Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - Nubia: Real One

this was so.... good.
i can tell how much love was put into this graphic novel, which makes reading even more moving...

i really recommend just about anyone to read this, even though there might be scenes u could not relate to, because at it's heart... its so SO real. by writing about teenager issues and especially highlighting experiences that black children and teens go through.

the art is also super 👌 and feels dynamic and fun, with its simplistic style!! makes the reading experience much easier, in my opinion!!! :D

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mobymaize's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

A really interesting story with great characters and a diverse cast of fun characters! Nubia is great and she is my daughter.

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josieruby1's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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littlecat's review against another edition

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emotional tense fast-paced

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Art: The art took a bit to get used to for me, the colours are nice, the paneling okay, and I always like it when flashbacks are shown in different styles (bonus D.s and Nubias flashbacks are also different from eachother).
Story: I went in blind and the heavy themes kind of hit me by suprise at first, that said it is handled well and I like how the story never forgets that they are just kids/teens.
Her moms are great (also how cool is it that at this age people in media are allowed to be queer casually? I actaully read "moms" and first through I was misreading something)) and I love the relationship between the kids.
Also reading the words "Stop Murdering Black Trans Woman" and "Trans Lives Matter" was great.

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jularcido's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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robinks's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

What a great addition to the superhero genre! This story tackles SO many important topics.

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caelinsullivan's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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sapphic_in_the_stacks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

With all the same powers as Wonder Woman, Nubia has all the potential to be a revered superhero. Growing up in present day America though, all anyone sees is a young black girl, and no one takes her seriously. Her moms want to protect her from the world, but systemic racism and police brutality are impossible to avoid. Nubia struggles with her powers and potential, along with all the other problems that come with being a a black teenager in America.

I think this book provided fantastic commentary on how society treats similar people differently based solely on race. The story is captivating, and grapples with difficult subjects including sexual harassment, white male entitlement and privilege, police brutality, and school shootings. When I first read this, I thought it was a little dark for teenage readers, before realizing that it's dark because it's mirroring actual teenage experience in the present day. School shootings, racism, and police brutality are all topics that many kids, specifically black kids, have to learn about at far too young an age, just to keep themselves safe. It made me remember how when I graduated high school, it was partially a sigh of relief for my parents to know I had made it out of school without a shooting at my own school. Difficult but necessary topics covered in a beautifully designed comic that was also fun and lighthearted at times made for an amazing read.

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