The Graphic Library
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Review List by Author
  • Terminology
  • Info Postings
  • About Me
  • Other Resources
    • Research

No Holds bard vol 1 by Eric Gladstone

9/10/2022

0 Comments

 
Cover of No Holds Bard volume 1. Page is looking at us in his baby blue tunic with white frills. Behind him, The Bard is sniffing a rose with his pink tunic and oversized white collar. Around them are the various other characters of the book arranged in a horseshoe shape.
Illustrated by Gabrielle Kari 
​
William Shakespeare and his faithful page are leading double lives - while not writing plays or trying get his actors to put on the best plays, William is a crime-fighting masked vigilante known as The Bard, assisted by his helpful Page. The two confront evil-doers such as the crime-boss Falstaff, and the menacing Puck who is working for the vengeful Oberon. During their adventures, The Bard and Page get marooned on an island with a hungry wild beast who teaches Page magic and tricks The Bard into embracing it. They also find themselves in Verona in the middle of a civil war between two powerful houses.

Gladstone must be an epic Shakespeare fan, because there are so many references to plays and storylines masterfully woven into this comic. This comic is definitely for a Shakespeare fan, by a Shakespeare fan, so it's not going to have a super broad appeal to a general library audience. The entire story is written in iambic pentameter, which might throw off some readers, but Shakespeare enthusiasts will more likely appreciate the effort it took to craft the dialogue this way. Shakespeare himself also often rhymes, which sets him apart from a lot of the other characters. Aside from the appeal for Shakespeare fans, the adventure the two go on is really entertaining, and it reminds me of the feel of Disenchantment. Everything kind of turns out ok in the end, but the two often get into more trouble along the way.

Kari's illustration style is a lot more cartoony and less about being overly detailed. Characters are often reduced to the main emotion they're conveying, and they portray it with every ounce of their being. The color palette choices were really pleasing and balanced.

There is a bit of violence and a few characters draw blood on the page. Several characters imbibe alcohol, especially in the first chapter. Otherwise, the only thing elevating this book from younger readers is the prerequisite knowledge of Shakespeare's work and familiarity with the speech patterns and vocabulary, which generally comes later in high school.

Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12

Publisher: Behemoth
Publication Date: August 9, 2022
ISBN: 9781953414304 (Paperback)

​Tags: Rating: 8/10, Suitability: High School, Comicbooks, Action Adventure, Humor, Historical Fiction, Superheroes, Magic
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    About Me

    I've been reading manga and comicbooks for years. Now, I write reviews and other helpful things for School Librarians, teachers, parents, and students.

    Read More

    Search this site


    Picture
    Ko-fi icon

    Never miss a review! Subscribe and get the best delivered to your inbox.

    * indicates required

    Ratings, Audience, and Subject Tags

    All
    Abrams ComicsArts
    Action Adventure
    Adaptations
    Animals
    Autobiography
    Biography
    BOOM! Studios
    Comicbooks
    CSLA 2021
    Culinary
    Dark Horse
    DC Comics
    Dead Reckoning
    Del Rey
    Demons
    Disabilities
    Dungeon
    Dystopian
    Ecchi
    Family
    Fantasy
    Farming
    First Second
    Folklore
    Friendship
    Graphic Fiction
    Graphic Nonfiction
    Graphic Universe
    Greenwillow Books
    Grief
    HarperAlley
    Hill And Wang
    Historical Fiction
    History
    Horror
    Humanoids
    Humor
    IDW
    Image Comics
    Isekai
    Iyashikei
    J Novel Club
    J-Novel Club
    Kodansha
    LGBTQ+
    Mad Cave
    Magic
    Magical Girl
    Manga
    Manhwa
    Marvel
    Mecha
    Megascope
    Memoir
    Mental Health
    Music
    Mystery
    Mythology
    Native American
    OEL Manga
    One Peace Books
    Oni Press
    Paranormal
    Penguin
    Race Relations
    Rating: 10/10
    Rating: 3/10
    Rating: 4/10
    Rating: 5/10
    Rating: 6/10
    Rating: 7/10
    Rating: 8/10
    Rating: 9/10
    Realistic Fiction
    RH Graphic
    Romance
    Saturday AM
    School Life
    Science
    Science Fiction
    SelfMadeHero
    Seven Seas
    Skybound Comet
    Slice Of Life
    Sports
    Square Enix
    Steampunk
    Suitability: Adult
    Suitability: Elementary School
    Suitability: High School
    Suitability: Middle School
    Superheroes
    Supernatural
    Surrealism
    Survival
    Suspense
    Ten Speed Press
    Theater
    TokyoPop
    Top Shelf
    Udon Entertainment
    Video Games
    VIZ Media
    War
    Western
    Yen Press

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018

Picture

​© 2022 Sara Smith

Picture
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Review List by Author
  • Terminology
  • Info Postings
  • About Me
  • Other Resources
    • Research