The Shadow Hero

Goodreads Synopsis:    The Shadow Hero is based on golden-age comic series The Green Turtle, whose hero solved crimes and fought injustice just like any other comics hero. But this mysterious masked crusader was hiding more than your run-of-the-mill secret identity...The Green Turtle was the first Asian American superhero.

Now, exactly seventy years later, New York Times-bestselling author Gene Luen Yang has revived this nearly forgotten, pioneering character in a new graphic novel that creates an origin story for the golden-age Green Turtle.

With artwork by the unmatched Sonny Liew, this hilarious and insightful graphic novel about heroism and heritage is also a loving tribute to the long, rich tradition of American superhero comics. 

My Thoughts:

-    This was a fun read with a good story.

-    It almost felt like a Marvel comic.

-    The mom was funny. She reminded me of Amy's mom from Futurama. I laughed every time she said, "Ai-ya."

-    I enjoyed the illustrations, especially the facial expressions.

-    I liked seeing the character development in the main character. It was fun to see him become a hero.

-    This wasn't my favorite from Yang, but it was still good.

Boxers & Saints

 

My Synopsis for Boxers:

-    Christians have come to China, and they are converting some of the people. 

-    Bao sees the foreigners as evil, and he wants to protect China and it's people from them.

-    Bao learns Kung Fu, and then he masters a ritual that lets him change into a Chinese God. He teaches others this ritual and forms an army.

-    Bao's fighters follow a strict code, and they are determined to destroy every foreign devil and their followers.

My Synopsis for Saints:

-    The main character is a girl that doesn't have a name. Her family treats her poorly, and doesn't really want her around.

-    She discovers Christianity and is baptized, and at this time, she takes on the name Vibiana.

-    Vibiana is visited my Joan of Ark, and Joan helps Vibiana discover who she is and what she is meant to do. 

-    Vibiana is determined to fight the army that is killing the Christians.

My Thoughts:

-    These books are the same story, but told from different perspectives. It was hard to know who was good and who was bad.

-    The endings are sad and depressing.

-    There is quite a bit of violence, especially in Boxers. It didn't really bug me, but there is a lot of brutal things.

-    There is also some talk about the female menstrual cycle. That was awkward, weird, and gross. 

-    I felt sad for both Bao and Vibiana. They were both fighting for something they believed to be good, but nothing really good came out of their efforts.

-    I wonder how much of these stories are true. I know some Chinese had a hard time westernizing everything. 

American Born Chinese

My Synopsis:

-    The book is about three stories. 

-    The first is about a boy named Jin Wang. He is new at his school, and he just wants to fit in and make friends, maybe even take his crush out on a date.

-    The second story is about the monkey king. I remember watching this old Chinese fable on wishbone. The monkey king wants to become more than what he is. He even challenges the gods.

-    The third story is about Danny. His super annoying Chinese cousin, Chin-Kee, is visiting him. Chin-Kee is making life miserable and embarrassing for Danny.


My Thoughts:

-    I was not expecting this book to be so crazy, silly, and confusing. It was awesome in a weird sort of way.

-    I knew these stories would all make sense in the end, and I was surprised on how they converged. The three stories seem so different, but they are connected.

-    I liked the illustrations and the way the some of the panels showed movement and action. I also liked that this one was in color.

-    This book had a good message. I liked that! After all the craziness, there was a lesson to learn.

-    I can definitely see why this book won an award! 

Level Up

My Synopsis:

-    Dennis Ouyang is intrigued by video games. When the NES comes out, he freaks! 

-    Sadly, Dennis's father thinks  that video games are waste of time and money.

-    Dennis is weighed down by his father's rules and expectations, but when his father passes away, FREEDOM!

-    Dennis becomes an all out gamer! However, his gaming gets in the way of his studies, and Dennis is floundering in school.

-    Some "messengers" come to help Dennis fulfill his destiny (aka the life his father wanted him to have), and Dennis decides to give up his gaming ways.

-    Dennis doesn't hate his new life, but he doesn't love it either. He must choose his own way of life instead of doing what his father would want him to do.

My Thoughts:

-    I LOVE the cover of this book. I often held it like a real Gameboy and pretended to hit the buttons. 

-    The story made me reminisce about the good ole' days of playing Mario and other games. The NES was a good console.

-    For me, the story wasn't really finished. I wanted a little more at the end. 

-    The "angels" were creepy! I would hate to be haunted by those things, but I would appreciate all the help with chores.

-    I like that Dennis makes new friends in med school, and I like that school isn't totally miserable in his new life.

-    The illustrations were fun and really simple. I think it would have been cool if the illustrations had been done to look like 8-bit.

-    Not my favorite graphic novel, but it was fun. A definite must-read for gamers!