Early Graphic Novel Review – The Girl Who Owned a City by O.T. Nelson, Dan Jolley, and Joelle Jones (4/5 stars)
Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic/Graphic Novel
Size: 120 pages
Publisher: Graphic Universe
Release Date: April 2012
ISBN: 978-0761356349
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: eGalley from NetGalley.com
Rating: 4/5 stars
I got an eGalley of this graphic novel though NetGalley(dot)com. I have never read the original work by O.T. Nelson so I can’t compare to that. This was a very entertaining read though; the art was well done and I really enjoyed it.
Something horrible happened and everyone over the age of twelve died and turned into dust. Now the kids are left to survive on their own. Lisa decides to claim a building as her own and build a city for kids to come and shelter at. She organizes the city and gets it running to provide food, protection, and shelter for all of the kids that dwell there. When a opposing faction from the city comes and tries to take over Lisa’s city, Lisa and her kids find themselves in a lot of trouble.
The art throughout this story is very well done. The art is easy to follow, done in beautiful full color and matches the tone of the story well.
I thought the story itself was a bit un-realistic and unbelievable. Especially the way Lisa resolves the competition between her city and the opposing army; I thought this was anti-climatic and unrealistic. The idea of a world where only kids survive is an interesting one though and being that it is kids trying to deal with all of this some of the immature decisions the characters make ends up making more sense than you would think.
Lisa is a complicated character; she does some good and some bad. She is trying hard to help the kids survive but the fact that she wants her city to be a sort of dictatorship really makes you stop and think. The side characters are all fairly interesting as well; I was surprised at the depth of the story and at how many different societal and survival issues it tackles.
Overall this was a very entertaining reading. The illustration and art throughout the story is detailed, colorlful, and beautiful…I really enjoyed it. The story itself has more depth than you would expect and tackles some interesting societal and survival issues. I had some trouble swallowing parts of the plot though; certain parts were just too unbelievable and too unrealistic. The part of the book where Lisa and the enemy army finally resolve their conflict delivered an interesting message but felt completely contrived to me. This book is appropriate for young adult and older. I recommend it for readers who enjoy post-apocalyptic fiction with a touch of a dystopian feel to it.
This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– 100+ Reading Challenge
– E-book Reading Challenge don’t link reviews
– Graphic Novels Challenge List
