The Adventures of John Blake

March 13, 2017
Washed overboard when a storm hits her family’s sailboat, young Serena Henderson is saved by John Blake, a mysterious teenager aboard a time-traveling ghost ship called the Mary Alice. Elsewhere, investigator Danielle Quayle and British navy commander Roger Blake seek to learn more about John and the strange timepiece he carries; a tech billionaire, Carlos Dahlberg, is also after John—with darker intentions. Once John reveals to Serena the secret that he knows will bring the billionaire down, the story shifts into high gear. Outside of some well-timed assistance from Serena, it’s the men who get to have most of the fun in action scenes ranging from hand-to-hand combat to the dramatic disarming of a giant missile. The graphic novel format lets Pullman’s (the His Dark Materials series) dialogue shine, and Fordham’s lucid panels are strong, legible, and charged with energy. Originally published serially by the Phoenix in the U.K., the adventure reads like a tautly paced film script. While the story isn’t as wildly imaginative as some of Pullman’s previous work, it will undoubtedly hold readers’ attention. Ages 8–12.

March 15, 2017
Purloined technology, time travelers, ghost ships, and deception converge in this graphic page-turner. In a world not too unlike our own, most everyone is connected by Apparators, smartphonelike devices that can also project images, created by technology mogul Carlos Dahlberg. A member of the crew on the ghost ship Mary Alice, white time traveler John Blake is doomed to ride in and out of different time periods after an accident suffered during an experiment conducted by his scientist father. Young Blake knows Dahlberg's darkest secret and has the evidence and desire to expose him. Serena Anderson, a white Australian teenager lost at sea, Danielle Quayle Reid, a black Harvard Law graduate, and Roger Blake, a white commander in the Royal Navy, all become caught up in Dahlberg and Blake's tangled web. High-adrenaline chases, blazing explosions, and gunfights abound as they come to discover their shocking connections. Will they be able to stop Dahlberg before his nefarious plans come to fruition? Pullman has created an intricate blend of science fiction and adventure, skillfully weaving together many disparate elements into a cohesive and exciting tale. Fordham's art, although realistic and spare, is cinematic in scope, imbuing this with all the momentum of a Hollywood blockbuster. Some of the finer plot details have a tendency to be quickly glossed over, but expect readers to be too caught up in this whirlwind ride to care. A richly imagined high-octane thriller. (Science fiction/adventure. 13-adult)

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Starred review from May 1, 2017

Gr 8 Up-When Harvard student Danielle succeeds in tracking the legendary Mary Alice, a pirate ship that disappears and reappears across time, she becomes drawn into a conspiracy headed by the menacing Dahlberg Corporation. The Dahlbergs are after the secrets of the Mary Alice, and only Royal Navy agent Roger Blake opposes them. Drawn into this web of intrigue is Serena, an Australian teenager who is swept off her parents' yacht and rescued by the Mary Alice crew. Serena learns of the mysterious vessel's ability to travel across time as well as the nature of its ragtag crew. While Roger Blake and Danielle race to find the ship before the Dahlbergs can, Serena unravels the true mystery aboard the Mary Alice: a teenage boy named John Blake. This is Pullman's first original graphic novel, and fans of "His Dark Materials" will recognize such plot elements as the use of futuristic gadgets and the role of father figures. Fordham's paneling and artwork initially read like storyboards, with a static appearance that relaxes as the fairly complex narrative progresses. The various plot threads coalesce into a powerful tale, with the artwork creating a soaring, cinematic feel. VERDICT A modern seafaring epic, highly recommended for all Pullman and fantasy fans and more than worthy of its author's oeuvre.-Matisse Mozer, Los Angeles Public Library

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 15, 2017
Grades 6-10 *Starred Review* Like Pullman's indelible Lyra, Christina Henderson is a girl who finds herself yanked out of her accustomed world. Rescued from drowning by the time-traveling ghost ship, Mary Alice, she makes the acquaintance of young John Blake, swept up by the currents of time when he was an unintentional participant in a secret, ocean-based experiment conducted by none other than Albert Einstein. The ship is pursued in the present by a British secret agent, a female maritime expert, and the CEO of the sinister Dahlberg Corporation, all of whom have meaningful connections to the ship. With obvious affection for Tintin, Pullman threads this complicated skein of plot with customary measures of awe and menace, and for an esteemed man of letters on his first expedition into the graphic novel format, he proves an expert visual storyteller. Fordham animates with characters who have the detail and agility of a Studio Ghibli cast. He shows particular flair for silent passages, evidencing as much gusto in nimble fight scenes and breathless chase sequences as in a meaningful glare and capturing the vastness of the sea as it swallows a young girl. Those eager for the release of Pullman's new His Dark Materials book this fall will be delighted to bide their time with this. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Anything new from Pullman is big news, and his first original graphic novel won't disappoint.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2017
Pullman's first original graphic novel is a smorgasbord thriller containing a little bit of everything--including espionage, time travel, bloodthirsty pirates, high-tech gadgets, and substantial explosions. Several intersecting story lines and a large cast of characters swirl around the mysterious teenager John Blake and his time-hopping ship the Mary Alice. Multiple tangential players--a determined maritime agent, a formidable British spy, and an evil billionaire inventor--all with their own agendas, work with and against one another as they pursue John and the Mary Alice. A narrative of corporate greed, murder, and collusion quickly develops after John and his crew rescue the shipwrecked Serena, a modern-day teenager traveling the seas with her family, and attempt to get her back to the present day. Cinematic illustrations, along with a strong sense of atmosphere and liberal deployment of panels per page, carry much of the storytelling. A few exceptional visual moments--a jarringly vertical panel of Serena sinking into the depths of the ocean and a nearly all-white double-page spread depicting John's first time-travel experience--are a relief from the persistent mannequin-esque appearance of the characters. While many pieces of the story have a tendency to fall into place too easily, readers searching for a rollicking adventure comic will be thoroughly satisfied. patrick gall

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2017
Intersecting story lines and a large cast of characters swirl around John Blake and his time-hopping ship the Mary Alice. Pullman's first original graphic novel is a narrative of corporate greed, murder, and collusion. Cinematic illustrations, a strong sense of atmosphere, and liberal deployment of panels carry much of the storytelling. Readers searching for a rollicking comic adventure will be thoroughly satisfied.

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)