Kentaro Takekuma

This was wonderful! I am deeply impressed!

This graphic novel in 12 installments offered a charming look at Mario, Luigi, and the Princess. Yoshi, Toad, and Bowser all put in appearances as well. In some respects, it has the feel of one of the video games, but at the same time, it has quite a different vibe. There is quite a bit of humor, some zany action, and some good, old-fashioned fun. I also like that Princess Toadstool is a woman of action here. She makes decisions, she refuses to be pushed around, she leads troops against Bowser, and she is far more than just a person in need of rescuing. She has a backbone in some of the video games, but not many, so this was wonderful to see. There are plot twists along the way. Luigi takes center stage at one point, and his character has a few surprises up his sleeve (so to speak). And of course, Mario has his moments to shine. I also enjoyed the fast pace; a great deal of action was packed into just a few pages, and most installments ended on a cliffhanger. Best of all, everything builds to a satisfying conclusion. Bravo!… (more)