I Am Not Starfire

by Mariko Tamaki, Yoshi Yoshitani (Illustrator)

Overview

From New York Times bestselling author Mariko Tamaki (Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass) and artist Yoshi Yoshitani (Zatanna and the House of Secrets) comes a story about Mandy, the daughter of super-famous superhero Starfire.

Seventeen-year-old Mandy, daughter of Starfire, is NOT like her mother. Starfire is gorgeous, tall, sparkly, and a hero. Mandy is NOT a sparkly superhero. Mandy has no powers, is a kid who dyes her hair black and hates everyone but her best friend Lincoln. To Starfire, who is from another planet, Mandy seems like an alien, like some distant angry light years away moon.

And it's possible Mandy is even more distant lately, ever since she walked out on her S.A.T.s. Which, yeah, her mom doesn't know.

Everyone thinks Mandy needs to go to college and become whoever you become at college, but Mandy has other plans. Mandy's big plan is that she's going to move to France and...do whatever people do in France. But then everything changes when she gets partnered with Claire for a school project. Mandy likes Claire (even if she denies it, heartily and intensely). A lot.

How do you become the person you're supposed to be when you don't know what that is? How do you become the person you're supposed to be when the only thing you're sure of is what you're not?

When someone from Starfire's past arrives, Mandy must make a choice: give up before the battle has even begun, or step into the unknown and risk everything to save her mom. I am Not Starfire is a story about teenagers and/as aliens; about knowing where you come from and where you are going; and about mothers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781779501264
Publisher:	DC Comics
Publication date:	07/27/2021
Pages:	184
Sales rank:	267,908
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 5.60(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Mariko Tamaki is an award-winning Canadian writer living in Oakland, California. Tamaki is the winner of the 2020 Eisner Award for Best Writer, her graphic novels have received Ignatz, Eisner, Printz and Caldecott Honors. She is the co-creator, with Jillian Tamaki, of This One Summer, and Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, with Rosemary Valero-O'Connell. Her growing slate of critically acclaimed comics includes Adventure Time, She-Hulk, Lumberjanes, X-23, Supergirl: Being Super, Wonder Woman, and Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass (with Steve Pugh).

Yoshi Yoshitani is a California-based artist whose vibrant illustrations draw on inspiration from across the globe, with a particular focus on multicultural identity. Past clients include Disney, DC Comics, Valiant, Image, Dreamworks, and Netflix. Yoshi spends time researching world mythologies, listening to audiobooks, creating fashion inspiration boards, and attending comics conventions and art expos across the country.

Editorial Reviews

07/16/2021

Gr 7 Up—Short, chubby, white high school student Mandy feels like the opposite of her mom, Starfire, a superhero from the planet Tamaran who frequently graces magazine covers; Mandy's powers consist of making it through the school day, alongside her best friend Lincoln, the son of Vietnamese immigrants. When deadpan, goth Mandy is paired with her crush, popular Claire, for a project, she wonders if Claire might return her feelings—or if she's only being friendly to meet Starfire in person. But Mandy's problems enter the life-and-death realm when her mother's sister arrives, intent on wiping out any rivals to her power. Tamaki uses a superhero fantasy tale to tell a universal story of growing up and finding one's identity. Lincoln and Mandy face similar challenges; they're both the children of immigrants, technically. Yoshitani keeps the visual narrative lively with creative use of perspective and color; scenes from Mandy's childhood are framed in pink, while important characters are associated with signature colors (Lincoln's teal-framed glasses, Claire's orange fingernails and barrettes). One bold double-page spread appears ripped down the middle, with Mandy and her mother on opposing sides, heightening the conflict. VERDICT Filled with coming-of-age themes such as first crushes (and kisses), identity building, and fear of failure, this comic deserves a place on every teen graphic novel shelf alongside contemporary classics like Noelle Stevenson's Nimona.—Jenny Arch, Lilly Lib., Florence, MA

School Library Journal

2021-08-11
Sixteen-year-old Mandy considers herself the anti-Starfire: Unlike her scantily clad superhero mother, she doesn’t have superpowers, can’t fly, and doesn’t even own a bathing suit.

Mandy dyes her hair and dresses in all black to further call out how different they are. Mandy’s best friend, Lincoln, whose parents were born in Vietnam, insightfully summarizes this rift as being down to an intergenerational divide that occurs whether parents and children come from different countries or different planets. Mandy tries to figure out what kind of future she wants for herself as she struggles with teenage insecurities and bullying, her relationship with her mom, and her budding friendship (or is it something more?) with her new class project partner, Claire. Yoshitani’s vibrant and colorful stylized illustrations beautifully meld the various iterations of Starfire and the Titans with the live-action versions of those characters. Together with Tamaki’s punchy writing, this coming-of-age story of identity, family, friendship, and saving the world is skillfully brought to life in a quick but nuanced read. These layers are most strongly displayed as the story draws parallels between cultural differences between the generations as evidenced in how the characters address bullying, body positivity, fatphobia, fetishization and sexualization, and feminism. This title addresses many important concepts briefly, but well, with great pacing, bold art, and concise and snappy dialogue. The cast is broadly diverse in both primary and secondary characters.

Equal parts entertaining and thought-provoking. (Graphic fantasy. 14-16)

Kirkus Reviews