Turning Tiger: Special Editionby Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 6 Turning Tiger seems like your typical comic about a secret US military robot that goes rogue and wreaks havoc in suburbia. However, this story has quite a twist! I wont give it away (despite wanting to) because it really makes this comic worth the read — that, and the awesome robot art. If you like robot / mecha fights and government / military conspiracies, then you'll love this comic!Another plus for this comic is the racially mixed family (bonus points for the daughter having dolls of more than one race as well). There is excellent coloring, which also depicts Sarah, the daughter, with a more mixed skin tone. The only weird image is one of the extra "fan art" images in the back, which depicts Sarah and the other girl as white (not to mention that the other girl would more than likely not be blond). There are three robots: red, blue and yellow. Of course, the one that is the focus in this comic is red. It would have been nice to see a change from the stereotypical "lead" color choice, but red is eye-catching. I really like the design of the robots. It's simple and has nods to other popular robots and mecha, but they are still unique. Artist Alex Moore does a great job at showing their movement and their weight. In several panels you can see and practically feel the force of the motion. The action builds gradually and naturally to a much more violent battle near the end, and while it has some of my favorite panels, I have to laugh a bit that the "forest" is like many such forests — seemingly dense, but with plenty of room for giant robots to maneuver, fly and battle without running into any trees. Only two trees are harmed — one uprooted and used as a spear, and the other gets a robot thrown directly into it, knocking it down. The people have a more cartoony feel to them than the robots do, but that helps this comic "translate" for younger readers. I also like that there's lot of female leads (and that they're not all nice). It gives the comic a different dynamic than a male-dominated cast would, but it still gets the story told and has appropriate character personalities in the different roles. The female General is an especially harsh character, but she balances out the overly-motherly female scientist as they argue whether the robots are children or weapons. It's pretty classic, but, again, there's a twist here that changes how different people and the story as a whole are perceived. The dad is a wonderfully well-developed character who fits in perfectly with the dynamics of the story with his various interactions with all these women. This graphic novel comes out in April. With 44 pages of actual story in full color, the $7.99 price tag is a good fit. It's not a comic I'd want to read over and over again, but I enjoyed it enough to want a sequel. Written: March 1, 2012
|
|
|
Home |
Features |
Columns |
Culture Vultures |
Report Card
Indicia | Contact | Archives © Sequential Tart, 1998 – 2021 |
