Level Up

Really enjoyed this. The art was so different from American Born Chinese, it took me by surprise! But I liked the simplistic style and I found the story easier to follow. Very touching.

This is one of those stories that can only be told through its chosen medium, an exemplar of the form. I'm not sure I would have thought a “boy comes to term with his father's death through medical school and videogames” story could have been pulled off successfully, but there you go. It's heart-wrenching, redeeming, joyful and a little bit crazypants.

Another coming of age sort of tale. Dennis is wrestling with the expectations of his parents and his desire (and talent) for playing video games. And seriously, what kid hasn't had to deal with this? Along the way Dennis makes friends and falls in like with a girl who tries to set him straight when it comes to his destiny. It isn't until he's faced with the broken promises of his father that Dennis starts to think for himself, but is it really the right kind of thinking?

The artwork is simple, but fitting. The angels kind of reminded me of Powerpuff Girls. Though I liked everything about this, I didn't love it the way I loved The Shadow Hero, but that's okay. Can't love everything, right?

I was surprised by this! IDK, I thought it was going to be Scott Pilgrimy or something but it was very simple and moving and made me want to call my parents and thank them for their parental sacrifices. THANKS PARENTS.

This is not a comic about video game, although the cover is rather misleading. It's however a coming of age story about a person's desire to live up to his parent's expectations. The struggle here is between med school and video games. Somehow, the character manage to reconcile the two, and since research has shown that playing games improved surgeons' hand-eye coordination, a happy ending ensures.