The Prince and the Dressmaker

The Prince and the Dressmaker

Jen Wang

This beautiful comic follows Frances, an overworked dressmaker with a creative eye, and Prince Sebastian, a young prince with a secret.  When Frances’ bold fashion creation scandalizes the aristocracy, she receives a cryptic job offer from a mysterious benefactor. Desperate for a better job, she accepts only to discover that her mysterious benefactor is actually the young prince! Wearing beautiful dresses makes Sebastian feel confident and the Prince wants this daring dressmaker to be outfitted as Lady Crystallia.   

The relationship between Frances and Sebastian grows from friendship to something more, but their secret might get between them as it inhibits Frances’ career. Their reputation grows until Lady Crystallia becomes the hottest fashion icon in the kingdom, but Frances gets none of the credit for her amazing creations. On top of that, can Sebastian keep this secret or will this secret identity be discovered. And, if that identity is discovered, what will people think? 

This comic has everything: gorgeous illustrations, loveable characters, creative plot, and strong heartwarming moments. It has a fairy tale vibe full of romance, fashion, and charm.  I love the message that society may set limitations on what you can and cannot do, but breaking out of that mold can make you all the more interesting and successful.  Just because you are a poor seamstress, does not mean you cannot have a voice, and just because you’re supposed to be a certain way does not mean you cannot thrive if you break out of that mold. 

The Prince and the Dressmaker is a great story with a clear, positive message. An all-around smile inducing story!

Book of the Month: Ms. Marvel, Volume 1, No Normal

By G. Willow Wilson

Kamala Khan is your average, typical teenage girl. She wants to fit in, she wants to be liked, and she wants her parents to just trust her when she asks to go to a party. But Kamala isn’t an ordinary teenager, and her school chums won’t let her forget it. Now, if Kamala had super powers like the Avengers with whom she is so fascinated that she writes online fan-fiction, she could no doubt accept her outcast status. But what makes her different from her classmates is her ethnicity and her faith and all the rules that come with it. Kamala is Pakistani-American living in Jersey, and she is also a Muslim.

Like all teenagers, Kamala wants to go to a party where there will be alcohol. Her father forbids it, so Kamala climbs out her window and sneaks away. While at the party she’s offered a drink and although she asks if it has alcohol a group of boys trick her as a joke. When Kamala tastes the liquor she spits it out and storms away. Just then a fog engulfs Jersey, and Kamala is endowed with super powers just like her hero--Carol Danvers, the original Ms. Marvel.

Like many before her who suddenly found themselves with super abilities, Kamala is at a loss first with how it happened and next with why it happened. Not only is she an ordinary girl, but she`s already different and set apart from her peers. Becoming Ms. Marvel certainly isn`t helpful to her—and so she begins her journey of balancing a secret life with family and school obligations.

G. Willow Wilson`s book is not just “another comic,” nor is it just another incarnation of a Marvel character that has been done three times before. Kamala Khan is the first Muslim character to headline her own comic for Marvel, and she does it with a compelling storyline and relatable characters. Regardless of your background, readers will be swept along with Kamala as she fulfills her destiny and dream of becoming an Avenger.

I’m a big fan of the comic book genre, and an equally big fan of the spin off TV and movies series that often results from these engaging tales. Ms. Marvel, Volume 1, No Normal was the winner of the 2015 HUGO award, which is a big deal for sci-fi publishing. Comics aren’t just a bunch of pictures, nor are they an “easy read.” As G. Willow Wilson has done, comics can be used as a way to show that everyone is connected, regardless of background, ethnicity, or religion. Ms. Marvel is more than just a comic book superhero story; it’s a means of creating a conversation towards a more compassionate world.

Looking for other great comics? Here are a few of my favourites:

Dark Knight Returns

Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Honor Girl

The Undertaking of Lily Chen

The Shadow Hero

by Gene Luen Yang, illustrated by Sonny Liew

Hank Chu goes about his life, like most young men in Chinatown.  He spends his days working in his family's store and his spare time playing mahjong with his father and his father's friends.  It's a quiet life, and Hank enjoys it very much.  His world turns a little upside down when his mother is rescued during a bank robbery by a superhero, The Anchor of Justice.  Mrs. Chu throws herself into turning Hank into a homegrown superhero, subjecting him to everything from odd medicines to toxic sludge; sewing a costume; and driving him around Chinatown at night to try and find crimes in progress.  Let's just say it doesn't go well.  Hank is initially resistant to his mother's actions, but when his father is killed, all bets are off, and Hank is out to avenge his father's killer, with a little help from the Turtle, one of the guardian spirits of China.

The Shadow Hero is an origin story for a short-lived superhero comic series from the 1930s written by Chu Hing, called the Green Turtle, who is said to have been the first Asian superhero.  It uses a lot of the stereotypical superhero tropes (parent violently dying, secret identity, teenaged protagonist), but adroitly avoids some of the others, like women in distress or the protagonist having lots of nifty tools and toys. Hank also lacks the seemingly bottomless bank account that goes with the supply of cool toys.  (Yeah, I'm looking at you, Batman and Iron Man!)  Hank manages to fight crimes based on his own wits, strength, and intelligence, which makes a refreshing change from otherwordly powers and gadgets.  Another thing I really liked was that Hank never contemplates killing his enemies and tries to avoid violence at all if he can.

Yang writes wonderfully complex characters.  The character that leads a quiet life turns out to have been a troublemaker in his younger days.  Do stereotypes exist in his comics?  Yes, but they don't stay stereotypes for long.  Circumstances change his characters, sometimes for better, sometimes not.  But nobody stays static in Yang's world for very long.

Sonny Liew's drawings evoke vintage comic books, and he does a great job differentiating between events in the past and present. He even uses the classic comic elements of onomatopoeic sound effects ("bang," "pow," etc.).  He manages to draw the characters so that they are readily distinct from one another.


Gene Luen Yang is the award-winning author of American Born Chinese, Boxers & Saints, and Level Up.  He also wrote several Avatar: The Last Airbender comics. 

Book of the Month: December - Seconds

by Bryan Lee O'Malley

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you could change the past? Katie is about to find out in this new stand-alone graphic novel from best-selling cartoonist Bryan Lee O’Malley.

Katie is a young restaurant owner who lives in an apartment above her restaurant. One night she discovers that there is a house spirit living in the restaurant. The house spirit guides Katie to some magical objects that give people the power to alter the past.  Write the action that you want to change down in the notebook, eat a bit of the magic mushroom, and when you wake up in the morning things will be different. 

The only problem is, when you change the past, you also alter the present.  As Katie changes more and more about her past, her present gets more and more complicated.  Imagine waking up married to a man who you thought was your ex-boyfriend!  It’s pretty bizarre when you have no recollection of getting back together, never mind marrying each other!   

And of course, the house spirit isn't all too happy about how Katie is abusing the ability to alter the past.

Don’t let the length of this book scare you off.  Yes, it’s quite thick at over 300 pages, but it’s a fast read.  A delightful mix of fantasy and reality, you’ll want to keep reading to find out what happens – will Katie accept the way things are, or will she continue to play with time?  

Bryan Lee O’Malley is the author of the Scott Pilgrim series.  

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