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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
fast-paced
Look dog i think most of the hate towards this book is blown out of the water you know🤷♀️
4.5/5 (Rounding up to combat the vitriolic reviews of other users.)
First off: I Am Not Starfire is an outside-of-canon YA graphic novel starring a completely new character in DC lore. People need to do their research before commenting about things they don't understand. AND stop gatekeeping comics with sad excuses that keep new fans out and stifle the entire community.
Now that I've gotten that off my chest: I Am Not Starfire is a really great look at what it might like to be the child of a superhero when you don't think there's anything really special about yourself. Mandy is super angsty, sure, but she's got her reasons. (And it was great to see a chubby teen in a book where weight was never made to be A Thing. She's also a lesbian, which—again—not A Thing.) Tamaki nails the teen-speak, and Yoshitani's art is equal parts cute and energetic. I truly hope people look past this book's poor rating and reviews because it's a book worthy of love*.
Full review to come, but you can check out a teaser mini-review over at the Forever Young Adult Instagram.
*A little nod to the "meaning" of the name Amanda, which Mandy is a nickname of ...
First off: I Am Not Starfire is an outside-of-canon YA graphic novel starring a completely new character in DC lore. People need to do their research before commenting about things they don't understand. AND stop gatekeeping comics with sad excuses that keep new fans out and stifle the entire community.
Now that I've gotten that off my chest: I Am Not Starfire is a really great look at what it might like to be the child of a superhero when you don't think there's anything really special about yourself. Mandy is super angsty, sure, but she's got her reasons. (And it was great to see a chubby teen in a book where weight was never made to be A Thing. She's also a lesbian, which—again—not A Thing.) Tamaki nails the teen-speak, and Yoshitani's art is equal parts cute and energetic. I truly hope people look past this book's poor rating and reviews because it's a book worthy of love*.
Full review to come, but you can check out a teaser mini-review over at the Forever Young Adult Instagram.
*A little nod to the "meaning" of the name Amanda, which Mandy is a nickname of ...
I have heard a lot of mixed things about this graphic so I really didn't know what to expect but I was presently surprised by this. I liked it quite a bit.
The story was quite a bit more relatable than I thought it would be. As a queer fat girl myself I really related to Mandy. Her disconnect with her mother was also something I felt just about any teenager can relate to even if not the exact parameters.
My only concern was I do wish we had looked more into Mandy's issues with her body and how people viewed her mother as such a large part of that. I wish the topic of how people viewed her mother as an object ne part of her issues and not just the hero aspect of her mother's life.
Besides my desire for a deeper dive into some of Mandy and her mom's issues I really enjoyed this. I can't wait to get myself a physical copy of this book and gush about it to everyone!
The story was quite a bit more relatable than I thought it would be. As a queer fat girl myself I really related to Mandy. Her disconnect with her mother was also something I felt just about any teenager can relate to even if not the exact parameters.
My only concern was I do wish we had looked more into Mandy's issues with her body and how people viewed her mother as such a large part of that. I wish the topic of how people viewed her mother as an object ne part of her issues and not just the hero aspect of her mother's life.
Besides my desire for a deeper dive into some of Mandy and her mom's issues I really enjoyed this. I can't wait to get myself a physical copy of this book and gush about it to everyone!
Exceeded my already high expectations as Teen Titans fan in giving me well-intentioned Starfire semi-failing at parenting and a wonderfully sarcastic and cool daughter of Starfire with Mandy! It perfectly incapsulates the many pressures that would come with being in Mandy's position and has plenty of heartfelt moments by the end of things. It is great for superhero fans and for those who typically read graphic novels or books focused on other things, it has a little something for everyone and some great action scenes and excitement as well as teen angst and awkwardness! I would love to see more of Mandy in the future!
Sequel please
Extremely good characters and story
True fan
Extremely good characters and story
True fan
I was really worried about this one. Not because of the Incel Reviews. Bigots gonna bigot. But because I felt the previous Mariko Tamaki YA DC book, [b:Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass|50225349|Harley Quinn Breaking Glass|Mariko Tamaki|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1670558130l/50225349._SX50_.jpg|60077747], was so out of touch and inadvertantly offensive. Dated stereotypes, toxic relationship goals, totally like language that like nobody like uses anymore. It had been a real let down, as I love Tamaki's creator-owned work.
This was pretty much the opposite of Breaking Glass. I thought Mandy, Starfire's daughter, was a realistic and perfectly conceived protagonist. She's imperfect, makes bad decisions, is unknowingly self-sabotaging, but really wants to be better without anyone else's assistance. I grew up knowing a couple of Mandy's (minus the superhero mom).
I thought her relationships with the people around made sense, particularly being completely exhausted by people who fetishize her mom and constantly ask her questions about it.
Yes, the ending is very predicatbly super-heroey and teen romance, but I feel like the book earns it by having three-dimensional characters and a clear plot and sense of themes.
[a:Yoshi Yoshitani|17587209|Yoshi Yoshitani|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1583794463p2/17587209.jpg]'s art is perfect for this book. I loved the panel placement, the coloring choices, and how each character had their own body shape, as opposed to all characters having mostly the same build.
Of all the DC YA books, this is head and shoulders above the rest, my favorite.
This was pretty much the opposite of Breaking Glass. I thought Mandy, Starfire's daughter, was a realistic and perfectly conceived protagonist. She's imperfect, makes bad decisions, is unknowingly self-sabotaging, but really wants to be better without anyone else's assistance. I grew up knowing a couple of Mandy's (minus the superhero mom).
I thought her relationships with the people around made sense, particularly being completely exhausted by people who fetishize her mom and constantly ask her questions about it.
Yes, the ending is very predicatbly super-heroey and teen romance, but I feel like the book earns it by having three-dimensional characters and a clear plot and sense of themes.
[a:Yoshi Yoshitani|17587209|Yoshi Yoshitani|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1583794463p2/17587209.jpg]'s art is perfect for this book. I loved the panel placement, the coloring choices, and how each character had their own body shape, as opposed to all characters having mostly the same build.
Of all the DC YA books, this is head and shoulders above the rest, my favorite.
Mandy just wants to be out of her mother's shadow and pave her own path. That's hard to do when your mother is a superhero and all around perfect. I Am Not Starfire explores what it feels like to not fit societal beauty standards and being held to an impossible standards. Tamaki does encapsulate the feeling of teenage angst and wanting separation from parents. The diversity in characters and sexuality made this comic feel more contemporary and gave it more depth. The illustrations added emotion and contrast to the emotions Mandy and her mother felt. The graphic novel is quick paced and easy to follow but did lack any real depth. Mandy purposely does not want to be like her mother and resents having to be held to the same standards. Both mother and daughter do not communicate because they have not had the same life experiences so its hard for them to relate to one another. Instead of exploring this issue more, it is only superficially addressed. This is how a lot of the themes and characters felt through out the story.
Pretty much everything that I wanted in a young-adult graphic novel. The art style is extraordinary, so I was prepared to love that and not the story, but whoo boy I was proven wrong and I love all of it. A just lovely coming of age story, featuring mixed immigrant kid feelings, teenage outcasts, wee little lesbians. So very cute.
I loved this so much. I thought it was super cute, an original idea and concept, and it had great execution. It was silly and simple, but it was nostalgic - all of the Titans are in it - and I loved the whole thing. Starfire is just perfect in this, and I loved Mandy, and I love that it's queer! Such a great modern superhero take on an old classic for the new generation.
Mandy is NOTHING like her mother. It is easy to see that Mandy's bright, effervescent, and superhero mom (Starfire) is a fry cry from Mandy's dyed-black hair and solemn outlook. Mostly, Mandy just wants to get by without people from school fan-girling over her mom and without her mom finding out she walked out of her SAT.
I do not have particularly in-depth Starfire knowledge, but this story seemed a little rough around the edges for me. It doesn't have the same tone that many of the other DC graphic novels have had. I thought it was a decent quick-read, but wouldn't recommend it to anyone who is picky about their superhero tales.
I do not have particularly in-depth Starfire knowledge, but this story seemed a little rough around the edges for me. It doesn't have the same tone that many of the other DC graphic novels have had. I thought it was a decent quick-read, but wouldn't recommend it to anyone who is picky about their superhero tales.