Graphic Novel Review – Sci-Fu by Yehudi Mercado (3.5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Graphic Novel/Science Fiction
Length: 144 pages
Publisher: Oni Press
Release Date: March 13, 2018
ISBN-13: 978-1620104729
Stand Alone or Series: 1st volume in the Sci-Fu series
Source: Gift for Xmas
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
“Set in 1980s Brooklyn, a young DJ accidentally summons a UFO that transports his family, best friend, and current crush to the robot-dominated planet of Discopia.
Hip-hop, sci-fi and kung fu all hit the turntables for the mash-up mix of the year! Cartoonist/force of nature Yehudi Mercado (Pantalones, TX, Rocket Salvage) sets his sights on 1980s Brooklyn and Wax, a young mix-master who scratches the perfect beat and accidentally summons a UFO that transports his family, best friend, and current crush to the robot-dominated planet of Discopia. Now Wax and his crew must master the intergalactic musical martial art of Sci-Fu to fight the power and save Earth. Word to your mother.”
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Sci-Fu series. I got this as a gift for Christmas.
Story (4/5): This is about a pre-teen boy who accidentally summons an alien spaceship and gets transported to the planet of Discopia. There he has to use his musical martial art Sci-Fu to defeat the robot aliens in a sort of musical mix-off. It’s a fun story line and decently done.
Characters (3/5): The characters were okay. Wax is the main character and he was spunky and fun. He is really the focus of the story, the other characters weren’t as well developed and really take a back seat to Wax.
Setting (4/5): Most of the book is set on the alien robot planet of Discopia. I liked the setting and thought it was interesting and fun.
Writing Style (3/5): I enjoyed the brightly colored illustrations throughout the book, although at times they were a bit hard to follow. I wasn’t a fan of the rap/rhyming style that a lot of the story was written in. This writing style was hard to read and a lot of the rhymes were pretty bad. The story got a bit hard to follow as well.
Summary (3.5/5): While I loved the illustration style here, I wasn’t a huge fan of the characters or the way the story was written. My son (13 years old) read this and kind of felt the same. When I asked him how he liked it he said “Eh, it was okay”…I agree with him. It’s a neat concept and well drawn, but the rest was just “eh”. I won’t be continuing the series.
