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koiketto's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Ten year old me would be going insane losing her mind, and tbh I kind of am too.
Literally everything about this book was so fucking cool (except for one kinda-small thing, which I will be getting into later). I don't usually read a lot of superhero fiction nowadays, but I saw this in the library and I immediately had to grab it. I was super obsessed with everything Wonder Woman and DC all throughout elementary school, so of course I'd heard of Nubia, but I had never actually seen her featured in any modern media DC was producing. But I know that if I read this when I was ten, everyone I knew would have never heard the end of it. The only real black female superhero I had growing up was Bumblebee, so adding Nubia to the mix quite literally would have been mind-blowing for me.
To put it simply, I loved almost everything about this book. The coloring, the story, the characters, the themes. Literally everything was amazing. The entire book has this kind of pinkish tone to it, which just makes the whole thing seem like so much fun?? Like??? I'm not even kidding look at this:
Don't even lie to me; the colors are actually amazing. Literally on the floor. I love it so much.
Also Nubia is quite literally just the coolest bitch. She invented superhero-ing when she did her hair up in cornrows and put on her protest gear and Amazonian bracelets. I'm sorry but nothing is ever gonna top that. She's just that bitch.
And on top of that she had amazing friends and amazing moms, and an amazing coming of age - literally everything about this book was gold-star. 10/10, with one small thing hindering my enjoyment and keeping me from giving it five stars.
The only thing in the book I'm not a huge fan of is the in-your-face, over-the-top racism. I've never been a fan of posturing racism as this big, almost cartoonish villain. There were some hints of a bigger picture: the conflicts with police as a black girl trying to be a superhero were especially heart-wrenching to me, and there were some real, important, gut-wrenching conversations being had.
But there was this one character Wayland who I just?? Didn't like at all??? And not just because he was an obvious asshole. He was this cartoonishly overt racist where everything was in your face and he was the one starting all the problems, which really felt like it undermined a lot of the messages.
Wayland was the main source of conflict in this book, and I really wish he wasn't because the book usually defers to him being this complete asshat instead of giving an actual look at racism in society. The novel slowly leans less towards societal racism and more towards "omg look at Wayland! Look at this dude! He calls Nubia a monkey and purposefully escalates a conflict with police and shoots up a school and says they're all ghetto and beats women to put them in their place and omg he's literally the worst!!!"
I was just. Not a fan of that. At all. Wayland was kind of the face of this whole over-the-top racism message, but there were some other instances that just really seemed back-to-back black trauma (another thing I'm not a fan of). Really, the whole intense racism thing I just did not vibe with, which is really what dropped this rating down from five stars to four.
But other than that, this book was it. Hoping and praying that DC does something with Nubia because quite literally how can you let this gem go to waste. L.L. McKinney I owe you my life; read this book if you wanna be a cool bitch.
Literally everything about this book was so fucking cool (except for one kinda-small thing, which I will be getting into later). I don't usually read a lot of superhero fiction nowadays, but I saw this in the library and I immediately had to grab it. I was super obsessed with everything Wonder Woman and DC all throughout elementary school, so of course I'd heard of Nubia, but I had never actually seen her featured in any modern media DC was producing. But I know that if I read this when I was ten, everyone I knew would have never heard the end of it. The only real black female superhero I had growing up was Bumblebee, so adding Nubia to the mix quite literally would have been mind-blowing for me.
To put it simply, I loved almost everything about this book. The coloring, the story, the characters, the themes. Literally everything was amazing. The entire book has this kind of pinkish tone to it, which just makes the whole thing seem like so much fun?? Like??? I'm not even kidding look at this:
Don't even lie to me; the colors are actually amazing. Literally on the floor. I love it so much.
Also Nubia is quite literally just the coolest bitch. She invented superhero-ing when she did her hair up in cornrows and put on her protest gear and Amazonian bracelets. I'm sorry but nothing is ever gonna top that. She's just that bitch.
And on top of that she had amazing friends and amazing moms, and an amazing coming of age - literally everything about this book was gold-star. 10/10, with one small thing hindering my enjoyment and keeping me from giving it five stars.
The only thing in the book I'm not a huge fan of is the in-your-face, over-the-top racism. I've never been a fan of posturing racism as this big, almost cartoonish villain. There were some hints of a bigger picture: the conflicts with police as a black girl trying to be a superhero were especially heart-wrenching to me, and there were some real, important, gut-wrenching conversations being had.
But there was this one character Wayland who I just?? Didn't like at all??? And not just because he was an obvious asshole. He was this cartoonishly overt racist where everything was in your face and he was the one starting all the problems, which really felt like it undermined a lot of the messages.
Wayland was the main source of conflict in this book, and I really wish he wasn't because the book usually defers to him being this complete asshat instead of giving an actual look at racism in society. The novel slowly leans less towards societal racism and more towards "omg look at Wayland! Look at this dude! He calls Nubia a monkey and purposefully escalates a conflict with police and shoots up a school and says they're all ghetto and beats women to put them in their place and omg he's literally the worst!!!"
I was just. Not a fan of that. At all. Wayland was kind of the face of this whole over-the-top racism message, but there were some other instances that just really seemed back-to-back black trauma (another thing I'm not a fan of). Really, the whole intense racism thing I just did not vibe with, which is really what dropped this rating down from five stars to four.
But other than that, this book was it. Hoping and praying that DC does something with Nubia because quite literally how can you let this gem go to waste. L.L. McKinney I owe you my life; read this book if you wanna be a cool bitch.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment and Police brutality
Moderate: Mass/school shootings and Racial slurs
zombiezami's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-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
5.0
I loved this and I really hope there's a sequel. This is the first version of DC's Nubia that I've ever read before. I've heard that previous iterations of her character made her pretty one-dimensional and secondary to Diana, so I'm glad this imagining didn't follow suit. It was a lot more intense than I imagined it would be. I loved the art and the narrative overall.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Racism, Racial slurs, Gun violence, and Police brutality
Moderate: Alcohol, Lesbophobia, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Medical content, and Physical abuse
Minor: Stalking, Cursing, and Kidnapping
peachani's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Gun violence, Lesbophobia, Mass/school shootings, Police brutality, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Racial slurs
Minor: Blood, Body shaming, Cursing, Medical content, Physical abuse, and Alcohol
jularcido's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Racism, Sexual harassment, Racial slurs, Bullying, Gun violence, Hate crime, and Homophobia
robinks's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Violence, Homophobia, Blood, Body shaming, Alcohol, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Police brutality, Racism, and Transphobia
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Hate crime and Murder
sapphic_in_the_stacks's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Sexual harassment, and Racism
Moderate: Police brutality, Racial slurs, Homophobia, and Child death
alyssamakesart's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Racial slurs, Mass/school shootings, and Police brutality
gdobson's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Sexism, Racism, Police brutality, Homophobia, Gun violence, and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Racial slurs and Sexual assault
qace90's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
fast-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
This is an excellent, timely comic. I love Nubia and her friendships with Quisha and Jason. Oscar is so adorable and I hope there’s going to be more of him with Nubia. I also love everything about her moms, Amera and Danielle. The violence and sexual harassment were heartbreaking, but I love how this is a story of Nubia standing up for those she loves. Such an excellent comic!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Sexual assault, and Mass/school shootings
ehmannky's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-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
5.0
I super hope that this becomes a long-running series because this was so good! I love that we got an origin story for a superhero that is rarely given the spotlight. I thought that the overall story, by showing the ways Nubia deals with racism from the police and classmates even as she literally saves the day and protects those around her, was powerful and heartbreaking. But McKinney also imbues the story with so much humor and nuance and warmth from Nubia's loved ones and the romance is so cute.
Not only is the story powerful, but the art is so vibrant and wonderful. It's just a lot different than a lot of the graphic novels I've been reading lately. Juts an overall delight.
Not only is the story powerful, but the art is so vibrant and wonderful. It's just a lot different than a lot of the graphic novels I've been reading lately. Juts an overall delight.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Gun violence, Bullying, Sexual assault, Racism, Physical abuse, Mass/school shootings, and Hate crime
Moderate: Blood, Sexism, Racial slurs, and Medical content
Minor: Murder, Child death, and Death