LitPick Review
Fanboy has never been popular, but at least he had friends. Now, however, his less-than exciting life has hit a new low. His best friend is abandoning him for sports, a gym class bully has chosen him for his personal punching bag, and his pregnant mother is too wrapped up in the coming baby to care what's going on in Fanboy's life. But he can deal with all this, because he has something to look forward to-- namely the coming comic book convention, where he plans to finally meet the man who can, hopefully, help him to get his precious graphic novel, Schemata, published. And then Fanboy meets Kyra, aka Gothgirl. Kyra is bossy, foul mouthed, and vengeful, and she likes Schemata-- loves it, really. She might not like Fanboy much, but with the potential she sees in Schemata, that doesn't matter much. She'll do anything to get it published, and that's fine with Fanboy-- but what happens when "anything" goes too far?
Opinion:
If the summary isn't a tip off, this book is certainly a prize find for graphic novel enthusiasts, particularly fans of Neil Gaiman and Brian Michael Bendis. But even the average reader will be glad to pick up this novel. The characters are intriguing, well formed, believable, and incredibly easy to identify with, and it is these qualities that make the plot so powerful. Despite the emotional power, however, the book is anything but sad-- the dialogue is witty enough to keep readers laughing from beginning to end. The novel's conclusion may feel a bit empty, but this may well be intentional the characters return in Barry Lyga's new book Goth Girl Rising.
