Book Review - 'The Crown' by Emily Kapff

'Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.’

- Native American proverb


'We have never met, you and I. I speak from the future which is not yours yet. It is being shaped now. [..] You have the power to pass down... a different kind of crown.'

- 'The Crown' by Emily Kapff



One of the most powerful and effective environmental message books I've ever read. It is about a young girl in the future - who could be any poor child, though I see her as a personification of Mother Nature, as well as a self-proclaimed princess (and queen) - who is on a hill of rubbish and waste, with her horse. This "princess" wears a crown made of rubbish, waste, chemicals and every other kind of mistake made by humanity, brought on by pollution and short-sightedness and late stage capitalism.

What is killing the earth is on this child's head - this is her generation.

Then, on the desolate landfill hill, she finds a book filled with fairy tales, and earth's wonders, such as its animals, wildlife, trees, and oceans. With that spark of hope, with that message about stories and how humans can and must do better, maybe her crown can look different in the future...

'The Crown' - a timely call to action, a wake-up klaxon for responsibility, a demand to do better to save our one and only planet we live on. It could not have come out at a more vital, pressing time. Climate change is real, and we need to do what we can to fix it, to heal the earth, for future generations.

Don't deride - this is our home we are talking about. Don't rob our children of the beautiful, wonderful, safe, healthy and free things in the world. Like breathable air.

I'm not a fan of the dreary, bleak, muddy, sometimes uncanny artwork, but it is suitable for the book, and it is in the service of getting its message across. I'm sure the inclusion of the horse is symbolic of life and the lost beauty of the earth or something, too.

Recommended to all ages.

Final Score: 3.5/5

Graphic Novel Review - 'The Fox Maidens' by Robin Ha

A feminist, epic fantasy graphic novel - the first fictional graphic novel by Robin Ha, and wow is it impressive.

I admit I knew next to nothing about Korean folklore before reading 'The Fox Maidens', and I admit, too, that what I knew about the East Asian legend of the nine-tailed fox came mostly from 'Pokémon'. Now I am happy to know more and have that rectified. The Korean version of the legend - the Kumiho, or Gumiho, as she is called in this story - sounds fascinating, and ripe for a dark female empowerment retelling. That it is told in graphic novel form makes it even better.

Young Kai Song wants to be a fighter alongside the men in her life, but living in a deeply patriarchal society in 16th century Korea is hard. Her father, the revered general of the Royal Legion who supposedly killed Gumiho years ago, is kind and reasonable, and supports her and wants her to fulfil her potential, and her mother, who is unappreciated, isolated, disabled, and while meek, overprotective, and a traditionalist when it comes to gender roles, nonetheless is wholeheartedly loving and brave, and also wants what is best for Kai. She is a great archer, too. Both Kai's parents are solid, determined rocks to her in a world that hates women, but both are hiding dark secrets of their pasts that will affect their daughter, and her future; her very being and life.

'The Fox Maidens' spans Kai's life (though beginning with the Gumiho myth explained, and social classes explained, then a quarter into the story it is interrupted by flashbacks, and a brief side plot) from her as a ten-year-old to her late teens. Despite everything, from systematic misogyny to enemy attacks and the resulting tragedies, she does become a warrior and bring honour to her family and country. But it is not so simple as that. I don't think it's a spoiler to say that she becomes a fox demon, like the tragic, amoral and cunning Gumiho, and that curse is what the story focuses on the most. It is about Kai's struggles, and desperation to remain human, and determination to break the curse.

In this epic tale, the main human enemies are defeated halfway through, with the rest dealing with ancillary, random bad men in society, and inner and outer demons. Then there is a cathartic, nonaction set piece in the last two chapters, with mountains and monks, all about finding love and redemption.

As epic, flowing, clever, and full of passion and mythological splendour as 'The Fox Maidens' is, it does contain obvious flaws which can be overlooked but I will point out anyway:

Another female warrior character, Sura, who will become Kai's love interest, end goal and nirvana, the answer to all her prayers, in fact barely appears in the book. She gets a side plot - starting with her and Kai meeting once in a fleeting encounter as children - and then she disappears after her "death" until the final two chapters, and throughout reading I was wondering when she was going to show up again. She is vital to the story, so why wasn't more time and development given to her? Sura, an archer, and Kai, a swordswoman, never fight alongside each other; in fact they don't really know each other at all up to the ending which is supposed to be a grand stand statement of their love. Said ending is very rushed and somewhat unsatisfying as a result. It's a good subversion of the 'Romeo and Juliet' plot, with a queer twist, I guess.

Then there's the death of a close member of Kai's family which isn't properly grieved over; a lot of deaths don't really register in the comic, with the characters not acknowledging them after they happen, when they absolutely should. At least some characters who are lucky enough to live past the main arc point are not forgotten about.

But everything else is so good! I love the art, the characters, the mythology, the rich, slow-build progression, and the women who are strong in their own way, and beautiful and dangerous nine-tailed foxes! Above all else, 'The Fox Maidens' is about generational trauma, and women making (and marking) their own place in society, holding on to their own identities, and finding their place in life that's full of love, meditation, self-reflection, care, compassion and forgiveness. Read Robin Ha's insightful afterword note, as she, of course, better words her own history, inspirations and themes.

Kai's father and her friend Gilsung are the only good male characters, and as such the only three-dimensional ones.

Menstruation, called moonblood here, is acknowledged! And it is a major plot point!

'The Fox Maidens' is like 'Mulan', 'The Handmaiden', 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon', 'Beauty and the Beast', and a Korean version of Lian Hearn's 'Tales of the Otori' series, and is a far superior version of that. It could have been more breathtaking than it turned out to be, but as it is, it is a winner.

A beautiful, silver nine-tailed winner.

Final Score: 4/5

Graphic Novel Review - 'The Sea in You' by Jessi Sheron

'The Sea in You' is a beautiful graphic novel.

The art is phenomenal and gorgeous, and its characterisation, storytelling and pacing are lovely. It is a queer retelling of 'The Little Mermaid', and it is heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, and strangely realistic for all its fantastical, ethereal elements. It is still far from perfect, and it does end on a cliffhanger, but 'The Sea in You' is clever, nuanced, inclusive, diverse, harrowing, and did I mention fucking gorgeous to look at?

Seriously, check out the artwork: every panel is amazing and beautifully done. I can't begin to imagine how long it must have taken to draw, colour, make and put together everything for this sea-wonder miracle of a book to happen.

Teenage goth girl Corinth suddenly finds herself befriending a blue mermaid, whom she calls Skylla (the mermaids here are more monstrous than pretty), and through that bond - through teaching the quite literal fish out of water about the land, humans, foods, books, laughter, and sign language - she finds happiness in a way she never did with her abusive boyfriend Seth. Corinth knows sign language because her mother is deaf, and this form of communication helps Skylla out greatly as this 'The Little Mermaid' tale comes to a head. This one doesn't end in tragedy, per say, but it ends on a bizarre, topsy-turvy twist that is unique and kind of satisfying for someone like me who never liked the ending to the Disney version, cliffhanger notwithstanding.

I dare not reveal anything else concerning the plot.

Poor Corinth is very sensitive. She cries a lot, and reprimands and blames herself for a lot of things, very much like how an abuse victim would. I'm happy that at least she has loving, caring and supportive parents. It's sort of scary how much I related to her. Skylla can be a bit much, and possessive and overprotective of Corinth, but that can be excused by her not being human and coming from a rough undersea, literal monstrous family, where it's an overt predator-and-prey world. And her big heart is in the right place, and she cares for Corinth as deeply as the deepest coral-filled ocean, unlike the terrible Seth.

'The Sea in You' may well have it all: beauty, cuteness, terror, trauma, showcasing toxic and abusive relationships (that was very rough to read about), family, books and libraries, fashion, all the emotions, and girls bonding. And the dangerous sea, and mermaids! Magical mermaids!

'The Sea in You' is the second comic I've read and liked this year - this week, to be precise - to star a bisexual goth fifteen-year-old girl. The first is 'Mall Goth'. Weird yet cool. If I had a nickel for every time I read and liked a comic about a bisexual goth fifteen-year-old girl, yadda yadda yadda, you know the meme.

I wish a few of the side characters had gotten more panel time and development, like Seth's bandmates, and Ashley. Remember her? She only appears in two scenes, six pages in total, and she is a potential new female friend for Corinth. Maybe she'll appear more in the sequel? Will there be a sequel?

Will Corinth's informed trait of ukulele playing ever actually come into play?

Well, regardless, 'The Sea in You' is worth the read. Tearful, and, wait for it, beautiful.

Final Score: 3.5/5

Graphic Novel Review - 'Mall Goth' by Kate Leth, Diana Sousa (Colourist), Robin Crank (Letterer)

Of all the binging of comics I've suddenly been on recently, 'Mall Goth' is one of the few I remember the most. It really stuck with me after reading, and quite literally overnight I realised just how endearing, human, real and intense it is for a "cartoony" slice-of-life graphic novel set in the early 2000s about a bisexual goth teenage girl. It can be relatable to a lot of people, and helpful to a lot of people, to both teens and adults, in dealing with their own issues. Also, for its dark and potentially traumatising and triggering subject matters it explores, 'Mall Goth' is oddly adorable. You certainly won't be able to forget its realistic and charming cast of characters.

Openly bisexual fifteen-year-old goth girl Olivia "Liv" Holme has just moved into a new town with her mother, and this is her story. It's about her navigating her new school, trusting others enough again to gradually forge new friendships, her strained relationship with her mother in the midst of her absent father and her parents' potential divorce, and her getting into a relationship with a fellow goth boy... and her English teacher (child grooming, and internet chatrooms with adults, in the early 2000s... oh goddess, but at least this is dealt with seriously at the end of the comic). Oh, and she gets a job as a costumed bunny at the local mall, where her mum also works, along with Liv's new "boyfriend"'s security guard aunt.

Yeah, for a comic titled 'Mall Goth', Liv exploring and finding solace in a mall doesn't factor into it much. At best it's a regular hangout for the cast, and for fast foods, video games, arcades, and Liv's humiliating job.

'Mall Goth' is all about the goth girl's stresses at home, at school, and with other people, taking place over the winter period. Again, trust issues, messy relationships - not to mention inappropriate, predatory and illegal student-and-teacher relationships - are subject matters here, and it can be triggering (nothing too explicit is shown, however, which is appreciated), yet maybe kind of cathartic towards the end. I mean FFS, the teacher actually hands the student a copy of 'Lolita' - he couldn't be more on the nose if he tried.

It's not all gothic doom and gloom, though, for there is fun to be had in some good, well-written humorous moments, and in video games, dance pads, rad goth jackets, cute early 2000s pop culture references (plus references to Lydia Deetz, Morticia Addams, Evanescence, and other goth girl paraphernalia), showing acceptance in someone's sexuality via pins, the message of being yourself, female friendships (all the female characters are brilliant, it has to be said), and a solution to a love triangle that is like a spiritual successor (or, since it is set in 2003, maybe its predecessor?) to Korrasami.

Liv wears a 'Sailor Moon' pajama top at one point! How could I not adore this!?

Finally, the part where the heartbroken, confused, stressed and depressed Liv says "Why can't my brain ever just shut up?", I felt that so hard. Tragically, everyone goes through moments like these in their life, at any age. Happiness, contentment and stability are in fact very difficult to come by, especially these days, and in the early 2000s.

One noteworthy negative criticism: the lack of POC characters. There's Shea the mean-girl-turned-friend, and she barely manages to escape the background, and I think the goth boy Jake and his aunt Alice are POC?

'Mall Goth' - recommended to all goth girls, and goths of all genders (this comic by nonbinary/genderfluid author Kate Leth does acknowledge other genders existing, which is an awesome statement for its time period), and lovers of the gothic. Who just want to live their lives, and find hope that things will get better.

Final Score: 3.5/5

Graphic Novel Review - 'Flavor Girls (#1-3)' by Loïc Locatelli-Kournwsky (Writer, Artist), Angel De Santiago (Colourist), Chris Eubank (Colour Assistant), Eli Nova (Colour Assistant)

I can never resist anything Magical GirlTM related, so when I first saw this in my local bookshop, I had to check it out.

'Flavor Girls' - a stupid and completely unfit title for a surprisingly dark Magical GirlTM story. Don't be fooled by the colours, character designs, art style and fruit-themed Magical GirlsTM; this comic is not for children. There is violence and tragedy. It is like 'Pacific Rim' meets 'Power Rangers' meets 'Transformers' meets 'Steven Universe' meets 'Kung Fu Panda' meets any Magical GirlTM anime you can think of. Basically, it's an alien invasion plot crossed over with the Magical GirlTM genre. It's bizarre, and by the end it is blatantly apparent that it is not a finished story.

Yet, shockingly, I was really into it while I was reading, and I enjoyed it. It takes a lot for me to dislike a Magical GirlTM product, I guess.

The aliens, the mysterious Agartha, have been attacking and terrorising earth for twelve years. The only people standing between them and humanity's total destruction are the Sacred Fruit Guardians; girls who are chosen by a giant Mother Earth core tree named Mamrea (long story) to fight the invaders. The nicknamed "Flavor Girls" are mentored and trained by Master Himiko, the keeper and guardian of the Temple and Mamrea, and by Matilda, a former marathon runner, and bereaved family woman. They are also watched over by a government program called the Alliance of Sovereign States (A.S.S., ha-ha), led by the creepy Ponzzy White. All these women reside at the Temple, which is in another dimension suspended in time and space, where other people of earth also live in sanctuary.

Sara is the newest and last member of the Flavor Girls. Her theme and power is Pineapple (don't laugh, this is a dark and intense sci-fi story!). She is a student who wants to make a difference in the world and make peace with the Agartha, and she is very clumsy and awkward. After an alien attack in Paris, her home, and after she is unexpectedly chosen to be a Flavor Girl, she decides to leave her old life behind - including her two friends, Lydia and... I don't think her male friend is ever named - and join in the fight to save the world, alongside her new Flavor Girl friends.

They are: Naoko, the Dragonfruit Guardian, the leader whose tragic backstory is the one we are first introduced to (the writer clearly favours her, to the point of practically taking Sara's role as protagonist in most parts of the comic), and who is not so solemn and angsty as you would expect, as she's actually nice and friendly, and always determined to help others; no, the dark, serious and brooding character type is V, the Artichoke Guardian, who is stubborn, sporty, mostly quiet, and likes to drink; and last but definitely not least is Camille, the Pomegranate Guardian, the laidback, chatty joker of the group who is always hungry. Obviously she must be hiding a dark side, and suppressing a traumatic past.

There is a lot to unpack here, and a lot left unanswered and unexplained. But wow I was invested in what I got. At the heart of it all, 'Flavor Girls' is a solid Magical GirlTM story, with little subversions and twists here and there. A side story that pays homage to a classic Japanese horror film is included at the end of the volume. I like it, but again it puts Naoko in the spotlight at the expense of the other girls, and it hinges on the reader knowing, well, anything about A.S.S. and Ponzzy, when they, in fact, factor only a tiny bit in the main plot.

I wish the comic were longer, and that its newbie protagonist wasn't a white blonde (Sara does look and act like Usagi Tsukino, only she's more academically-minded... wait, is Naoko's name a reference to the mangaka of 'Sailor Moon', Naoko Takeuchi?) when the other Magical GirlsTM are POC - of course she's special, despite lacking experience, stamina and combat skills. And that it were "fruity" in the LBGTQ+ content sense, though maybe that will manifest in its continuation, if that ever develops and sees the light of day?

I'd like to know more of Irina's story, too. So much mystery!

Mysteries such as... Sara is the glasses-wearing girl, but why is Naoko suddenly the one wearing glasses in the end story?

Mixing sci-fi and fantasy, tragedy and comedy, horror and heart, 'Flavor Girls' is a mixed bag indeed, but a charming and exciting one. It comes recommended by me to any Magical GirlTM fan, and fans of modern "dark" cartoony media.

Final Score: 3.5/5

P.S. The blurb on the back of the volume ends with '[...] a new Magical Girl all-ages adventure with an environmental twist!'. The all-ages part is a lie, and the environmental twist is barely touched on at this time, like the A.S.S. inclusion.