Death and Taxes is the second book in a YA graphic novel series called The Sons of Liberty. It is written and created by Alexander Lagos and Joseph Lagos, with art by Steve Walker, and coloring done by Oren Kramek.
The makings of the Revolutionary War are beginning to fall into place. High taxes, tyranny, and a bunch of very unhappy Americans are starting to realize they want to be free of England's yoke. Amongst the many Philadelphia residents are Graham and Brody, escaped slaves for many years now. They've mostly kept their heads down and worked hard, avoiding getting involved in any of the debates and demonstrations.
But they don't just avoid these situations because of their previous lives as slaves, but because they have successfully hidden their powers for many years now - and they don't want to reveal them now. Yet things are getting violent on the streets, and they find they can't ignore how they can help. So, Graham and Brody don masks and use their abilities to help... though they aren't always sure what side they are helping...
This graphic novel takes a new twist on American history in the years before the Declaration of Independence.
Alrighty! I'm not someone who has read too many graphic novels. I was a big fan of Archie comics when I was younger (and probably would still be, if I was still reading them), but have only read a couple graphic novels. And those were still usually somewhat comedic or mystery oriented. This one, Death and Taxes, is kinda violent and crazed - didn't really meet my particular tastes and felt more male-oriented. I'm not saying, of course, that no girls would go for it - I'm just saying my impression was that it would appeal much more to guys.
This is just my personal opinion, but I myself was a bit bored with Death and Taxes. It seemed to lack a real plotline and patriotism. It was hard for me to tell what was going on, who was who, who I was following, and why I would care. Now, I did miss reading the first novel in The Sons of Liberty series, and that may have been a hindrance.
For me, the fact that about 99% of the people represented in the novel were presented as mad and bloodthirsty and so many of the squares feature people with maniacal expressions - well, that just wasn't so pleasant for me. It's definitely intense, and I'm sure many fans of graphic novels will love Death and Taxes! It just wasn't my "cup of tea".
But don't listen to me! If you love graphic novels, and like your reading material to have a darker twist - you should read Death and Taxes for yourself! Our reading tastes are not the same!!! And I would love to hear differing opinions!
BONUS REVIEW:
Now, I may not have been a huge fan of this particular graphic novel, but comics in general are awesome! So for all of you fans of manga or aspiring manga artists out there, I have another new release I want to quickly mention to y'all. It's called Young Artists Draw Manga and it is a step-by-step guide on how to draw your own manga! It's written by Christopher Hart and has some excellent tips to try - and will probably keep you entertained for quite a while. There's specific help on drawing feet, hands, and different movement - for example walking, winking, etc. Definitely a fun book - and an educational one at that!
Again, if you've been wanting to learn how to draw manga, or you have some time on your hands and would like something diverting to do - pick up Young Artists Draw Manga!
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