Undergrowth

by Ricky Lima, Daniele Aquilani

Overview

After Red and her friends are killed by invaders from beyond, they’re revived inside massive organic battle-mechs. Time to take their planet back! It's a truly epic graphic novel about global crisis, mental health, and giant robots. The world is being ravaged by four terrifying robotic monsters. One fateful night, four friends venture out to watch a meteor shower and come face-to-face with doom…only to find that their story is just beginning. Returned to life by a mysterious natural power, these young adults are chosen to bear the only weapons that might turn the tide against the invaders: ancient, towering forest entities which they can pilot from within! They’re enormously powerful... but when you’re struggling with the trauma of your own death, is that really the best time to become a living weapon of mass destruction? Writer Ricky Lima joins artist Daniele Aquilani for a jaw-dropping graphic novel about planetary crisis, mental health, and giant robots. Packed with captivating character designs, epic-scale battle scenes, and thorny questions, Undergrowth is a book about kids trying to do the impossible…and they just might pull it off.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781649362438
Publisher:	IDW Publishing
Publication date:	09/04/2024
Series:	Undergrowth
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	202 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Undergrowth

Editorial Reviews

A gripping meld of vivid worldbuilding, ecological folklore, and action sequences that challenges and enthralls.” — Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

“Wild, weird, and strangely heart-wrenching, Undergrowth is a lot of fun… a tale of terror and obsession, told with great empathy and off-the-charts excellent mech violence.” — Zander Cannon (Kaijumax, Heck)

“Action-packed, heartfelt, and stunning.” — Jahnoy Lindsay (Superboy: The Man of Tomorrow)

“A beautifully crafted, epic, and original kaiju tale that will leave your jaw on the floor.” — Derek Laufman (Ruinworld)

“Whimsical, tender, witty, explosive, weird, and so dang pretty to look at.” — Dylan Burnett (Arcade)

From the Publisher

09/01/2024

Gr 9 Up—Some time after humanity has been reduced to fearful pockets of civilization by the arrival of invulnerable extraterrestrial machines that are devouring the planet's resources, four friends sneak out at night and are killed by one of the harvesting monsters. Three are resurrected as pilots of massive organic mecha that are grown by Earth's spirit guardian for one last ditch attempt to fight back. Bursting with ideas and jagged adolescent aggression, this is a neighbor to Paper Girls or The Cull, but with artwork that evokes Craig Thompson or Kevin Cannon. There are frequent flashes of emotional depth as the characters wrestle with their various losses, and a third-act revelation about the origin of the monsters is effectively troubling. But there are an equal number of moments where the bald narration explains what the characters are feeling without any resonance, and where the action is difficult to decipher, which lessens readers' connections to the characters. While the characters are pitched as dealing with the extremes of trauma response, they unfortunately read as alienating because of their raw anger. VERDICT Clever but clunky; the ambition of this sci-fi monster slam-fest is impressive and many of the concepts and themes are compelling, but the characters don't win pitted against the bumps in the storytelling.—Benjamin Russell

School Library Journal

★ 2024-07-04
In a dystopian world in which humans live in hiding and alien monsters consume what remains of Earth, a group of friends are reborn. Their destiny? To save the world.

Red, Bloom, Willow, and Ash are grappling with their precarious futures as young people growing up in a dying world. But just as all seems lost in the wake of tragedy, they gain the ability to fight back against the invaders and protect the planet by controlling ancient dryads who have immense strength and untapped capabilities. Each clash brings new hope, strengthens their friendships, heals their grief, and demonstrates the importance of resistance. The story balances many complex and nuanced themes, exploring moral lessons around the corruption of altruism by greed and power, the lasting consequences our choices have on others, and the fight (even against seemingly insurmountable odds) against ecocide and climate change. Regeneration, second chances, and cycles of growth are central to the narrative, which emphasizes the belief that everyone is capable of doing good and evil—and of changing. Dynamic, colorful illustrations convey both the weight of emotionally heavy moments and the high-stakes energy of combat scenes. The robotlike aliens and dryads as well as the hauntingly beautiful wilderness scenes are portrayed with a striking use of light, shadow, and perspective. The main and side characters are racially diverse.

A gripping meld of vivid worldbuilding, ecological folklore, and action sequences that challenges and enthralls. (character designs, concept art, alternate covers)(Graphic science fiction. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews