'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU HEAR. YET, YOU SHOULD ASK SOME QUESTIONS. MAYBE EVEN SEE SOME CLUES/WARNING SIGNS---
If you had of revealed to Max prior his trip, what he may face if he goes through with it---his instant reaction:
Max follows blindly. He makes a plan to follow his boss to a transfer instead of quitting after not getting promoted. He makes a foolish plan to believe his friend “only does” what is necessary in these adventures, and is in now way, shape or form, disrupting someone’s livelihood. It wasn't until the last half of the book, he awakens into developing into a half-thinker----only through some proof, and sense of morality. On the other hand, you needed someone like mask to help stop "the bad things that were happening..."
2) THE WRATH OF VILLAGE CHILDREN IS NOTHING TO MESS AROUND WITH.
Obviously, Max has not read any children war stories, any children survivor stories. Children are a reliant group, they are going to get shit done. Even if that means using your tender-hearted spirit as a result. It was interesting to go on this journey with Max as he begins to grow and lose some----I’m not sure if it’s naivete or ignorance or IGNORANCE BY CHOICE (traumatically of course) that things are not as they seem. The magical realism is so fantastically tied in because on one hand, you’re just like Max----going---I knew these kids may have actual powers, BUUUUTTTT are they really serving a mythical being or just blindly avenging their village.
3) YOUR CHOICES WILL ALWAYS LIVE WITH YOU.
Max at the end is a changed man. He's seen a facet of The Divine. He’s reunited with his family, and you can see he has some signs of maybe having PTSD. After what he’s been through? Who wouldn’t? Good thing that his wife is not only a) apparently brilliant in deducing what’s going on and b) seems to be holding the family together----yet, I’m thinking Max still needs to talk with someone.
This book brings up some great questions. There’s some existentialist questions you may ask of representation between the characters and their actions. There is a dream sequence I'm also a little confused about, but seems to fit Max's fear of the unknown. This book is quite a bloodbath, and not for the faint of heart, yet the art is beautiful and the magical-realism tie in, is fantastic.
Thanks for the ARC Edelweiss!
November 28, 2014
http://openbooksociety.com/article/th...
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Scott
Every graphic novel starts with a picture and the picture in this case was the 2000 photograph of the Htoo twins; 12 year old cigar smoking poster children, leading a revolution against a Burmese army for the crime of displacing them, and held over 800 people hostage in a hospital, until the Thai army was called in. They came to symbolize children growing up too quickly – 12 year olds who carried the eyes of 50 year olds. Myths and legends formed around them as time went on.
The Divine is a realization of these myths thrown into the less stranger world of fiction, and it does this fantastically well. The writing is brisk, sharp and witty, poignant in places and frivolous where need be. Despite murky lettering, this, for me, was a excellent read. The characterization was handled brilliantly, and the characters stuck in my mind, well after the novel was finished.
The military plot was tight, well handled, and grew with a quickening pace. I could not (and probably would not) find a panel placed for no apparent reason within this work. The dialogue was snappy – sometimes resonating almost a gothically dark tone. I was reminded a lot of the chopped and engaging dialogue of Apocalypse Now.
The art is something to be admired, European in style, but with an southeast oriental twist, the lines were crisp, the inking impeccable and it radiated from the page. The colors fit the mood of the overall story – playing tricks in garish or subdued tones.
My only complaint was the lettering, which didn’t come across as either bold enough or clear enough in some places to even read. Mind you this was a digital edition and the lettering could become a lot clearer in the print version. The thin letters just couldn’t hold up to a digital print. Thankfully, the story was clear enough to get the gist of an off comment.
Combined, the art and writing made the experience for me. This has to be one of the most perfect blends of word and pictures. Captivatingly, the two play with each other and the final result is a modern myth with a moral to tell.
It is not a depiction of real life events, but a pastiche of foreign nationals and the military arm that serves their purpose to increase profit margins at the expense of a few thousand displaced, or decimated lives. Graphically separating these two worlds with color and artistic flair, The Divine is art that should be held in the highest regard.
Fans of Heavy Metal, the movie Apocalypse Now, and lovers of the Southeast Asian art boom, will find a compelling and satisfying experience in this graphic novel; and believe me, you won’t regret it.
*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Scott
Every graphic novel starts with a picture and the picture in this case was the 2000 photograph of the Htoo twins; 12 year old cigar smoking poster children, leading a revolution against a Burmese army for the crime of displacing them, and held over 800 people hostage in a hospital, until the Thai army was called in. They came to symbolize children growing up too quickly – 12 year olds who carried the eyes of 50 year olds. Myths and legends formed around them as time went on.
The Divine is a realization of these myths thrown into the less stranger world of fiction, and it does this fantastically well. The writing is brisk, sharp and witty, poignant in places and frivolous where need be. Despite murky lettering, this, for me, was a excellent read. The characterization was handled brilliantly, and the characters stuck in my mind, well after the novel was finished.
The military plot was tight, well handled, and grew with a quickening pace. I could not (and probably would not) find a panel placed for no apparent reason within this work. The dialogue was snappy – sometimes resonating almost a gothically dark tone. I was reminded a lot of the chopped and engaging dialogue of Apocalypse Now.
The art is something to be admired, European in style, but with an southeast oriental twist, the lines were crisp, the inking impeccable and it radiated from the page. The colors fit the mood of the overall story – playing tricks in garish or subdued tones.
My only complaint was the lettering, which didn’t come across as either bold enough or clear enough in some places to even read. Mind you this was a digital edition and the lettering could become a lot clearer in the print version. The thin letters just couldn’t hold up to a digital print. Thankfully, the story was clear enough to get the gist of an off comment.
Combined, the art and writing made the experience for me. This has to be one of the most perfect blends of word and pictures. Captivatingly, the two play with each other and the final result is a modern myth with a moral to tell.
It is not a depiction of real life events, but a pastiche of foreign nationals and the military arm that serves their purpose to increase profit margins at the expense of a few thousand displaced, or decimated lives. Graphically separating these two worlds with color and artistic flair, The Divine is art that should be held in the highest regard.
Fans of Heavy Metal, the movie Apocalypse Now, and lovers of the Southeast Asian art boom, will find a compelling and satisfying experience in this graphic novel; and believe me, you won’t regret it.
*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*
August 21, 2015
The Divine is a rather dark graphic novel mixing the depths of war-ravaged lands with paranormal and fantastical elements. Inspired by a photograph of a set of 12 year old twins smoking a cigar, the Htoo twins were known for having lead an army against the Burmese who took their homes away. Taking this idea and pushing further into the realms of magic and fantasy, The Divine is a story of those children who have powers that can help them rid their country of unwanteds for better or worse it is unknown.
Our main character is a man named Mark who is unsure whether to take a risky job his friend offers. After seeing his wife pregnant and unsure, he ends up taking it and flying off with an buddy of his from the Army to a place called Quanlom. His friend does not seem much like a friend. He seems like the bad guy in every movie and quickly we find that our feelings are not too far off. There are some important things that he has not told Mark, like they are landing in war zone, they’re arming a bomb… etc.
Mark has a lot of heart and when he sees a boy wounded, he cannot help but help him and even takes him back to his home. There he is ambushed and told by a pair of rather scary, magical twins that if they blow up the mountain a dragon will have no home. Instead, he decides to help them by trying to disarm the bomb, but not everything goes as planned and lots of somewhat frightening things happen. Including the stupid dragon tattoo on the bad guy’s arm protecting him from the dragon.
I didn’t really feel too invested in the characters of this one, but loved the stunning artwork and the overall idea of what was happening. The characters weren’t too involving and Mark seemed a bit naive for his age. The twins were the scariest and the bad guy really drawn to a ‘t’ of the ultimate American Badass type. I’m not sure what I was expecting but there was something a bit off about everything. I would have almost preferred a graphic novel from the viewpoint of the twins or even the boy Mark helped.
Verdict:
A beautiful and stunning graphic novel, whose plot falters a bit with just enough to string along a story. It all seemed a bit over the top but I really appreciated the art in this one.
Our main character is a man named Mark who is unsure whether to take a risky job his friend offers. After seeing his wife pregnant and unsure, he ends up taking it and flying off with an buddy of his from the Army to a place called Quanlom. His friend does not seem much like a friend. He seems like the bad guy in every movie and quickly we find that our feelings are not too far off. There are some important things that he has not told Mark, like they are landing in war zone, they’re arming a bomb… etc.
Mark has a lot of heart and when he sees a boy wounded, he cannot help but help him and even takes him back to his home. There he is ambushed and told by a pair of rather scary, magical twins that if they blow up the mountain a dragon will have no home. Instead, he decides to help them by trying to disarm the bomb, but not everything goes as planned and lots of somewhat frightening things happen. Including the stupid dragon tattoo on the bad guy’s arm protecting him from the dragon.
I didn’t really feel too invested in the characters of this one, but loved the stunning artwork and the overall idea of what was happening. The characters weren’t too involving and Mark seemed a bit naive for his age. The twins were the scariest and the bad guy really drawn to a ‘t’ of the ultimate American Badass type. I’m not sure what I was expecting but there was something a bit off about everything. I would have almost preferred a graphic novel from the viewpoint of the twins or even the boy Mark helped.
Verdict:
A beautiful and stunning graphic novel, whose plot falters a bit with just enough to string along a story. It all seemed a bit over the top but I really appreciated the art in this one.
November 18, 2015
Bullet Review:
This was very decent - though seeing the real life story of the twin boys at the end hit a little close to home with the Syrian refugee thing. No child ought to be exposed to such violence and depravity.
This was very decent - though seeing the real life story of the twin boys at the end hit a little close to home with the Syrian refugee thing. No child ought to be exposed to such violence and depravity.
September 2, 2015
An amazing piece of work that is both chilling and inspiring at the same time.
March 24, 2019
This wasn't quite what I would usually like in graphic novels, plot wise, but it had great art that really brought the story to life. I really loved the setting of the story and loved the diverse group of characters.
And that ending was just really well written! Would definitely recommend others checking it out if for nothing else than the art and characters.
And that ending was just really well written! Would definitely recommend others checking it out if for nothing else than the art and characters.
October 9, 2015
In some ways, this seems like something Heavy Metal would have run back in their heyday. We have Americans involved in a war in an obscure Asian country, and a mixture of magic and fairly extreme violence ... All it needs is some gratuitous nudity and to be drawn by Moebius or somebody. But this is more recent, vaguely inspired by true events (there's a page at the back where the creators talk about the project's Genesis.) An American explosives expert gets more than he bargained for when he agrees to make a short trip to Quanlom for what's ostensibly a geological project involving blowing open a lava tube. Needless to say, there's more going on than he's told, and he's drawn in to a tale involving war, magic, children, and a Dragon ... Some of the violence gets pretty graphic, but it's handled with reasonable delicacy. Definitely worth reading!
June 14, 2016
I read this as part of the Hugo finalist packet.
This stunning graphic novel confronts colonialism and racism and brings to life a bright, invented mythology. Mark's wife is pregnant and his job will soon send him to the back-end of Texas, so he accepts a high-paying, short-term contract to a tiny (invented) South-Asian country, where he soon discovers child soldiers embodied with vivid, visceral magic. The artwork is stunning--beautiful, and at times, thoroughly grotesque.
The story line is one that has been done before, but this novel offers some fresh twists... except when it comes to the villain, Jason, who is very much a stereotypical racist, cruel American soldier. I wish he'd had some nuance, something to bust the overdone trope. Still, that was the main weakness I perceived in a brilliant book. I could gush about the artwork forever.
This stunning graphic novel confronts colonialism and racism and brings to life a bright, invented mythology. Mark's wife is pregnant and his job will soon send him to the back-end of Texas, so he accepts a high-paying, short-term contract to a tiny (invented) South-Asian country, where he soon discovers child soldiers embodied with vivid, visceral magic. The artwork is stunning--beautiful, and at times, thoroughly grotesque.
The story line is one that has been done before, but this novel offers some fresh twists... except when it comes to the villain, Jason, who is very much a stereotypical racist, cruel American soldier. I wish he'd had some nuance, something to bust the overdone trope. Still, that was the main weakness I perceived in a brilliant book. I could gush about the artwork forever.
October 26, 2014
It’s difficult to characterise this comic collection: it’s about Mike, an explosives technician who, for the sake of earning some extra money, goes to Quanlom to help to blow up a volcano.
Adventures ensue when we discover that he is far less ruthless than his travelling companion, Jason. Children with powers capture him and, along with ancient warriors, he helps them to restore the Leh.
Nicely-written and illustrated, it is engaging and also quite gory in places.
Reminiscent of the best in the French “bande dessinée” tradition, recommended to all who like a well-produced product.
Adventures ensue when we discover that he is far less ruthless than his travelling companion, Jason. Children with powers capture him and, along with ancient warriors, he helps them to restore the Leh.
Nicely-written and illustrated, it is engaging and also quite gory in places.
Reminiscent of the best in the French “bande dessinée” tradition, recommended to all who like a well-produced product.
October 14, 2019
I waited too long to give this a review so I don't think I can accurately comment on it other than to say that I liked it but it was somewhat strange and uncomfortable to read about these children who are not so childlike in their heart.
May 4, 2015
I can't review this until July, BUT HINT:
GETITGETITGETITGETITGETIT
GETITGETITGETITGETITGETIT
May 11, 2015
I totally got this one. A little Vietnamese comeuppance on some American style colonialism... YES! I feel better already.
July 2, 2015
4.5/5
Originally found at Fly to Fiction.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the publisher to review. This did not affect my review in any way, nor am I being compensated for this.
I didn't know much about the book when I began reading, only knowing that the images seemed to interest me. The colors and illustrations really stick out and really make an impact on you as the reader. They colors are rich and dark but match the tone of the story and complement the plot.
The plot itself was really interesting to read about. The magical realism was particularly interesting. But what really interested me was seeing the obvious political undertones of the story. I could tell that the authors and illustrators were trying to get a specific message across about international involvement in conflicts, conflict areas, etc. As someone who's hoping to study international relations and political science, this provided really interesting commentary that made me think about the actions, consequences, causes and effects, etc of everything and of all the decisions made in the book. It sure was fascinating. The book is really thought-provoking if you read it and look at it in depth.
The book is definitely darker than most of the graphic novels that I've read and compared to most of the books First Second puts out, at least that I've read. It was much more gory than I was expecting (though perhaps I should have expected just as much), and it didn't really hide the nasty bits. This one's definitely for an older audience, and I don't think younger audiences would understand much of the subtle messages and what's written between the lines.
Originally found at Fly to Fiction.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the publisher to review. This did not affect my review in any way, nor am I being compensated for this.
I didn't know much about the book when I began reading, only knowing that the images seemed to interest me. The colors and illustrations really stick out and really make an impact on you as the reader. They colors are rich and dark but match the tone of the story and complement the plot.
The plot itself was really interesting to read about. The magical realism was particularly interesting. But what really interested me was seeing the obvious political undertones of the story. I could tell that the authors and illustrators were trying to get a specific message across about international involvement in conflicts, conflict areas, etc. As someone who's hoping to study international relations and political science, this provided really interesting commentary that made me think about the actions, consequences, causes and effects, etc of everything and of all the decisions made in the book. It sure was fascinating. The book is really thought-provoking if you read it and look at it in depth.
The book is definitely darker than most of the graphic novels that I've read and compared to most of the books First Second puts out, at least that I've read. It was much more gory than I was expecting (though perhaps I should have expected just as much), and it didn't really hide the nasty bits. This one's definitely for an older audience, and I don't think younger audiences would understand much of the subtle messages and what's written between the lines.
August 22, 2016
Found out about this book a while ago after coming across the mesmerizing illustrations of Tomer Hanuka--turns out he and his brother teamed up to do the artwork. Tossed it on to the TBR virtual pile (the same one you've got that grows at an alarming pace getting ever taller and less stable as the sands in my hourglass sift downward). Honestly, I didn't expect I'd get to it any time soon (if ever), but the library had it and I wasn't even looking for it (know and accept such signs from the reading gods). Quite a strange tale of American mercenaries sent to a fictional Southeast Asian land called Quanlom where they become entangled with child soldiers empowered by magic. The artwork was easily 5 stars. The writing/story felt more in the 3 star range. Really wonderful juxtaposition between the mystical/beautiful and the grotesque. Is it possible to fall for a color palette? Well, I did.
Apologies for the subpar photos below...
Apologies for the subpar photos below...
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