Level Up by Gene Yang Illustrated by Thien Pham YP FIC YANG

Level Up

Dennis is at a crossroads; his focus on videogames over classwork has him about to flunk out of college.  He finds a new (and entirely unwanted) sense of purpose when visited by a group of chibi* angels that tell him they are there to help him fulfill his destiny: to become a gastroenterologist!  This leads to long nights of studying and new friends.  But a crisis of faith in his unshakable gastroenterologist destiny (namely how much poop is involved) leads Dennis to question his angels and see their less than angelic side.

This is a charming and unusual coming of age for dorks comic about the weight of family expectations and generational guilt.  I really couldn’t relate too directly to Dennis’s slackerdom or his ready acceptance of agreeing so readily to his hallucinations whims, but I liked him a lot in spite of that.  His willingness to assume the floating angels are real and do whatever they want instead of check himself into the nearest mental health care facility didn’t seem unrealistic, it just says a great deal about poor Dennis’s state of mind.  The angels and the ludicrousness of Dennis’s choices make for some great humor and also build to a genuinely satisfying emotional ending.  This doesn’t feel as deeply personal or as ambitious as American Born Chinese, (which I think is Yang’s best) but it is a very strong simple work that brims with fun from odd beginning to weird end.   If you like comics about people and their problems, comics about nerd culture, or just want to enjoy a good story, check this one out.

*Manga (Japanese Comics) term meaning they have hugenormous heads and small bodies.  Like Hello Kitty!

The Painted Boy by Charles De Lint YP FIC DELINT

Jay Li has known he was different when a dragon tattoo magically appeared on his back on his 11^th birthday. Now 17, Jay is headed from the mean streets of Chicago to the desert of an Arizona border town. Jay discovers that not only is he part of an ancient society called the Yellow Dragon clan, but he is also a dragon himself. He has to navigate the criminal gangs that run the town, avoid run ins with other mystical animal clans, and form new friendships if he is to learn about his new powers and survive the quest he is destined to undertake.

This is a great read for contemporary fantasy fans. It has a well developed lead character, cool powers, and a great setting. The mix of the beauty of the American Southwest with mystical elements is a brilliant choice by De Lint. The mix of criminal gangs and ancient clans of animal shapeshifters also works really well, because the more magical elements are grounded by the real world problems. I especially enjoyed having a cast of Asians and Latinos that are well developed and can show readers a look into other cultures. Like most, Child of Destiny discovers new powers, learns to use them, undertakes a grave and perilous quest books Painted Boy starts a little slow and occasionally covers ground that is too familiar, but the unique setting and cast and De Lint’s skill at writing make this one well worth reading. Fans of the Percy Jackson books (YP FIC RIORDAN) really need to give Painted Boy a look.

Wicked Lovely/ Desert Tales: Sanctuary by Melissa Marr

Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely was a hugely successful book, which was followed by additional success of the follow-up novel Ink Exchange. The third novel, Fragile Eternity, was released during the summer with equal enthusiasm from Marr’s fans.

Piggybacking the success of the series Marr has released the first of three manga books called Desert Tales. The author states the series is not necessary to read in order to follow stories from the novels, but rather acts as a companion series. The stories involve some characters from the Wicked Lovely books.

The first story, Sanctuary, follows Rika, a former Winter Girl, who finds solace in the Mojave Desert. According to the Wicked Wiki, Rika was Keenan’s fourth Winter Girl and was eventually replaced by Donia. Rika is removed from the Faerie Court, which she prefers. She seeks isolation from the active faerie lifestyle, which is why she chose to live in the desert.

She enjoys her invisibility until she meets Jace, a human. The desert faeries regularly taunt Jace and his friends. Rika is forced to revel herself when she saves him from a dangerous fall prompted by the faeries. There is an obvious spark between Rika and Jace, but similarly to other story lines in Marr’s Wicked Lovely book, trouble is inevitable for a faerie and a mortal from two very different worlds.

Overall, this story is not nearly as captivating as Marr’s original books. Her language, which tends offers lush descriptions of scenes, emotions, and experiences, is completely lost. The art works, produced by Xian Nu Studio, also does not serve the story line well. They are black and white manga-style illustrations, which do not capture the true beauty of the desert, Rika, and the other faeries. Perhaps if the illustrations would have been in color it would have changed the spirit of the story. Overall, the first book of this series is weak compared to Marr’s Wicked Lovely books, but you be the judge…

Wicked Lovely sidebar:
For those who enjoyed the novel Wicked Lovely it was recently announced that the rights to the book were sold to Universal Pictures. They are currently working to adapt the book into a movie.