Together with Tamaki’s punchy writing, this coming-of-age story of identity, family, friendship, and saving the world is skillfully brought to life in a quick but nuanced read. Yoshitani’s vibrant and colorful stylized illustrations beautifully meld the various iterations of Starfire and the Titans with the live-action versions of those characters. Mandy tries to figure out what kind of future she wants for herself as she struggles with teenage insecurities and bullying, her relationship with her mom, and her budding friendship (or is it something more?) with her new class project partner, Claire. Mandy’s best friend, Lincoln, whose parents were born in Vietnam, insightfully summarizes this rift as being down to an intergenerational divide that occurs whether parents and children come from different countries or different planets. Mandy dyes her hair and dresses in all black to further call out how different they are.

Sixteen-year-old Mandy considers herself the anti-Starfire: Unlike her scantily clad superhero mother, she doesn’t have superpowers, can’t fly, and doesn’t even own a bathing suit.

Readers need not have read any other Wonder Woman stories to enjoy this one.ĭiana’s lasso of truth shows this one is a winner. The cast is diverse-Diana appears white, Alia and her brother are biracial (black and Greek), their two friends are cued as South Asian, fat, and queer and Afro-Latinx respectively. Well-paced and funny, where this adaptation stands out is in the illustrations that show people of color in a nuanced way. The introduction of necessary background information doesn’t always flow well with the conversation bubbles, and red-outlined text boxes showing Alia’s thoughts feel insufficient for the introduction of a second narrator. Diana and Alia flee Themyscira, return Alia to New York City and, with the help of Alia’s brother and two of their friends, work to break the curse. When Alia’s presence on the island wreaks havoc, Diana learns she is a Warbringer, cursed to bring death and destruction everywhere she goes. Midway through the race, Diana witnesses a ship exploding and sets aside her desire for victory to save a girl, Alia. Because she was made and did not earn her place in Themyscira, Diana is determined to prove herself to her mother and her fellow Amazons by winning the race to Bana-Mighdall. A graphic adaptation of Bardugo’s ( Ninth House, 2019, etc.) 2017 novel of the same name.ĭiana was molded from clay by her mother, Hippolyta, and given life by the goddesses.

Wonder woman book leigh bardugo