Mirembe Mubanda, one of our young bloggers, recently got the chance to read Alexis E. Fajardo’s graphic novel Kid Beowulf: The Rise of El Cid, and then talk to the author about his inspirations, his process, and writing multiple storylines. Read the interview below! Mirembe Mubanda: As a child, what were some of your favorite stories? Did they play a part in your inspiration to write Kid Beowulf: The Rise of El Cid? Alexis Fajardo: I’ve always loved mythology, in particular the Greek and Norse myths. One of my favorite books growing up was the D’Aulaire’s editions of Greek and Norse mythology; they were wonderfully written and illustrated. As a young reader I was particularly drawn to the Norse myths because they were always a little bloodier than the more refined Greek myths. Those stories were a gateway to epics like Beowulf and El Cid. MM: If you were to host a dinner party where you invited characters from different comics and graphic novels, whom would you invite, and why would you invite them? AF: This is a hard question! Hmm…I suppose first off we would need someone to cook the meal, and I think Phoney Bone (from the graphic novel BONE) is a pretty good cook. Then of course we need some good conversation, so I would invite Delilah Dirk (from the graphic novel series, Delilah Dirk), Tintin, and Asterix to tell me about all their adventures (and we’ll need plenty of food if Obelix and Captain Haddock come along too). Finally, I don’t want to do any dishes so I think we’ll probably need Smiley Bone in the kitchen to help Phoney clean up. MM: What was it like when the idea of writing The Rise of El Cid came to mind? AF: When I started the Kid Beowulf series I knew I wanted Beowulf and Grendel to interact with epic heroes from other countries, Spain was always on the list because of El Cid. I was also looking forward to writing The Rise of El Cid because part of my family is from Spain, so to weave in some of that history was important to me. One of my favorite parts of creating new stories is doing all the research. I love reading the source material (in this case, the epic poem El Cid) as well as histories and other stories related to the topic. The research is fun because it means all ideas are on the table. Eventually, the hard part of writing begins when I have to whittle away at the story until the story takes shape. I knew for the Rise of El Cid, I wanted to tell the story of how a Rodrigo Díaz becomes the great knight known as “El Cid” but must stay true to himself to achieve that title. MM: While creating Kid Beowulf: The Rise of El Cid, did you have a favorite character? If so, who and why? AF: There are a lot of fun characters in this book but one of my favorites is Rodrigo’s friend Pedro the mute. He is small, feisty, but never says a word! He has a slate board that he communicates with by drawing pictures on it; it was fun to come up with the different things he would have to say. I am also fond of Rodrigo’s horse, Babieca and especially enjoyed creating the part of the story where the two first meet. Horses are very hard to draw though so Babieca was a challenge. MM: On a scale of one through ten, how much is Kid Beowulf: The Rise of El Cid based on the poem El Cid? Why is it this number? AF: In the book there is a Prologue in which I retell the original epic poem and that is a solid “10.” The rest of the book is inspired by events in the epic poem, other stories about El Cid, as well as the history of the time. My story is intended to be a prequel to the events depicted in the epic poem. The research is pretty detailed and thorough and the history is mostly accurate, at the same time it’s an original story, especially the parts involving Beowulf and Grendel! MM: Kid Beowulf: The Rise of El Cid is the third graphic novel in the Kid Beowulf series. Which comic book did you enjoy writing the most? AF: Even though they are all part of the same series and we follow Beowulf and Grendel from one book to the next, each book is very different from the other. Book one is very much a fantasy that has elements of magic in it. Book two is a swashbuckling adventure story with some comedy thrown in. And book three is a more serious adventure with some romance and political intrigue. Each one has its own challenges and when I’m creating them I am fully invested in that adventure; it’s only after I’m finished when I can begin to judge them. That said, book two, The Song of Roland has some of my favorite characters and sequences in it and I always like coming back to that setting. MM: In Kid Beowulf:The Rise of El Cid there are three different story lines. Did you ever think of making only one? AF: Ha! There are multiple storylines in all my books! I think that’s because I try to create three-dimensional characters who have a lives and stories of their own…which can sometimes complicate plots. Ideally all the different storylines come together by the end of the big story; so in the case of El Cid, we have the story of Rodrigo Díaz which is very separate from what Beowulf and Grendel are doing however by the climax of the book all their storylines intersect and (hopefully) pay off. MM: Were any of the characters personalities based on yours or someone you know well? If so which characters and people? AF: I have a few friends who sometimes become the
Book Reviews
Kid Beowulf: The Rise of El Cid, Reviewed by Mirembe, 12
Attention! Calling all young readers! Are you an adventurous middle grade reader (ages 8 to 11) who would love to travel throughout the middle ages? Do you find medieval battles thrilling? Do you want to fight for justice? If so Alexis Fajardo’s graphic novel Kid Beowulf: The Rise of El Cid might be perfect for you. The Rise of El Cid is the third comic book in the Kid Beowulf trilogy. It begins with a captivating prologue about the well accomplished warrior, Rodrigo, who became nicknamed “El Cid,” because he won so many battles. The prologue is beautifully hand inked, watercolored, and written in the format of a poem, but from the start of chapter one, the graphic novel is digitally colored, and written in prose. The Rise of El Cid takes place in many different parts of Spain, as it shows different characters’ journeys around the country. Each of the sub-plots has different characters who display different temperaments and goals (some good, others evil). All of the characters are in some sort of trouble: some are lost, others are in danger of being murdered. Although the graphic novel includes lots of battle scenes, it has some humorous ones, too. For instance, one of the Ibn Al-Fajar has a pet lion who provides comic relief, by giving people such a shock that they jump into each other’s arms. One of these sub-plots focuses on Beowulf, an adventurous boy who travels with two loyal companions, his brother, Grendel, and friend, Hama (a piglet, whom I love dearly.) After a battle between two (unknown) groups of people, Beowulf gets into a fight with a warrior. They begin to tumble down a mountain and off a cliff. Grendel and Hama try to come to Beowulf’s rescue, but in the commotion they, too, fall off the cliff. The three travelers are lost, and very far away from where they started. While attempting to navigate their way home, Beowulf, Grendel, and Hama and run into serious trouble. Will they be able to safely return to the High Pyrenees? Of the many characters in The Rise of El Cid, I found that Beowulf and I have lots in common. He wants the best for himself and his peers, but at times can be bossy and stubborn. For instance, Beowulf refuses to take Grendel’s advice. This provokes a big argument that could possibly be deadly. Will Beowulf and Grendel ever forgive each other? Will Beowulf or Grendel murder each other due to their strong rage? When Beowulf behaves this way, he reminds me of myself. Occasionally, when my parents and friends try to give me advice, I am too stubborn to take it, but later on realize I should have listened to them, because the situation I am in is terrible, due to the fact that I was unwilling to compromise, and too caught up in believing I was right. Another important character is Rodrigo Diaz, a young man from Spain who finds himself waist high in trouble when he strongly defends what he believes is ethical. When Count Gormaz (a well established warrior) is going to murder his unarmed, and knocked-out, prisoners of war, Rodrigo stands up to him by shouting, “Count Gormaz! Sir! You’ve got to stop! These men are unarmed! They’re no threat to us!” Count Gormaz responds by ordering Rodrigo to leave the field. Rodrigo disobeys, and their quarrel quickly escalates to Count Gormaz saying, “I’ll kill you instead!” Rodrigo’s desire to stick up for justice, reminds me of activists today who had the courage to speak out, in opposition of the government, or people in power. For instance, Rodrigo, who lived in the middle ages, reminds me of a male version of Malala. I find Malala and Rodrigo very similar, because both of them had the courage to voice their opinion, even if it meant taking a life-threatening risk. The many characters and scenes in Kid Beowulf: The Rise of El Cid, remind me of current day events and people, for many reasons, some silly, others serious. If you want to know who lives, who dies, who loses friends, and who returns home, read The Rise of El Cid. Kid Beowulf: The Rise of El Cid by Alexis E. Fajardo. Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2018. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process! Have you read this book? Or do you plan on reading it? Let us know in the comments below!
BRAT and the Kids of Warriors, Reviewed by Abhi, 11
I picked up BRAT And The Kids Of Warriors, hoping it would be a thrilling military adventure. However, after reading it, I was a bit disappointed. The story is set after World War II, and three BRAT kids named Jack, Rabbit and Queenie McMasters are heading to the Cooke Barracks (a place where military families live that is located in West Germany) to reunite with their father. They take a ship called the USS Upshur in Part I and when they finally reach Cooke Barracks in Part II, they meet some friends and go on little adventures leading to one grand quest. As we read the novel, we find that the characters don’t really have a big challenge or problem they are trying to solve until one day when they find out their father is going with the 4th Armored Division (a military unit within the US Army) to do some military exercises. The McMasters children feel something isn’t quite right. They learn from their nanny Ingrid that the Communists are now the “new” enemy and are planning to take over West Germany, and that East Germany has no freedom and is controlled by the Russians. When they head to school one day, their teacher says they’re weaker than Russian kids because supposedly, those kids were able to cross the Iron Curtain (barbed wire fence that separates East and West Germany) and climb the mountain named Hohenstaufen located in Goppingen. So from then on, the BRAT team’s #1 mission is to prove they are better than the Russian kids by finding a way to get to the mountain. This challenge is not presented to the reader until Chapter 15, which is halfway through the book. This mission seemed exciting and promising to me at first. Sadly, though, this book, due to its slow pace, one-dimensional characters, and lack of intense action and surprises, never delivers on its core promise. The characters are never presented in conflict with each other (they all get along for the most part and they all like to have adventures); more importantly, they never experience any serious doubt or any setbacks in their quest. It would’ve been so cool if they got caught when spying, or they go on a zipline running from bad guys. But instead, the only tasks or mini-adventures they have require them to gather intel and spy on someone, or just deal with the antagonist in the book, a school bully named Kerrigan. I will say that Kerrigan is a great antagonist, and the scenes involving him are exciting and suspenseful. He creates a problem in the book for Jack, and Jack has to muster up all the courage he has to defeat him. Sadly though, every pro comes with a con, and Kerrigan, while an interesting character, only appears in a few chapters of the book. Now, I know I’ve been a bit negative about this book, so let me now turn to the promising elements in this novel. The middle of the book, which starts at roughly Chapter 15, and goes all the way to Chapter 25, is really amazing. The book really shines in these pages, and the author does a brilliant job describing the characters and story. This really surprised me because in Part I, the author never really described anything creatively or focused on any character development. The transition from Part I to Part II is remarkable and I’m glad the author Michael Joseph Lyons did it. Overall, I didn’t really enjoy BRAT and The Kids Of Warriors, but I’m glad I kept reading and did not abandon the story. The middle of Part II is totally worth your time. The ending was predictable for me, but may not be for others. Which is why when the next book in the BRAT series comes out, I’m going to buy it just to see what happens next. BRAT and the Kids of Warriors by Michael Joseph Lyons. Bravur Media, 2017. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process! Have you read this book? Or do you plan on reading it? Let us know in the comments below!
