Review: Target Practice

Target Practice (Cleopatra in Space, book one)
By Mike Maihack
Published 2014 by Graphix

Just in time to avoid her coronation, Cleopatra (yes, that one) is zapped through space and time. She winds up in a galaxy where she is the subject of a prophecy, destined to save them from an evil ruler. Now, she must discover if she believes in herself as the foreseen one.

I adore graphic novels. I pulled this one out of my pile for the 48-Hour Book Challenge. Cleopatra is Egyptian, so she fit the diverse theme well. Plus, I knew this would be a quick read to add to my stack.

I wasn't wrong - I think it took my literally 15 minutes to read this book from start to finish. Of course, it's highly visual, maybe even more so than a typical graphic novel. There is not terribly much text throughout and I liked that about it. It doesn't feel sparse, just direct and to the point. There's no superfluous language or extra story - everything is relevant to the story at hand and nothing more. I thought Cleopatra was a great character - she reminded me a lot of Zita, which is definitely a good thing. She's spunky and stubborn and a gifted fighter. I'm definitely interested to see how the prophecy plays out in subsequent volumes - I am for sure coming back for more. The art is open and inviting and I think this will be a hit with kids.

Thanks to the publisher for an advance reader's copy.