The subject of this week's Family Comic Friday is a graphic novel that I have wanted to review for a while. But with a slew of Halloween themed comics taking priority, this really great book unfortunately got buried in my to-read pile. Fortunately, there's a lull before all of the 2019 holiday books flood my local comics shop. So without further to-do, let me introduce you to Trot and her feline bestie, Cap'n Bill!
Sea Sirens: A Trot and Cap’n Bill Adventure
Written by Amy Chu
Art by Janet K. Lee
Published by Viking Books for Young Readers
Pages: 144
Retail: $20.99
Trot is a young Vietnamese American girl who loves to surf. While she's riding the waves with her one-eyed cat, Cap'n Bill, her grandfather spends his time fishing on a nearby pier. Trot's grandfather is in the early stages of dementia. Sometimes his mind wanders off. Sometimes, he does.
That's exactly what happens on one excursion, to which the police have to get involved. As a result both Trot, and Cap'n Bill are forbidden by the girl's mother to continue surfing when she should be watching her grandfather at home instead. But, those waves! They are just crying to be ridden!
So while her grandfather sleeps, Trot and her cat sneak out for another round of surfing. Only the waves are really choppy this time around and the pair find themselves in trouble having wiped out on a massive wave.
The wipeout whisks Trot and Cap'n Bill to a magical underwater mermaid kingdom. Quickly losing air, the sirens bless the surfers with the ability to breathe underwater (and allow Bill to talk human!) It appears that Trot and her pet have discovered a saltwater Utopia. But anything is anything but perfect as Trot and Cap'n Bill find themselves stuck in the middle of an epic battle between merpeople and sea serpents- with Trot's grandfather a hostage of the kingdom of water snakes!
Sea Sirens was a nearly perfect pearl of a book. Janet K. Lee’s menagerie of underwater kingdoms was so beautiful. I didn’t want Trot and Cap’n Bill’s adventure to end. Lee’s work on previous works, such as Return of the Dapper Men, is so colorful and clean. The illustrator has an amazing knack for making characters and creatures look magical while still appearing realistic.
As for the story itself, I also quite enjoyed it. However, there was one aspect of Amy Chu’s narrative that really annoyed me. The Red Sonja writer peppers in dialogue in Vietnamese throughout this book. That makes sense as the main characters are from that nation. But Sea Sirens suffers from an ailment that is the biggest reason why I hate the movie Stargate! There’s no visual translation into English!
Without some sort of subtitles, I feel like I am missing out on some very important aspects of the plot. True, with Stargate, the viewer was supposed to be as lost as the modern day scientists who cannot speak the dialects of the alien races that encounter. But for the most part, the Vietnamese dialogue is between Trot and either her grandfather or mother. So, it really does not make sense to not let the reader in on those conversations.
Not to be confused with the characters of the same name by L. Frank Baum, Trot and Cap’n Bill (the cat) are a great team. Amy Chu must know how to speak cat, because I can very much imagine some of the banter between girl and her feline going the same way at my house with my kitties. Those scenes were great!
Volume 2 of this wondrous series drops in the spring of next year. I hope that Amy Chu and Janet K. Lee do nothing to change the dynamics of this amazing story. Well, except for adding some subtitles. Other than that, I hope for another volume full of adventure, talking cats, and heart!
Sea Sirens: A Trot and Cap’n Bill Adventure debuted in print and digital platforms on June 11, 2019. Be sure to check it out on Amazon for an amazing price!
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
This review was concurrently published on Outrightgeekry.com.
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