Review: 'City in the Desert: The Monster Problem' by Moro Rogers

And from the mingled blood of man and the evil one, Iriaze raised a horde of monsters...

And from that time on, the world was full of monsters.

Monster hunter Irro and his assistant Hari have a pretty good life, all things considered; they get to hunt monsters. But they may be the only people in the city of Kevala who are making a decent living.  When a religious sect promising relief from the burden of worry comes to Kevala everything changes. Everyone is smiling and relaxed, but Irro knows there is something sinister afoot and he and Hari are determined to uncover the truth.

Graphic Novel newcomer Moro Rogers has crafted an intriguing story that draws readers into a strangely familiar world peopled with monsters and monster hunters. Irro comes from a long line of monster hunters but has come upon harder times as monster attacks increase and hunters are eliminated. The increase of attacks has isolated Irro's home base of Kevala; they have not had a caravan travel by in almost a year. The isolation is beautifully depicted by Rogers' sepia toned art.

One of The Monster Problem's biggest strengths is the relationship between Irro and Hari. Hari is something other than human - she has a tail and claws, but Irro treats her as a person. Rogers has done a wonderful job of crafting the relationship between these two characters using language as well as image. The humor of their dialogue gives readers a depth of character often lacking in graphic novel text. This playful tone is carried over into the art itself: a bored Irro walks through a character's speech balloon, preventing the reader for seeing all the text and visually illustrating Irro's lack of attention. Hari's facial expressions are spot on with her comments; rue, humor and confusion are beautifully depicted.

But not all is action and humor in the city of Kevala. There are some darker elements at work here: a spreading confusion among residents and lack of response to physical threats that allow the reader to become aware of the threat posed by the Way of Sacred Peace well before Irro and Hari. Hopefully, further development of these threats is something that readers can look forward to in City in the Desert's next installment.

This is a fun, well-crafted and beautifully illustrated graphic novel that I'll be encouraging my teens to try.

Reviewer: Rebecca

Book Source: Local Library

Recommended Ages: 15+

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Review: Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer Volume 3: Of Wood and Blood, Part 1

Just my luck,

I get stuck on a deserted island

with a humorless ghost.

Of Wood and Blood, Part 1 finds Pinocchio with his trusty, spectral counterpart, Cricket, washed ashore a seemingly deserted island after their ship is sunk during a storm. Looks are deceiving as Pinocchio is quickly reunited with the living puppets Harlequin, Punch and Columbina and confronted with an army of vampires eager to bite his newly-human self. While fending of a horde -- or is it a swarm? a murder? -- of the undead, Pinocchio and his cohorts must escape the island and rescue Carlotta.

As with the previous Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer volumes, Of Wood and Blood offers plenty of chills, thrills and giggles.  Repartee between characters is snappy, entertaining and offers a much-needed levity to an otherwise dark tale.  Vampires, the hidden menace, are amassing around the world; waiting for the signal to strike and enslave the human race (a.k.a. food) forever.

Pinocchio's character has developed well for a graphic novel character and I look forward to his continued maturation in forthcoming volumes. Carlotta was rather one-dimensional in this volume, but the reader also doesn't get to see very much of her now that she is separated from the rest of the group.  Cricket was probably the most entertaining character of the novel, will far less lecturing and far more quippy one-liners and comebacks.

Readers are given a glimpse into the back-story of how the wood that the living puppets were carved from become 'alive'. This original twist on Pinocchio's origins is woven in with elements of Vlad the Impaler and vampire lore - which makes for an original origin story.

Note: While this title can be read out of order, readers will appreciate this volume more if read in order.

Book Source: Local Library

Reviewed by: Rebecca

Recommended Ages: 14+ mild language, violence and some suggestive dialogue

Recommended for Readers of:

Pinocchio...Vampire Slayer?

Everyone knows the story of the Pinocchio the wooden puppet that wanted to be a “real boy”.  But Disney never got his hands on this part of the tale.  Vampires roam Italy haunting small villages and causing strings of “mysterious disappearances”.  Geppetto has been murdered by these vampires leaving Pinocchio to protect the disbelieving villagers.  The wooden boy is aided by Master Cherry, an aged (and somewhat arthritic) Blue Fairy and the ghost of a well-intentioned but very annoying cricket Pinocchio stomped upon long ago. 

Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer uses limited color to convey the dark nature of the story as well as highlight action, bad guys and important plot points.  The overall effect is of a dark, monochromatic Italy shot through with bursts of violence. Though the general tone of the novel is rather Grimm, there are certain moments of hilarity throughout this graphic novel such as when Pinocchio tells outrageous lies to make his nose grow only to break of the end of his nose, employing it as a stake to kill vampires.  (At which point I burst out laughing while reading.)
Pinocchio returns to his roots in this much darker and more interesting than is typically recounted fairy-tale revamp. Readers be prepared for action, humor, vampire slaying galore and an unexpected twist that will leave you shocked and desperately awaiting the second installation.

THIS AUTHOR WILL BE AT TEENBOOKCON 2012!  Check out http://www.teenbookcon.org/ for details.

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