Paul Pope brings a unique, vibrant style to his graphic novel Battling Boy. The writing is sparse, but this is not a book one can skim through quickly. The intense artwork demands to be read.
Battling Boy brings most of the qualities of a superhero to Acropolis when he arrives to save the day: innocence, strong family values, integrity, and a sense of honor. The only quality he’s missing is the physique. He’s no Superman, but he has some great tricks up his t-shirt sleeves, and it’s fun to watch him figure out how to use them.
It took me most of the book to get into the art, which is the point of a graphic novel. It’s stark and strange. But eventually I came to the conclusion that while it’s not to my taste, it works with this story. Paul Pope knew what he was doing. A reader who loves action and impossible odds will thoroughly enjoy Battling Boy.
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by First Second Books
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: None
Violence/Gore: Characters fight monsters–cartoon violence; a character is killed with no details.
Sex/Nudity: A character flirts briefly.
Mature Subject Matter:
Death of a family member; siege/warfare.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
Monster characters are seen in a bar-type situation consuming chemicals.
