karate dance
Writers and Artists: Kyle Starks
Colorist: Chris Schweizer gets an assist from Liz Trice Schweizer
Publisher: first second
Publication date: May 2024
karate dance Following the budding relationship between karate rivals Don “Dragon Wilson” Jones and Sam Stedman, the couple must contend with crappy exes, mercenaries, ninjas, and even an international crime family.
Kyle Starks It tells a funny, action-packed and touching story. The comedy vacillates between sincere moments, like the quiet beat of Don and Sam talking about their lives, and the ridiculous, like an army of mercenaries descending on an asshole ex-boyfriend’s prom. The pace of the comic is brisk, with each chapter moving quickly as we see them go through the ups and downs of a nascent relationship. We see Don and Sam fall in love, struggle with trust, and even break up.
There’s a lot of focus on the cast’s characterization, and we’re not just talking about characters like Don and Sam, but even smaller characters like Boxer – a mercenary who loves boxing and wants to graduate from high school. Don is the main protagonist of the story, and he gets the lion’s share of the emotional moments. His resilience and determination are inspiring. I found myself rooting for him from the beginning for his sheer passion and tenacity.
Sam also has her moments, as she’s not a damsel in distress as some books of this nature might try to be. She has her own personality and there are moments that will make you cheer.
Starks has created a cast that feels very mature and well-rounded. There were hints of past stories and events that felt so vivid that I had to check to see if there were other books with these characters. What Starks has done here is impressive.
Starks’ humor is top-notch throughout the book, mixing silly jokes, sight gags, and puns into a delightful mixture. The jokes are aimed at a target audience of young adults, with a winking nod to the more high school experience, but are never risqué. One of my favorite jokes involves a major mercenary refusing to fight the heroes even though it would cost him money to take his wife on vacation to a beach resort. Instead, she will have to vacation in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. As a Northeast Tennessee native, this joke hits particularly hard on me and makes my heart swell.
Starks’ art is as vibrant as his writing. The style used by Starks favors dynamic action over traditional anatomy. It’s cartoonish, but don’t take it as a slight. It is through this style that Starks is able to convey all the emotion and humor while telling the story. Body language is clear and concise. It’s through simpler character designs that he’s able to evoke so much emotion and comedic weight.
As one might imagine, action sequences are the heart of the karate dance, and this is where Starks’ dynamic style works wonders. The way he describes the argument has the power of a grade school notebook. It looks great and is a joy to follow.
The variety of fighting styles is nice to see here, we see Don and Sam’s well-trained fighting styles, but other fighters like boxers’ unconventional styles. I know I’ll keep coming back, but he really is my comic star. He’s just a guy who likes to hit things, and his epilogue at the end of the comic is just as awesome.
chris swayes and liz trice switzerland is a frequent collaborator of Starks’, which shows how well they complement each other. The first example is shading technology. I really like the cartoon coloring techniques used in this book. Since the art style emphasizes simplicity and energy over detail, it’s crucial that the cartoon rendering gives shape to the characters. A second example of the complementarity of their work is the Schweitzers’ taste for color, as it suits the tone of the story’s moments when the book turns to emotional tones. For example, the ball scene is covered in purple tones and punctuated with pops of yellow to convey the action on the page. Additionally, the Schweitzers are in tune with Stark’s writing and art, with subtle blushes and other visual cues sprinkled throughout the book.
Overall, I found Karate Ball to be an enjoyable graphic novel, full of action and romance. It has a strong cast of characters that you will fall in love with by the end of the story. Starks was an extremely talented artist and craftsman. He’s able to make the most ridiculous premises turn into some of the most heartfelt, tender moments. In addition to all the emotional energy, “The Karate Dance” looks great with Schweizer’s color palette, which gives the book a premium feel. I highly recommend checking out Karate Dance Party if you haven’t already. This is well worth reading.
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