Tag: #comic

Review: The Librarian of Auschwitz: The Graphic Novel by Salva Rubio

Goodreads Blurb

Based on the experience of real-life Auschwitz prisoner Dita Kraus, this graphic novel tells the incredible story of a girl who risked her life to keep the magic of books alive during the Holocaust.

Fourteen-year-old Dita is one of the many imprisoned by the Nazis at Auschwitz. Taken, along with her mother and father, from the Terezín ghetto in Prague, Dita is adjusting to the constant terror that is life in the camp. When Jewish leader Freddy Hirsch asks Dita to take charge of the eight precious volumes the prisoners have managed to sneak past the guards, she agrees. And so Dita becomes the librarian of Auschwitz.

Out of one of the darkest chapters of human history comes this extraordinary story of courage and hope.

My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

This is a compelling graphic novel for YA and middle-grade readers that will take them through the terrifying moment Dita, her family, and the Jewish community went through in the concentration camps. Dita and I love books, and I felt her heartache when she needed to pack one piece of luggage that couldn’t include all the books she owned. This captivating graphic novel tells Dita’s story before the war and during her time in Auschwitz. As the story unfolds, it shows how a community fights to survive and helps each other in this horrifying life. The illustrations conveyed the story effectively while providing images that were graphic yet subtle. I haven’t read the original novel, but interested in reading it. Although Dita knew that her life was at risk if she were caught in the encampment with books, she still agreed to be the librarian. Her love and appreciation for books were stronger than the fear of death. Courage and hope gave her the fight to survive. This was a learning experience as I didn’t know the Germans had encampments like the one Dita was in, which was a way to conceal the horror, the terrible living conditions, and the deaths of so many innocent lives.

Author’s Bio From Goodreads

Salva Rubio is a novelist and screenwriter and something else.

He works as a cinema screenwriter, having been nominated to the Spanish Goya Awards for Best Animation Feature.

As a graphic novel writer, he publishes mainly in the French-Belgian market and his work has been nominated to an Eisner Award.

He has also written classic musical essays and is the continuator of the bestseller screenwriting theory book series “Save the Cat!”

He is an associate member of the WGA (Writer’s Guild of America, West) and he is a member of the Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España.

Review: Thirsty Mermaids by Kat Leyh

Goodreads Blurb

Fresh out of shipwreck wine, three tipsy mermaids decide to magically masquerade as humans and sneak onto land to indulge in much more drinking and a whole lot of fun in the heart of a local seaside tourist trap. But the good times abruptly end the next morning as, through the haze of killer hangovers, the trio realizes they never actually learned how to break the spell, and are now stuck on land for the foreseeable future. Which means everything from: enlisting the aid of their I-know-we-just-met-can-we-crash-with-you bartender friend, struggling to make sense of the world around them, and even trying to get a job with no skill set…all while attempting to somehow return to the sea and making the most of their current situation with tenacity and camaraderie (especially if someone else is buying).

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Mermaids and booze make for a fun filled comic. Two mermaids and a sea witch run out of alcohol and decide to change themselves into humans to go in search of more booze. It was easy for Eez the sea witch to turn them all into humans, what they don’t realize is that Eez doesn’t know how to turn them back to mermaids. Pearl, Tooth and Eez enjoy there time on land.

On their first day on land they make a new friend at the bar. Vivi takes the drunk mermaids in not realizing who they were. Vivi was so kind to take three people into her home without knowing them. They were a handful but they got along very well. Eez starts getting depressed that she cannot turn them back. The mermaids need to adjust to life and find jobs. As it is hard for any regular person searching for a job without experience, they definitely ran into dead ends looking for work.

The cover of this book is so beautiful and colorful. The illustrations were great. The mermaids are each very different and diverse. They are carefree and not scared of showing their body or breast. Each one had different body types. Glad too see a diverse cast of characters. This comic novel had girl power, LBGTQ+, humor and depression. This comic included real life scenarios that we all could relate to in some form or another. You are going to enjoy the quirkiness of these fabulous mermaids.

Author Biography

Kat Leyh is a Chicago based writer and artist. She’s best known as the current co-writer and cover artist for the series Lumberjanes, and for her queer superhero webcomic Supercakes. She’s also worked as a cover artist, and back-up writer/artist for several BOOM! Studios series.