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drtlovesbooks 's review for:
The Stereotypical Freaks
by Howard Shapiro
Disclaimer: I was given a digital "galley copy" of this book in exchange for a review.
I am a big believer in graphic novels as a literary form, and while I like a good superhero story, I am just as pleased to find something that tackles more of the everyday experience. The Stereotypical Freaks falls into this latter camp; it follows a quartet of high school students who, despite their differences, end up forming a band so they can compete at a Battle of the Bands in their school.
I like that the protagonist's parents are one of the healthier models I've seen in YA lit. There's also a twist at about the half-way point that I did not see coming that adds a bit of gravitas to what was otherwise, up to that point, a pretty light piece.
I like the subject matter, and wouldn't be opposed to students getting their hands on a copy; but the layouts and storytelling have some technical issues. They don't have a major impact on the story, but they did stand out to me as a graphic novel reader and English teacher.
There are clumsy bits of dialogue that seem mostly to serve as a way to get from one scene to the next, rather than being naturalistic or relevant to the unfolding of the story.
While the art is good, there are places where the image doesn't serve the included text very well - as one example, midway through the first chapter, there's a panel that should have been split into two pieces, as the accompanying dialogue starts out gleeful, but ends with frustration; the image only reveals the frustration, which works against the beginning of the dialogue and makes the initial tone confusing. In Chapter 2, there is a passage that should be narration from the main character as he looks back on the situation, but it is instead delivered as a thought bubble that implies it's present-tense thoughts and reactions, despite the language being past-tense reflection.
And some of the references are dated - one of the teen characters calls another "Eddie Haskell," which most modern teens (and probably most adults) are going to miss.
There are also some minor writing issues that, as an English teacher, I homed in on. At one point, a character's dialogue is "NI AND NH... NOT INTERESTED AND NOT HAPPENING." This should be written as N.I. and N.H. to make it clear that each letter is being spoken as a letter, and not as part of a word.
There are also some unusual digressions, like a panel describing a Canadian territory; while the fact that the location is in Canada is relevant, the level of detail the characters go into is a bit odd and out of place for what's happening in the story.
I was not in love with the secondary character's father who, even when he's trying to be wonderful in a moment of reconciliation, comes off as kind of a jerk. And the character of Jacoby felt a bit over-the-top at the end.
Overall, this has the look and feel of an author's first attempt at a graphic novel. It's not bad, but it's not polished. Nevertheless, the story is pretty engaging and enjoyable.
There's also an interesting artistic element: This story about kids making music makes lots of musical suggestions. Each chapter has a "recommended listening" list with a couple of titles and artists. It's a neat way to set the tone for the chapter, particularly if one is already familiar with the tunes that are named (though I did notice that Chapter 6 credits two songs to The Who that are actually by Queensryche).
When it's all said and done, if you're looking for a graphic novel grounded in realism and the high school experience, this one ain't bad.
I am a big believer in graphic novels as a literary form, and while I like a good superhero story, I am just as pleased to find something that tackles more of the everyday experience. The Stereotypical Freaks falls into this latter camp; it follows a quartet of high school students who, despite their differences, end up forming a band so they can compete at a Battle of the Bands in their school.
I like that the protagonist's parents are one of the healthier models I've seen in YA lit. There's also a twist at about the half-way point that I did not see coming that adds a bit of gravitas to what was otherwise, up to that point, a pretty light piece.
I like the subject matter, and wouldn't be opposed to students getting their hands on a copy; but the layouts and storytelling have some technical issues. They don't have a major impact on the story, but they did stand out to me as a graphic novel reader and English teacher.
There are clumsy bits of dialogue that seem mostly to serve as a way to get from one scene to the next, rather than being naturalistic or relevant to the unfolding of the story.
While the art is good, there are places where the image doesn't serve the included text very well - as one example, midway through the first chapter, there's a panel that should have been split into two pieces, as the accompanying dialogue starts out gleeful, but ends with frustration; the image only reveals the frustration, which works against the beginning of the dialogue and makes the initial tone confusing. In Chapter 2, there is a passage that should be narration from the main character as he looks back on the situation, but it is instead delivered as a thought bubble that implies it's present-tense thoughts and reactions, despite the language being past-tense reflection.
And some of the references are dated - one of the teen characters calls another "Eddie Haskell," which most modern teens (and probably most adults) are going to miss.
There are also some minor writing issues that, as an English teacher, I homed in on. At one point, a character's dialogue is "NI AND NH... NOT INTERESTED AND NOT HAPPENING." This should be written as N.I. and N.H. to make it clear that each letter is being spoken as a letter, and not as part of a word.
There are also some unusual digressions, like a panel describing a Canadian territory; while the fact that the location is in Canada is relevant, the level of detail the characters go into is a bit odd and out of place for what's happening in the story.
I was not in love with the secondary character's father who, even when he's trying to be wonderful in a moment of reconciliation, comes off as kind of a jerk. And the character of Jacoby felt a bit over-the-top at the end.
Overall, this has the look and feel of an author's first attempt at a graphic novel. It's not bad, but it's not polished. Nevertheless, the story is pretty engaging and enjoyable.
There's also an interesting artistic element: This story about kids making music makes lots of musical suggestions. Each chapter has a "recommended listening" list with a couple of titles and artists. It's a neat way to set the tone for the chapter, particularly if one is already familiar with the tunes that are named (though I did notice that Chapter 6 credits two songs to The Who that are actually by Queensryche).
When it's all said and done, if you're looking for a graphic novel grounded in realism and the high school experience, this one ain't bad.