Magical boy. Volume 1

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Title:

Author:

Kao Studios, author, illustrator.

Series:

Magical boy ;

Series Number:

Summary:

Although he was assigned female at birth, Max is your average trans student trying to get through high school as himself, but on top of classes, crushes, and coming out, Max's life is turned upside down when his mom reveals an old family secret: he is descended from a long line of Magical Girls tasked with defending humanity from an ancient evil.

General Note:

"First published online in 2018 by Tapas."

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

317 pages : chiefly color illustrations ; 23 cm

Genre:

Fantasy comics.

Graphic novels.

Transgender comics.

Subject Term:

Family secrets -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Magic -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Transgender youth -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Added Corporate Author:

Kao Studios,

Publisher:

Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic,

Publication Date:

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

ISBN:

9781338775525

9781338775532

Publication Information:

New York, NY : Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic, 2021-

Call Number:

YA KAO

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003758136	New Young Adult Graphic Novels	KAO	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

A breathtakingly imaginative fantasy series starring Max--a high schooler chosen to become the next "Magical Girl." There's just one catch . . . he's a trans boy!Although he was assigned female at birth, Max is your average trans man trying to get through high school as himself. But on top of classes, crushes, and coming out, Max's life is turned upside down when his mom reveals an eons old family secret: he's descended from a long line of Magical Girls tasked with defending humanity from a dark, ancient evil! With a sassy feline sidekick and loyal gang of friends by his side, can Max take on his destiny, save the world, and become the next Magical Boy? A hilarious and heartfelt riff on the magical girl genre made popular by teen manga series, Magical Boy is a one-of-a-kind fantasy series that comic readers of all ages will love.

Author Notes

The Kao is Vincent Kao, an illustrator and comic artist known for his slice-of-life web series, Mondo Mango , and the Prism Award-winning webcomic, Magical Boy - both original series available at Tapas. Vincent graduated from Columbia College in Chicago with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration. He started his career through a series of comic strips surrounding his daily life and since then has freelanced, self-published, as well as collaborated in a few crowdfunded comic anthologies, all under "The Kao" name. To this day, he continues to work on his illustrations and comics in hopes to inspire and bring joy to everyone around him. For more information, please visit www.thekao.net.

Reviews (1)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Coming-out stories and the magical girl genre get a fresh twist in the Kao's heartfelt, rapid-paced fantasy tale of magic, monsters, friendship, and family, adapted from a webcomic. In Chicago, biracial (Japanese and white) Max is a trans boy trying to step into his identity, which involves navigating intolerant classmates and figuring out how to come out to his parents. When he learns on his 16th birthday that his aura-reading powers are the manifestation of a familial bloodline, things feel more complicated--he's supposed to wield a goddess's power to fight an incursion of darkness, which involves a transformation that comes with a full outfit, including a frilly dress, makeup, and heels. As Max slowly learns to control his powers, he and his friends must fight off invading monsters bent on devouring humans' life force and freeing an ancient power of darkness. Though Max experiences deadnaming, forced gender expression, and misgendering, the gendered prophecy's interplay also allows for a thoughtful exploration of coming out, dysphoria, and exploring sexuality in a new context. Some panels can be difficult to order, but the visual details of Max's powers and changing appearance subtly develop the story via clean, expressive manga-style art. Ages 12--up. Agent: Liz Parker, Verve Talent & Literary. (Jan.)