The first-ever original graphic novel spawning out of Tyson Hesse’s Diesel, Hesse’s popular “punk motif”-inspired, coming-of-age story about Diandra “Dee” Diesel, her mysterious flying engine, and the airship colony she lives on, Peacetowne.

Publisher: BOOM! Box, an imprint of BOOM! Studios

People’s History of the Marvel Universe.

I received my copy of this book courtesy of the publisher for Cybils judging purposes. Book 1 also ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, so I’m hoping to read more. The art, too, is really wonderful, combining the fantastical with cute and funny touches, and a dash of manga influence-unsurprising, since the author/artist is also an animator who worked on a Sonic the Hedgehog game.Ĭonclusion: I’m really glad the Cybils brought this one to me as part of this year’s YA Graphic Novels finalists-I don’t know how well-known it is, but I was intrigued by both the unique twist on steampunk and the fun characters.

Thematically, this one will resonate with older teens, while younger ones will enjoy the overall action of the story. The themes brought in here give weight to the fantastical story and setting: the meaning of family, the types of trust issues that arise when someone is betrayed, the clash of personalities and goals that is inevitable in life but has to be dealt with. Also, check out a chapter preview at Comics Alliance. There’s also plenty of humor and a super cute robot sidekick who talks in little lines, like Woodstock talking to Snoopy.Ĭlick to embiggen. The plot is full of continuous action and adventure, and the setting is incredibly cool-at the same time, the characters have problems with family and friends and responsibilities that are relatable. Observations: Diesel has an irresistible mix of fantasy and steampunk that is intriguing from the very start-part-animal/part-human characters like Bull, who is a sort of minotaur kid, and the Teppan, who are bird-people, as well as robots and flying cities and airships. Dee, a budding gearhead, decides to try to repair it, which plunges her and her robot sidekick onto a strange adventure that brings them from the sky world to the earth below, and brings back some long-lost figures from the past to boot… All is going somewhat according to plan when suddenly a Teppan army ship full of birdmen appears out of nowhere and then disappears, leaving a strange broken engine behind. “Dee” Diesel is a somewhat troublemaking young woman who lives on the airship-city of Peacetowne, in a world above the clouds populated by humans and fanciful animal-people. Synopsis: Well, first off, now I’m really glad I decided to change my WIP’s title away from its working title of Ignition, because it suits this steampunk-inspired book much better.

Diesel ignition comic