Fantasy Sports, Vol. 2: The Bandit of Barbel Bay

Bosma’s good-hearted and beautifully drawn sequel once again mixes high fantasy and sports drama as Wiz and her hot-tempered partner, Mug, dropped in a decrepit beach town when their travel spell goes awry. For the first time, Wiz sees the terrible consequences in a community whose champion has been defeated by one of her fellow mages. When the treasure that the pair is transporting is stolen, Wiz and Mug must compete in a high-stakes game of volleyball to win it back. The energy and pace of the game is perfectly captured by Bosma’s effortless line work, with quick diagonal panels and speed lines that reference classic sports manga. Bosma is one of the artists on the enormously popular Cartoon Network series Steven Universe, and this book shares the show’s vivid colors and humorous loose-limbed action. It also carries a similar message of the power of unity and friendship in the face of anger and miscommunication. (July)