Cast No Shadow

by Nick Tapalansky, Anissa Espinosa (Illustrator)

Overview

Greg has lived in Lancaster his whole life. The town's always had its quirks, and being born without a shadow means he's counted among them. When Greg discovers an old mansion in the woods just outside of town, he didn't expect to meet a smart, beautiful, funny, and...very dead teenaged girl named Eleanor.

Yeah. He's in love with a ghost.

And before he knows what's happening, Greg finds himself at the wrong end of a history lesson when the town's past, and his own, threaten to pull the two of them apart permanently!

From acclaimed comics writer Nick Tapalansky and phenomenal newcomer artist Anissa Espinosa, Cast No Shadow is a teen romance with humor and heart.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781596438774
Publisher:	First Second
Publication date:	10/10/2017
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	12 - 16 Years

About the Author

Nick Tapalansky is the author of A Radical Shift of Gravity, Awakening, and Thanatos Diver. Nick's work has also been featured in the Harvey Award–winning Popgun Vol. 4 and the Eisner Award–nominated Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard Vol. 2. He currently lives in Westchester, New York, with his patient wife and amazing daughter.

Anissa Espinosa is an artist who has had her work published in several anthologies. She illustrated a cover and minicomic for the Boom Studios title Bee and Puppycat. Cast No Shadow is her first graphic novel.

Editorial Reviews

09/18/2017
Greg Shepard has gotten used to not having a shadow—things aren’t exactly ordinary in his tourist trap of a town, which has recently become home to the World’s Largest Hairball. But he’s not ready to deal with his widowed father’s new girlfriend, Ruth, moving in, no matter how kind she is. While avoiding home, Greg and his best friend, Layla, visit a dilapidated mansion on the outskirts of town where he meets, Eleanor, a ghost only he can see. Their budding romance is interrupted by the unexpected appearance arrival of Greg’s shadow, which wreaks havoc on the town, targeting those whom Greg has been mad at, including Ruth and Layla’s new boyfriend. Tapalansky creates an entertaining villain in Greg’s shadow, who is less evil incarnate than a Loki figure, disrupting order, and Espinosa’s angular b&w cartooning captures the atmosphere of a story that’s eerie, playful, and poignant. But although Greg’s lingering pain over his mother’s death is keenly felt, the mysteries surrounding Nick’s shadow and Eleanor’s past are inelegantly and confusingly addressed in rapidly deployed info dumps, leaving the conclusion rushed and unsatisfying. Ages 12–up. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"Fans of paranormal romance will be smitten." —Booklist

From the Publisher

11/01/2017
Gr 5–8—Greg was born without a shadow, which doesn't bother him until he and his best friend Layla explore a haunted house and he learns that he can see ghosts, including Eleanor. As he falls for her (and they exchange kisses), he discovers more about the history of his town and has to battle his own shadow—an evil, conniving part of himself—while dealing with his dad's new girlfriend, who's moving in, and Layla's new boyfriend. Though this graphic novel has occasional narrative hiccups and confusing characterizations, such as a popular kid's strange obsession with befriending Greg, many elements will appeal to fans of the format, including comic relief in the form of the town's tourist traps (e.g., giant hairballs). The art is sometimes muddled, but Espinosa provides a creative twist on supernatural themes. VERDICT While occasionally uneven, this work will entice lovers of graphic novels and the paranormal.—Lisa Nowlain, Nevada County Community Library, CA

School Library Journal