~Great message--fun format!


In case you are wondering what a manga is, let us start with a bit of history. Pronounced (mahng-gah) the manga is a Japanese comic.

According to The Black Moon, a site devoted to art, anime, and the Japanese culture:

"In 1814 the famous Japanese artist Hokusai created a book of black & white sketches that he called manga (involuntary sketches). In recent Japanese history the word has come to describe those small illustrated books of black & white ink drawings that tell a series of stories. Graphic novel would be the closest translation for "manga" though they are not at all like novels in the Western sense, nor are they comparable to Western comic books. Manga cover a wide range of topics, from fantasy & adventure, to sports & cooking."

Manga have been around for a while in the States, which is probably why I have a soft spot for them. When I was six, in sixty-six, my favorite TV show was Astro Boy. He was created by Osamu Tezuka, the father of modern manga, according to Wikipedia.

If you have kids, you're already aware of manga--Dragon Ball Z is popular one—and you've probably wondered if they are good for your children. Dragon Ball is pretty wild, with people who live for centuries (or are reborn) and come from other planets. It's not written from a Christian perspective.

But here comes Buzz Dixon, with Bad Girl in Town, the first episode in the Serenity series. This graphic novel speaks to teens in public schools in the USA. And there are Christian characters in the book (along with Serenity who, in her lost state, is anything but serene). What a fresh twist. Christian characters in public schools.

I love the glossy pages, the color, and the artwork in this comic. Well done! I can't go on without giving a nod to Barbour who is looking like it wants to be a leader in children's fiction in the CBA. They are jumping in with both feet, taking chances, investing in this market and I can't say enough good things about them for this. They are putting out quality products.

I liked the storyline as well as the artwork. Serenity is a troubled kid, the new girl at school, and the local youth group/prayer club decides to make her their project. They want to pray for her and welcome her. I liked the way they were willing to love her while at the same time holding her accountable for her actions. They did not coddle her or imply that Jesus loved her so it was fine for her to keep on sinning.

The dialogue also was a strong point. Realistic, clear, and it moved right along with no sluggish spots.

My only complaint about the book is that it is a bit too shallow in the way it deals with issues. This first episode touches on a whole lot of issues. Jealousy, lust, cursing, divorce, stealing. The issues it touched on without speaking specifically to--jealousy and lust, for instance--worked, whereas the issues the youth group discussed and tried to answer--cursing and divorce--didn't really get enough coverage. It is one thing to show that one girl is jealous. The reader can see that she needs to trust God and love Serenity. It is another thing to discuss cursing and come up with an answer for why it is harmful and sinful in just a few lines of dialogue. It's a big topic and can't be properly covered in such short order. If the authors had shown the damage that cursing did, rather than trying to explain why cursing was wrong and not really managing to make a strong case, I'd have been happier. I thought Serenity gave up her cursing too easily, and then I thought the prayer club didn't grasp why cursing is such a destructive habit, or when it is unloving and anti-Christian.

On the other hand, Derek never discussed with his Christian friends the reasons he shouldn't have sex with Serenity or even be at her house by himself, and I thought that worked well. He answered Serenity's questions and didn't preach at her. (His dialogue was very realistic.) So, at this point, all Serenity knows is that Derek wouldn't have sex with her because it wouldn’t be right to cheat on his girlfriend. That's fine, I think. I trust that as Serenity moves along she'll find out that even if Derek had been unattached, it still would have been sinful for him to have sex with her.

I guess, if I were given my 'druthers, I'd rather have the Serenity books deal more deeply with one or two issues. As it stands now, there is so much packed in there that it was hard to get into anything in depth. However, if the authors plan on going over the same ground in each episode, digging a little deeper each time, I will be perfectly satisfied. And that may be the plan. That is how life unfolds in high school, after all. You have a lot going on and you sort it out a little bit at a time.

My daughter loves this book. I'm surprised because she's homeschooled and the subject matter is a bit above her head. But she is begging for more Serenity. My son didn't get very excited about it, but then it's written for girls. Apparently Realbuzz Studios knows what it's about because my girl raves about this book. I do question the age range it's aimed at, though. Oh, I hate to see nine year olds exposed to these sexual themes. My children, at nine, wouldn't have understood it at all. And yet, I guess I have to admit that in the public schools the kids are growing up fast. Poor babies. So, since they are growing up fast, I am thankful that Christians are willing to engage them on the issues.

This book deals with today's issues head-on without compromising with sin. I think this is really a good thing that Buzz Dixon (I love that name for a manga creator) and Barbour are doing. How many books out there show how Christian kids are tempted, how they are assaulted as they are in the world but not of it, what they see and hear every day in school? This book is honest. Yes, Serenity would try to get Derek in bed and she would have condoms in her purse given to her by the liberal feminist teacher. This is the real world. I'm thrilled to see a Christian publisher willing to admit it and deal with it. I can't wait to see how the series develops.

I give it an enthusiastic three and a half stars because it's gutsy and good looking and charting new territory and because it's reaching out to teens (I hope teens and not pre-teens, anyway) where they live and offering them an alternative to the garbage that bombards them daily. It shows that it is possible to live with integrity, even in the public schools. And that's a story worth telling!

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Copyright © 2005 Sally Apokedak