Cannonball Read 12

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Old vs New, Tradition vs Progress, Stagnation vs Movement

Avatar The Last Airbender: The Rift by Gene Luen Yang

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Avatar Aang, in the midst of a celebration of the first jointly governed colony, is beset by visions of one of his former lives, Avatar Yangchen, the last air bender avatar before Aang. The visions remind Aang that it is time for Yangchen’s festival, so everyone’s favorite friend group sets off: Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, and the Air Acolytes fly to a pristine to cliff to honor a giant statue of an unknown woman. Tensions rise almost immediately between Aang and Toph. Aang encourages valuing […]

A marvelous extension of an already incredible, established universe

Avatar The Last Airbender: The Promise by Gene Luen Yang

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I am very lucky that I have adult friends who are nerds in the same way that I am. A friend of mine recently let me borrow all 5 complete collections of the Avatar graphic novels. This review is of the first one. Avatar the Last Airbender: The Promise picks immediately following the events of the three seasons of the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender. Avatar Aang and newly crowned Fire Lord Zuko must find away to heal the world of the damage that […]

I’d probably read the phone book if Gene Luen Yang wrote it

Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang

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When Gene Luen Yang first started creating graphic novels, I wonder if he thought, “Someday I going to write one that has Superman fighting the Klan that is based on the 1940’s radio program.” And in 2020 out comes Superman Smashes the Klan with its connection to that past and all too relevance today. While this is not my favorite Yang graphic novel (mostly because, while I like Superman, he is not my favorite DC character and honestly have less interest in his stories), it […]

I’ve hated sports ever since I was a little kid.

Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang

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Gene Yang is most well known for his American Born Chinese and more recently Boxers/Saints. This new book reveals something about him that I didn’t know, that he was a high school English teacher for many years (until a recent move to comics writing full time). He worked for a school in California called Bishop O’Dowd and spends this book chronicling the 2014 basketball season when the Dragons found themselves with the number one recruit in the country (a mercurial and inconsistent ranking system depending on who and […]

From two masters of the graphic novel

The Eternal Smile: Three Stories by Gene Luen Yang

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My weekend reading included three graphic novels, and while two were “intense” they were not deeply intense like The Eternal Smile: Three Stories was. This book takes three similar themed, but very different stories and punches you in the face. At first you are seeing the reality of the story. Things seem straight forward at first: A young man battles the “big bads” of the world, wins maiden fair and should live happily ever after. A greedy, cigar chomping frog tries to find that one […]



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