Review: Xoc: The Journey of A Great White by Matt Dembicki

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Explore the ocean's wonders through the eyes of a great white as it treks from the Farallon Islands off the coast of California to the warm waters of Hawaii some 2,300 miles away. Along its journey, the 17-foot shark encounters natural prey and predators-from skittish seals to brazen orcas- as well as man-made impediments that threaten not only the giant fish, but the balance of ocean's ecology.

MY TAKE:

Before reading this book, I was under the impression that it would be literally through the eyes of a great white, kinda like stepping into their skin. Well, it's not exactly like that.

The book is a look at the life of Xoc, a great white shark. The story is not just about Xoc, though, as we do get to see a little about what life is like for other sea creatures.

I'm not really a fan of the illustration style, which is more realistic than I prefer, but the style is good for action sequences. The coloring was beautiful too, especially for the deep-sea creatures.

The story line and the style is generally okay. I did, however, notice a line that was repeated in succeeding panels/pages, plus a couple of typos, incomplete sentences, and one wrong tense ("This time, the whale drives the disoriented shark deeper, hoping to drowned it."). This is understandable for an ARC, though, so hopefully, this will be fixed by the time the book goes to print.

Thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for providing me with an e-ARC. Publication of Xoc: The Journey of A Great White is on July 25, 2012.

THE GOOD:

1. Illustrations are able to evoke movement.
   
2. It's a great way to introduce kids to marine life or to get acquainted with life under the sea.
3. Realistic coloring.

THE BAD:

1. Font is a little bit hard to read.
2. There were a few typos.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

It is dawn. Light cracks the cold, dark waters of the Pacific.

READ IT IF:

1. You like sea creatures.
2. You would like to learn more about sea creatures, but don't want to read textbooks.
3. You're looking for a well-inked educational comic book.

RATING: