Witch & Wizard: Battle for Shadowland

Filling the gap between the first two volumes of Patterson's bestselling Witch and Wizard series, this original graphic novel finds teenagers Whit and Wisty Allgood (no subtlety there!) using their newfound magical powers (inherited from their parents) to fight the New Order, an oppressive dictatorship now running the U.S. In this caper, the siblings must go on various highly dangerous missions into both New Order Territory and another dimension known as the Shadowland. Of course, being teenagers, there are various emotional subplots among the teammates, including Whit's longing for his girlfriend, Celia, who is now a ghost. Although fans of the prose series will probably give this a look, they might not be entirely sold. Santos creates likable character designs, but his art is garish and confusing in many places, with no sense of world building. It's also completely out of character for the grim dystopian feeling of the novels and oddly unsuited for what is basically a nonstop action story. Ages 12–up. (Oct.)