Who Is the Man in the Air?: Michael Jordan: A Who HQ Graphic Novel

Who HQ Now

by Gabe Soria, Who H.Q., Brittney Williams (Illustrator)

"Pulse-pounding, both as a sports highlight and a tribute to the character and determination of one of the game’s unexcelled greats." — Kirkus

Discover the story behind Michael Jordan's incredible triumph in the 1997 Flu Game in this powerful graphic novel written by Murder Ballads ' Gabe Soria and illustrated by award-winning artist Brittney Williams.

Presenting Who HQ Graphic an exciting new addition to the #1 New York Times Best-Selling Who Was? series!

Explore the relentless grit of Michael Jordan, as he powers through a mysterious illness in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA finals against the Utah Jazz, infamously known as The Flu Game. A story of athleticism, willpower, and triumph, this graphic novel invites readers to immerse themselves into the unyielding drive of the one of the greatest basketball players of all time -- brought to life by gripping narrative and vivid full-color illustrations that jump off the page.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sports, Middle Grade, Childrens, Graphic Novels, Biography

64 pages, Hardcover

Published November 1, 2022

Reviews

[Kayla Yirdaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s my first WHO HQ graphic novel. The entire book was a play-by-play of game 5 of the 1997 NBA Champions. I’m not typically much of a sports comic/graphic novel person so this fell a bit flat for me. The writers did do a great job providing sidebars with information about other players and basketball basics.

My husband, the avid basketball fan, will love this one. My students will be excited to have another graphic novel available to read.

[Anna Beth]

My first one of the Who HQ graphic novels and I loved it. It's basketball madness at the moment so it was a perfectly timed graphic novel for me. :)

[Ya Boi Be Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personal rating of 3.5/5 but for the intended middle grade audience I could also see this as a 3.5/5 or 4/5 depending on how they feel about the amount of dialogue and pacing of the graphic novel. Some might get bored or find it a bit "dry." But tt's still an outstanding graphic novel to be sure!
This is a nice and relatively short middle grade biographical graphic novel. The writing is nice and the pacing is done well. It’s able to fit an entire championship match into a short 60ish pages. I enjoyed the addition of the three kids in the neighborhood who talk about the game. It added some nice downtime from the play-by-play nature of the graphic novel. It's also broken up by pages that explain some background information on basketball or important players which I found nice as someone who isn't really into basketball and knows the players very well.
Brittney Williams' art is wonderful. It's expressive able to show a range of emotions when paired with her wonderful anatomical skill and choice of poses.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The graphic novel version of the Who HQs are more pointed to specific events- in this case, this was the infamous Jazz and Bulls matchup that went down in history because Michael Jordan was playing through the flu but still managed to help win the game with his team and they went on to win the whole series (and again beat the Jazz the following year too).

He played through illness and showed grit, but it also showcased other players that made up the team and featured the Air Jordans that were made famous by him wearing it as footwear.

Overall it was a story worth putting into the graphic format for this series.

[Elisabeth Ensor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of course I’m not the target audience for a graphic novel- ha! The illustrations were excellent the overall writing was numbed down so much- are most graphic novels like that? It was a good story line to cover one intense game of Micheal Jordon though!

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good intro to the "Flu Game" for kids, but I just don't think this medium works well for conveying the drama of the situation. Also the cutaways to the kids watching the game didn't add anything to the story. My Chicagoan Millennial heart appreciates the effort though.

[Keith Good · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up based on the cover while browsing at the Library; an easy (simplified) graphic history of the Michael Jordan Flu Game in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals. Seems to oversimplify to its detriment, but then again it’s a kids book.

[Pamela Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nonfiction graphic book about game 5 of the 1997 NBA Championship where Michael Jordan played despite being ill. Includes information about several other players from the game and focuses on being determined.

[Marcie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gabe Soria's Who Is the Man in the Air? is a solid retelling of Michael Jordan's incredible performance during Game Five of the 1997 NBA Finals. Brittney Williams' illustrations add flair and motion.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

An account of the Chicago Bulls vs Utah Jazz championship series from 1997, game five that Michael Jordan suffering from Flu-like symptoms scored thirty-eights points, and lead his team in a pivotal win.

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Pinky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Jordan helps his team secure the game, despite being sick.

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Jj]

Thanks to Penguin Young Readers for the review copy!

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine. I was hoping to get more of Michael's story. It only covered one game series towards the end of his career.

[Katie]

Excellent illustrations. Content was odd….just covered the Flu Game? 🤔

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy these graphic novels, but sports are really not my thing.

[Rainbow Bay Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B8uM...

[Mila B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book 📙

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

loved it! The book mostly focused on the 1997 NBA Championship game where Jordan had the flu.

[Kyaira · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 7yr old LOVED this book! One of his favorite bball players ever and loved all the facts in this one as well.

[Isabel Bassett]

Don’t judge me okay. It’s book fair week and I’m trying to hit my goal before the end of December 👿

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

This graphic novel captures a small snapshot in time; the 1997 NBA Finals basketball game between the Utah Jazz and the Chicago Bulls, often known as "The Flu Game". Jordan was a very important member of the team, and when he became ill in the middle of the night, the team management and other players panicked. How could they win with their key player not up to snuff? Despite feeling nauseated, Jordan went on to play a very competitive game, leading to his team's narrow win. There is some back story about Jordan's career up to this point, and other notables of the time, like Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen, are briefly introduced and discussed. There's a nice timeline of Jordan's lifeup until his retirement in 2003, as well as a selected bibliography.
Strengths: I was not at all familiar with this event, since I haven't seen a basketball game in over forty years, so I looked up news clips of this. Williams' does a nice job of capturing the look of the time, and the color palette also represents actual events; Jordan's suit as he enters the building before the game is spot on. There's a lot of information about the teams, the players, and the way that the ball game progressed. Jordan is a perennial favorite, and has enjoyed a renewed interest after the Netflix documentary about him, The Last Dance.
Weaknesses: Part of me would like a bit more of an afterword about Jordan's activities since 2003, but as a snapshot in time that won't date, this works well.
What I really think: Given the lack of sports graphic novels, I"ll definitely be purchasing a copy. I have Who Was the Voice of the People: Cesar Chavez, but this will much more popular, as sports books tend to be. I'd love to see Soria and Williams team up on some other historical sports nonfiction or even a fictional story involving sports. Given the popularity of graphic novels, perhaps we should have an overview of the 1929 Stock Market Crash or other somewhat less enticing historical topics, so that students will read the book and learn!

[Deke Moulton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating angle for a graphic biography- focusing on one moment in Michael Jordan’s life (And I believe they made a great argument that this one great moment was the flu game). Not sure why there were random OC characters that were just watching the game that the story cut to through out the story, but this was a quick, pleasant read with lots of side information for those who didn’t live through it. Highly recommend, especially for sports fans and reluctant readers!