Sweetie
Volume 1
Steven Petrivelli and Sean Dillon’s charming Sweetie is a delightful tale about a self-made superhero told through dynamic and unique art. In a world filled to the brim with superheroes, headstrong Maggie wants nothing more than to be one of them. But when she finally reaches her goal, it’s not completely what she hoped for.
Through her hard work, study of kung-fu movies, and martial arts practice, Maggie eventually reaches the level of superhero. Nicknamed Sweetie by her parents, she tries to balance her personal life with her extracurricular crime fighting, though it isn’t all as easy as she thought it would be. Her parents are stressed about Maggie putting herself in danger, she doesn’t have many friends, and sometimes the bad guys just don’t know when to give up. Despite her struggles, Sweetie is an upbeat story that values friendships, connections, and becoming what you want to be despite the obstacles.
The book’s art is exceptional, a combination of manga and graffiti artistic styles. Every page contains compelling scenes washed in striking colors, often illustrated using a beautiful palette of vibrant reds, purples, and pinks. In addition, the art makes clever use of panels and the page, never becoming boring in its layout of action scenes and moments of humor.
Though the book’s action is fun—especially watching Maggie’s giant head of hair fly across the page as she takes down bad guys—its emotional center is what’s most engaging here. When Maggie interacts with her parents or her best friend/sidekick/number-one-fan Griffin, the graphic novel sparkles.
This heartwarming middle-grade graphic novel is fun for all ages, featuring smooth action and humor for younger readers and more mature themes of parenthood and individuality for older ones. Steven Petrivelli and Sean Dillon’s Sweetie is a lighthearted adventure starring astonishing art.
Reviewed by
Mya Alexice
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
