Klaw by Antoine Ozanam and illustrated by Joël Jurion
Synopsis:
Teenager Angel Tomassini has been hiding a dark and scary secret: when threatened he involuntarily turns into a violent and vicious Weretiger. He doesn’t know why, how, or what to do, because when he transforms, he loses control and people end up badly hurt. As if this isn’t enough for a kid to deal with, Angel is slowly learning his father is one of the biggest organized crime leaders in the city. And there are more like him… different creatures too…
Review:
Klaw is a story about a teenage boy named Angel Tomassini, who discovers that he can transform into a tiger. Amidst the chaos and confusion of trying to figure how to handle his newfound powers Angel struggles with trying to find himself. He is tired of being constantly bullied in school, wants the girl he likes to fall in love with him, and doesn’t know what to think of his less than normal family.
While stories similar to this have been written many times, Klaw is still an exciting story that keeps its readers entertained. It has a lot of supernatural and fantasy elements, but among that is a strong focus a on a teenage boy’s coming of age story. That particular aspect makes the story relatable to readers who have ever felt like they don’t know where they belong in life. It also reminds readers that self-discovery can be a long, and complicated process for people of all ages.
The comic reads like an epic superhero saga because of all the action packed scenes. It’s very fast paced and I love how it was set against the backdrop of Chicago. I also thought the idea of the people transforming into the animals of the Chinese zodiac was very clever and the suspense of discovering whether they would all be found or not gave the story a heightened aura of suspense.
On top of all of this, I enjoyed Angel’s character smooth character development over the course of the story. He learns how to control his tiger’s power with the help of others and in doing so, he also learns how to grow into a more confident and courageous person. All of these things combined with the colorful artwork by Joël Jurion, who makes the story leap off of the pages makes Klaw a fun read.
Rating:
4 out of 5 stars
