Tamamo the Fox Maiden: and Other Asian Stories (Cautionary Fables and Fairytales, 2)

Product Description

“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!

From School Library Journal

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

Review

“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

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.