Tamamo the Fox Maiden: and Other Asian Stories

by Kel McDonald (Editor), Kate Ashwin (Editor), Lucy Bellwood (Contribution by), Terry Blas (Contribution by), Jason Caffoe (Contribution by)

Overview

"A must for myth-loving middle schoolers." — SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

“And they lived happily ever after . . . I assume.”

Vengeful spirits, flying ogres, helpful teapots, ghost pepper ghosts, and trickster tigers? That’s just the start of this lively collection of Asian folktales, reimagined and retold in comics!

This second volume of the "Cautionary Fables and Fairy Tales" graphic novel series is a thrilling, funny, and totally unexpected take on stories spanning the entirety of the Asian continent, with loads of lesser-known myths and legends from Tibet, India, Indonesia, and beyond. Featuring the work of GENE LUEN YANG, NICK DRAGOTTA, BLUE DELLIQUANTI, CARLA SPEED MCNEIL, NINA MATSUMOTO, and many more!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781945820342
Publisher:	Iron Circus Comics
Publication date:	04/15/2019
Series:	Cautionary Fables and Fairytales Series , #2
Pages:	209
Sales rank:	802,838
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	10 - 12 Years

About the Author

Editor Kel McDonald has been working in comics for over a decade—most of that time has been spent on her webcomic Sorcery 101. More recently, she has organized the "Cautionary Fables and Fairytales" anthology series while contributing to other anthologies like Dark Horse Presents, Smut Peddler, and Sleep of Reason. She has also worked on Buffy: The High School Years. She recently finished a creator-owned series, Misfits of Avalon. She’s currently working on her self-published series, The City Between. Her work can be found at kelmcdonald.com.

Editor Kate Ashwin is a comic artist who lives in West Yorkshire, England, with her two fat cats and one very understanding husband. She’s drawn and written over 1,000 pages of webcomics since 2002. Her most current project is the well-received Victorian-era adventure story Widdershins, which is currently on its sixth Kickstarter-funded volume. Kate has also contributed to, co-edited, and provided Kickstarter support to the "Cautionary Fables and Fairytales" books, written a story for Dark Horse Presents, and contributed artwork to critically-acclaimed kids’ weekly comic The Phoenix.

Editorial Reviews

02/20/4

Magical possessions and demons, ghosts, and gods appear throughout these 21 visually reimagined Asian tales by as many creators, including Gene Luen Yang, Nina Matsumoto, and Carla Speed McNeil. The stories range from more traditional to slightly modern portrayals. In Shannon Campbell and Lucy Bellwood’s “#EndoftheWorld,” from India, “@Makara” provides what may prove to be embarrassing online status updates about the sun’s death (in reality, the orb has just set for the evening). Jonathan Dalton’s “The Ballad of Mulan,” from China, meanwhile, details the story’s looms and armor with nary a smartphone in sight. A range of art styles, too, illustrate the stories: Andrew Sides employs detailed linework in “The Tiger, The Brahmin, and the Jackal,” from India, and Molly Nemecek uses a lighter cartoon style to tell a tale of love, ghosts, and hot sauce in “Ghost Pepper,” from Laos. Though each title lists the story’s country of provenance, further context about the original iterations might have been useful; even so, this second volume in the Cautionary Fables and Fairy Tales collection exposes young readers to rich stories and mythologies from across Asia alongside work from many indie creators. Ages 10–12. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"A must for myth-loving middle schoolers." — SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

"The black and white art ranges from cartoony to stunningly detailed and realistic. In nearly every case, it fits the story’s tone perfectly. Tamamo the Fox Maiden makes for an enjoyable, pictorial excursion into ancient Asian culture." — FOREWORD

"Each black-and-white rendition is solid in its storytelling. An eclectic anthology sure to provoke, amuse, and entertain." — KIRKUS

"Exposes young readers to rich stories and mythologies from across Asia alongside work from many indie creators." — PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

“McDonald and a crack new team of artists are back with a whole new edition inspired by Asian folklore.” — i09

"I’m so incredibly happy that this book exists." — BLACK NERD PROBLEMS

“This series doesn’t have a clunker in it.” — COMICS WORTH READING

From the Publisher

03/01/2019

Gr 6 Up—This follow-up to The Girl Who Married a Skull recounts 21 Asian folktales in comic form. Some, like Jonathan Dalton's take on "The Ballad of Mulan," are illustrated versions of standard tales, while others, such as Shannon Campbell and Lucy Bellwood's "#EndoftheWorld," offer fun twists, like texting deities. Though a number of the featured stories are from Japan and China, effort was made to include offerings from all over the continent. India is well represented, and there are entries from Georgia, Laos, Myanmar, Turkey, the Arabian Peninsula, and Tibet. While each story lists a country of origin, no further background is given, so readers who aren't already familiar with the tales may wish to seek out more information. The black-and-white comics feature a range of styles from a variety of artists including Gene Luen Yang, Nick Dragotta, and Terry Blas. Like its predecessor, this was originally published as part of a successful Kickstarter campaign. VERDICT There is something for everyone here. A good choice for graphic novel collections.—Jennifer Rothschild, Arlington County Public Libraries, VA

School Library Journal

2019-01-15

An ethnically diverse assembly of artists present graphic interpretations of Asian folktales ranging from silly or spooky to dark and mysterious.

The collection contains 21 stories unevenly representing the continent; 11 are from China or Japan, with four selections from India and one each from the Arabian Peninsula, Georgia, Tibet, Myanmar, Turkey, and Laos. The comics vary in length and popularity just as much as they do in the looks of their artistic styles. While the majority of retellings follow a traditional approach, some include modern touches. "#EndoftheWorld," by Shannon Campbell and Lucy Bellwood, finds Makara, the vahana, or mount, of the river goddess Ganga from Hindu culture, communicating the imminent end of the world via Twitter. Most of the tales are stand-alone ventures; "Gold Sister, Silver Sister, and Wood Sister," by Blue Delliquanti, is a sobering tale from Tibet about how a family that's cruelly manipulated by a ghost eventually banishes her. Other, shorter comics give brief glimpses into larger legends; "From the Journey of the Monkey King," by Gene Luen Yang, gives the backstory of how Pigsy comes to join the infamous Journey to the West. There's a mix of light and dark themes; "Hoichi the Earless," by Nina Matsumoto, tells how a monk successfully eludes ghosts—but not without a price. While some stories will inevitably stand out more than others, each black-and-white rendition is solid in its storytelling.

An eclectic anthology sure to provoke, amuse, and entertain. (Graphic traditional literature. 11-13)

Kirkus Reviews

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