A review by kintara81
Clock Striker, Volume 1: "I'm Gonna Be a SMITH!" by Frederick L. Jones, Issaka Galadima, Saturday AM

adventurous emotional funny inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

3.5

 Clock Striker, now in graphic novel format, follows Shonen manga’s first Black female lead hero, Cast, in her quest to become a member of the SMITHS, the legendary warrior engineers. Cast dreams of being a SMITH, and though she’s rather handy with her tools, no one in her small town ever realizes their dreams. Besides, these legendary warrior engineers haven’t been seen in years and were never known for having female members. Fortunately, Cast meets one surviving member named Ms. Philomena Clock, who agrees to take her on as her apprentice, or striker. Now Cast is thrust into one deadly adventure after another! From cybernetic desperadoes to technology thieves and more, Cast has to use her mind and her remodeled robotics-lab prosthetic hand, which offers unfathomable offensive power in the form of scientific experiments. Need lightning? Cast can generate it from her hand! Cast’s mentor seeks to uncover an ominous mystery that explains what happened to the SMITHS and shines a light on a hidden power that may be within Cast herself. Can Cast become a new member of the SMITHS? More importantly, can Cast survive the process to become a SMITH?

I really enjoyed this interpretation of the Manga as I have yet to try any of the titles in that genre. This was an uplifting and inspiring story of how a young girl can be who she wants to be even with her limitations and people not believing that she is able to complete her dream. It follows her from school to getting an apprenticeship which leads to her being involved in fighting crime. Cast is the character which I resonate with the most and she is the one that links the story together and keeps everything cohesive. This is a fast paced story which is engaging and it has made me interested enough to continue with the series if more of it.