At first glance at Nightschool by Svetlana Chmakova, I was intrigued by the author’s name, since most manga still comes out of Japan. (The issue of “Is it still manga if it’s not Japanese?” is for another post.) My kids and I opened Volume 1 of the series by Yen Press and were immediately impressed.
Svetlana is one of those rare people in the comic world that can create a compelling storyline, distinct characters, engaging dialogue, and fantastic artwork. Her illustrations have been my favorite style of manga since Bleach by Tito Kube. She blends the best of Eastern and Western graphic storytelling. My son Luke thinks Tito does action sequences better, but I find her lines easier to follow. I don’t know if it’s because I started reading comics as an adult, but I’m often confused as to what is going on and where my eyes should go next. With Nightschool I was never confused. Both my kids draw their own comics and my daughterfell in love with Svetlana’s work, quickly copying and learning from it.
The storyline involves a young girl named Alexius who lives with her older sister Sarah. Alex is a weirn- a type of witch with an astral that she can use for power. The astral is like her shadow and pet rolled into one. It is one of our favorite characters. Alex is homeschooled, but her sister works as Keeper at the local Nightschool- a place for supernatural kids to learn and control their powers. The school is actually a regular human school during the day, but transforms into the magical academy for weirns, werewolves, vampires and the like at night. We were disappointed to see that the homeschooling aspect was a negative in this book. Sarah wants Alex to go to Nightschool, but there is some problem that is not explained (yet) that keeps her from interacting with other kids.
Many richly drawn characters emerge quickly, painting a complex world of magic with different sides that are not exactly good or evil: the gang in school led by the charismatic Ronee, the teachers at the school- especially the attractive Mr. Roi, and then all the Hunters- a group of kids and their leaders that are against supernatural creatures. The dramatic scenes, fight sequences, and (light) horror are balanced by the many comedic moments. We enjoyed Svetlana’s chibi gags. To be honest, I was more enthralled by the pictures than the plot until the very end of that first volume. There’s a curve ball that made me realize this was no simple storyline. I eagerly awaited the next books along with my kids to find out what happened next.
The final book in this series (there are four) recently came out and the kids and I took it home from the library bouncing with excitement. My daughter claimed it first, but I sent her to bed right on time so I could read it myself. Luckily, with graphic novels, they don’t take long to read. They are meant to be looked at many times to truly catch the nuances. It’s an art form I am still learning about. My son was able to get his hands on it later the second day. Then I went out and purchased the series so we could all reread it.
I felt the ending came too soon; the world is too full, the characters just barely showing who they are. And I’m happy to read that Svetlana will be starting a new plot line. My clan gives Nightschool three big thumbs up!
