Monkey King and the World of Myths: The Monster and the Maze by Maple Lam (review)
2024; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 77; Issue: 7 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.2024.a919490
ISSN1558-6766
Autores Tópico(s)African history and culture studies
ResumoReviewed by: Monkey King and the World of Myths: The Monster and the Maze by Maple Lam April Spisak Lam, Maple Monkey King and the World of Myths: The Monster and the Maze; written and illus. by Maple Lam. Putnam, 2024 [240p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780593524633 $23.99 Paper ed. ISBN 9780593524640 $13.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780593524671 $8.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 4-6 Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, has an unmatched confidence, and he is barely fazed when his request to be made a god is met with a challenge to defeat monsters that are threatening the peace between the three worlds of gods, humans, and beasts. After he fulfills his role as a monster hunter—which seems like an easy feat—he will receive his godhood. This graphic novel, the first in a series, focuses on Wukong's initial monster encounter after he travels to Greece (voyaging through the underworld and agreeing to pet sit Cerberus along the way) to face the Minotaur. However, Wukong is perceptive and kind, and he quickly realizes that there is almost never anything in the world as simple as pure good or evil, and that monstrous behavior is not always rightly attributed to those deemed monsters. The artwork vibrates with action and humor, as Wukong does all his thinking on the go, displaying absolutely zero poker face when displeased or surprised. Cerberus [End Page 254] is a fantastic traveling companion, with three enchanting and fluffy little heads instead of just one. Indeed, nothing is too visually intimidating in this colorful, zippy graphic novel, with even Hades and the Minotaur drawn with gentle features, making it clear to readers that while Wukong may be ready for danger, there's no life-threatening tension here. Brief, chatty source notes offer additional background on each of the origins of the main characters, and an author's note further explains how the mixing of various mythologies was an intentional choice reflective of her own life, as she blended Chinese and American experiences and cultural elements after moving from Hong Kong to L.A. at eleven years old. Copyright © 2024 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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