The Divine

The Divine was inspired by God's Army, a group of Burmese dissidents led by twin 12-year-old boys, but it takes that seed of truth and spins it into a much broader and fantastic fiction that still manages to comment on contemporary issues. The plot follows Mark, an ex-military explosives expert from the US who is stuck in a crappy job, with a baby on the way and pressure to move on to better conditions. He gets contacted by his friend Jason to be a contractor on a lucrative mining job in the fictional southeast Asia country Quanlom. Soon, he finds himself surrounded by conflict and he is moved by the plight of the country's inhabitants, particularly the children who are caught up in the violence.

 

In this book, the dragons are both literal and figurative. Mark is astounded when he finds that two of these young soldiers he befriends can summon gigantic warriors and also control powerful, destructive supernatural forces. Jason is not so sympathetic, and much of this book is a debate/commentary on the nature of war and its consequences. Even though it is a work of fiction, it packs a powerful and realistic punch. There are a number of monsters in this book, and some of them are actually humans.

In discussing this interesting, gripping, and provocative tale, I have not even gotten to what I feel is the strongest part of this book, the artwork. Brothers Asaf and Tomer Hanuka have hit a home run with their expert depictions of human moments, frenetic action sequences, and broad vistas that call to mind classic Asian landscape paintings. The pages ripple with action, and I love how the coloring is used to convey mood with foreboding reds, soothing greens, and murky browns. As you can see in the splash page below, the art is wondrous to drink in.

Asaf is also known for his work on The Realist webcomic, and both brothers have impressive portfolios of commercial art work for major media outlets. Writer and filmmaker Boaz Lavie has written for many venues, and he is also known for his short film, The Lake. This interview with all the creators casts more light on their work on this book.

The reviews I have read of this book have been celebratory. Publishers Weekly called it "heady, hellacious, and phantasmagoric." Scott at the Open Book Society called it "one of the most perfect blends of word and pictures." Nathan Wilson called it "the latest installment in a catalog of award winning books."

The Divine was published by First Second, and they have a preview and much more available here. Because of occasional swearing and a few scenes of graphic violence, I would recommend this book for readers mature enough to handle both.

Thank you, Gina, for the review copy!

Refresh Refresh

Refresh Refresh is a heart-wrenching, disturbing, and idiosyncratic look into the lives of three boys in a rural Oregon town. Many of the men here are Marine Reservists who have been called to serve in the Iraq War, leaving their families to fend for themselves. Josh, Cody, and Gordon turn to each other for support and to toughen each other up. They build a boxing ring and fight each other so they will be strong. They try to make their fathers proud while on their own, but they also find themselves longing for any contact, constantly refreshing their email accounts looking for replies from abroad. While their families struggle financially, they all fear a knock at the door from a uniformed duo charged with delivering grim news.

This graphic novel is an adaptation of a short story by Benjamin Percy, an award winning author who also teaches in the prestigious writing program at Iowa State University. This story was made into a screenplay by James Ponsoldt, a writer/director whose first movie is called Off the Black, before Danica Novgorodoff chose it for her subject. Novgorodoff is an artist, photographer, and designer who works for First Second Books. She has written another graphic novel, the well regarded Slow Storm, about moral dilemmas and immigration issues. She explains her work on Refresh Refresh extensively in this interview.

Novgorodoff has won an Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics and was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Single Issue Comic, so it should come as no shock that her work has been well reviewed. Brian Beglin wrote that he is a fan of her work and is "thankful Novgorodoff is asking the messy questions, even if the answers make us hurt." The Graphic Novel Reporter's John Hogan called it a "beautifully done" story.

A preview, more reviews, and author information is available here from publisher First Second.