From the ultimate multihyphenate (that means a person with several professions or skills) Terry Crews, comes an original graphic novel story based on the actor's childhood in Flint, Michigan.
First of all, let me say that I love Terry Crews. I've been a fan of his since he played the dad on Everybody Hates Chris. He was brilliant as detective Terry Jeffords on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. And I was thrilled that he was named the host of America's Got Talent (and it's recent bunch of spin-offs). Terry Crews just seems like a legitimate guy that cares about people. He'd be one of those people that I would love to have a dinner party with...
In Terry's Crew, we see Terry about to begin the school year at a prestigious institution called Rock City Academy. Terry won a lottery to get to attend the school which contains a student body comprised of mostly rich kids. Terry's mom and dad have put a ton of pressure on Terry to maintain good grades while at the school. But that's okay because Terry has a plan for many great things to accomplish when he gets older and he'll need those good grades to achieve those dreams.
Terry hopes to use his artistic gifts to earn some new friends. Together with the forceful but determined Rani and shy genius Xander, Terry thinks he's got what it takes to create the best act for the Rock City Academy talent show. Unfortunately, there's a bully who wants to win the show just as bad as Terry does and is willing to intimidate the new student to drop out of the competition. If Terry stays in the lineup, the villain will reveal a humiliating secret to the whole school.
Meanwhile, Terry's guidance counselor is trying to steer him to join the school football team. Terry's interested in doing that, eventually. But for now, Terry wants to explore the arts, which are his passion. it's going to be hard for Terry to stick to his vision quest as the advisor is doing everything in his power to point out that Terry doesn't come from the right socio-economic background to be a great artist. Instead, the so-called school leader is doing everything he can to pigeonhole Terry to staying in his lane and become just another colored jock.
You know, the real villain in this book is not the bully. It's the guidance counselor! The school advisor is the one pushing the bully, who's also a student of color, to be an over-achieving athlete. Plus the teacher is also pushing the bully to get Terry to join the football team as some kind of sick rite of passage.
I wish I could say that I don't work with such educators but I do. It's far too easy to just look at the shell of the students we have and just refuse to dig further into the surface. Teaching Culinary, I often have students who claim that they'll never get a job in the restaurant industry. I just smile and think of how being a Chef was the one career my mom refused to let me pursue and yet one day fate intervened. So, I really try not to push them with their career choices. I just hope that I am teaching my kids that someone supports them when it looks like the whole world is going against them.
My biggest complaint about this book was that it felt a little long. But I get the impression that this book might have been the frame work for a whole series of graphic novels for kids based on Terry Crews' childhood. So it might have just been that the introductions were a little slow going.
I'm really intrigued by the character of Emilio. He's fully in support of Terry being the best Terry there is. Yet, there's something mysterious about him Terry's dad thinks Emilio is bad news. But I am hoping that in reality Emilio had to drop out of school to support his family or something like that and not in reality be a drug dealer or thug like this story wants you to believe.
The artwork for Terry's Crew is by graphic designer and illustrator Cory Thomas. If you are a fan of the more modern Archie books, you're probably familiar with his name. Thomas's art style is lifelike and expressive with an attention to fashion. That's more than likely due to the excessive number of hats he claims ownership to in the artist's biography at book's end.
I really do hope Terry Crews along with Cory Thomas see success with this late 2022 graphic novel. It really feels like that the potential for other books in the series is within this book. It has a great message without sugarcoating the reality that not everyone who is supposed to have children's best interests at heart really do.
If you are a fan of Terry Crews then you know that he's a celebrity with a wholesome image. And it's one that I believe is genuine. If you adults out like Terry Crews then you should have no problem sharing Terry's Crew with the young readers in your life.
Worth Consuming.
Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
No comments:
Post a Comment