Thai American Matt Braly, creator of Disney's Amphibia animated series, makes a debut with the first installment of his marvelously energetic graphic novel Family Force V, which introduces 15-year-old Maise Shiraki, the oldest of three children in a Thai Japanese American family. Chinese American character designer Ainsworth Lin vividly illustrates Braly's kaiju-filled contemporary Los Angeles.
"Decades ago, alien invaders attacked Tokyo." Their "demonic appearance" earned them the moniker the Mazoku, meaning devil tribe. The universe sent mankind the "Moon Computer [which] gifted five young Japanese siblings incredible powers" that transformed them into "the Moon Troopers." The Mazoku spread, and the original five Moon Troopers scattered to helm new divisions worldwide. Maise belongs to the L.A. branch, led by her father, Ken, "a real 'honor and duty' kinda guy." Her mother, Savisa, daughter of Thai immigrants, has fully adapted to--and excels at--this superhero life. The younger twins, Axl and Alex, are small but impressively mighty. Only Maise is reluctant about her inherited identity: she's more interested in illustrating, hanging out with friends, and trying to "be a normal kid."
Lately, Maise hasn't been entirely dependable when family duty calls. Six tardies (just this month) to life-and-death situations understandably require parental confrontation: "I keep telling you guys--I don't want this responsibility." Her father insists, "you don't always get to choose your responsibilities--sometimes they choose you." His final words to her the next day, "take care of this family," will both haunt and motivate her "to be the best Moon Trooper the world's ever seen!" Meanwhile, Maise's first love, a non-binary teen named Citlalli, has vowed to help their journalist mother unmask the Moon Troopers' secret identities.
Braly is a brilliant storyteller who impressively balances family drama, teenage independence, and social interactions with plenty of fantastical adventure. He does on the page what he did on screen with Amphibia: features a Thai American protagonist as an antidote to never seeing Thai representation growing up. Lin gives the narrative fabulous shape and form; his marvelous full-color art highlights distinct, expressive characterizations, including Maise's beanie with the power on/off symbol, Citlalli with that half-swoop hair, arrogant Daichi with his K-pop aura, and even a nod to L.A.'s elderly Asian women with their overly wide-brimmed hats. Audiences will surely be ready and waiting for Book Two. --Terry Hong
Shelf Talker: Amphibia creator Matt Braly teams up with character designer Ainsworth Lin to introduce Family Force V, a fabulous, fantastical man vs. monster graphic series.