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aceinit's review against another edition
5.0
So. I was not expecting to be emotionally destroyed by a graphic novel about a shark. But here we are.
I received this through my subscription to Comic Bento, and started flipping through it last night. The next thing I knew, I was finished with it, and I had to take a moment to get myself together.
The premise of Xoc (pronounced "shock") is fairly straightforward: Xoc, our titular great white shark, travels from her colder hunting grounds to the warmer waters of Hawaii. Along the way, she encounters a variety of sea life and perils both natural and man-made The storytelling is straightforward and simplistic, and the artwork is an absolute delight. But the real magic of Xoc is how subtly it works its way into your heart.
A few pages from the end of the story, something unexpected happened that left me gasping out loud. The final page was the kind of thing that makes you sit back and really think about the impact we as humans have on the world.
This is a good book. It’s damned impressive and, based on the large gap between earlier reviews and this most recent batch from Comic Bento readers, it’s sadly unknown.
I’m glad I found this book. I’m glad it is something I can have in my collection now, and something I will definitely be recommending to others.
I received this through my subscription to Comic Bento, and started flipping through it last night. The next thing I knew, I was finished with it, and I had to take a moment to get myself together.
The premise of Xoc (pronounced "shock") is fairly straightforward: Xoc, our titular great white shark, travels from her colder hunting grounds to the warmer waters of Hawaii. Along the way, she encounters a variety of sea life and perils both natural and man-made The storytelling is straightforward and simplistic, and the artwork is an absolute delight. But the real magic of Xoc is how subtly it works its way into your heart.
A few pages from the end of the story, something unexpected happened that left me gasping out loud. The final page was the kind of thing that makes you sit back and really think about the impact we as humans have on the world.
This is a good book. It’s damned impressive and, based on the large gap between earlier reviews and this most recent batch from Comic Bento readers, it’s sadly unknown.
I’m glad I found this book. I’m glad it is something I can have in my collection now, and something I will definitely be recommending to others.
abelh's review against another edition
informative
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Death, and Blood
carroq's review against another edition
5.0
Xoc was included in the August 2016 Comic Bento box. It fit the theme really well with a shark as the main character. The book follows Xoc on her journey beginning off the coast of California to her destination about 2,000 miles away. There are some very educational moments sprinkled throughout the book, even though they aren't called out as such.
The art is just beautiful and the colors bring everything to life. There are a few different interactions between Xoc and humans, though a couple are indirect. These can be sort of horrifying when you realize the impact we are having on the oceans.
There is a lot more going on here than I would have expected at first. It is worth picking up for the art alone.
The art is just beautiful and the colors bring everything to life. There are a few different interactions between Xoc and humans, though a couple are indirect. These can be sort of horrifying when you realize the impact we are having on the oceans.
There is a lot more going on here than I would have expected at first. It is worth picking up for the art alone.
olso4646's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
lmurray74's review against another edition
4.0
Xoc (pronounced "shock") is a Mayan word for demon fish and it may be the origin of the word shark. This story relates the journey of a great white shark as it travels from the Farallon Islands to Hawaii. A sea turtle accompanies Xoc for a large part of the trek. Matt Dembicki addresses many environmental hazards to sharks and other marine life, such as plastic bags seen as jellyfish, eaten by sea turtles, and shark finning.
I would use the book in parts with elementary age children but I think it would be best used as a book to read freely. I can imagine children would enjoy reading this book with a friend, discussing what is happening and what emotions come up. Young children often love reading about sharks and while some of the pictures might appear scary, I think children can decide that for themselves.
I would use the book in parts with elementary age children but I think it would be best used as a book to read freely. I can imagine children would enjoy reading this book with a friend, discussing what is happening and what emotions come up. Young children often love reading about sharks and while some of the pictures might appear scary, I think children can decide that for themselves.
ceruleanjen's review
3.0
This is an ARC that I received from NetGalley. I would like the thank the author and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this. This review is my opinion and I was not compensated to write this.
First off, I love sharks. Not shark attacks, but just sharks. They are fascinating creatures. Xoc is a graphic novel that is from a shark's (Xoc) point-of-view for the most part. There are also seals, turtles, and other sea life.
***The below may contain some spoilers. Read at your own risk***
There isn't much of a storyline besides Xoc swimming around the ocean and later having a maimed sea turtle join her temporarily on her journey. While on their journey, they become witness to many things that happen in the ocean. Xoc encounters seals, humans, boats, pollution, other predators and prey, and shark-hunting.
This book is very informative, but at the same time it's also entertaining. The shark, turtle, and seals sometimes "talk" about what's going on. I found the relationship between the shark and the turtle to be amusing. The book helps readers to not only understand sharks and their prey but other important subjects such as pollution and shark-hunting. Which I'm not against shark hunting as a whole, but I do think that sharks are being over-fished. The graphics for this was disturbing to me.
Overall, the graphics are a bit bloody but this is a book about the ocean and with a shark as the main character, so this is to be expected. The graphics are very nice and realistically portrayed. The artist/author did a great job with the pictures. I believe kids and shark lovers will enjoy this one.
3 stars = I liked it.
First off, I love sharks. Not shark attacks, but just sharks. They are fascinating creatures. Xoc is a graphic novel that is from a shark's (Xoc) point-of-view for the most part. There are also seals, turtles, and other sea life.
***The below may contain some spoilers. Read at your own risk***
There isn't much of a storyline besides Xoc swimming around the ocean and later having a maimed sea turtle join her temporarily on her journey. While on their journey, they become witness to many things that happen in the ocean. Xoc encounters seals, humans, boats, pollution, other predators and prey, and shark-hunting.
This book is very informative, but at the same time it's also entertaining. The shark, turtle, and seals sometimes "talk" about what's going on. I found the relationship between the shark and the turtle to be amusing. The book helps readers to not only understand sharks and their prey but other important subjects such as pollution and shark-hunting. Which I'm not against shark hunting as a whole, but I do think that sharks are being over-fished. The graphics for this was disturbing to me.
Overall, the graphics are a bit bloody but this is a book about the ocean and with a shark as the main character, so this is to be expected. The graphics are very nice and realistically portrayed. The artist/author did a great job with the pictures. I believe kids and shark lovers will enjoy this one.
3 stars = I liked it.
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