By Zack Quaintance — It’s been an interesting few years for the graphic novel landscape. Publishers not traditionally prolific within the medium have launched lines of graphic books, presumably inspired by the vast sales numbers of juggernaut creators Raina Telgemeier and Dav Pilkey. I make that assumption because these publishers are rolling out rich and varied lines of youth-skewing stories (even if the actual audience for the books is perhaps more complex…which we’ll get into later).

Chief among these publishers and lines is Random House Graphic, which put out 23 books this year as part of what one might describe as a first wave. Given the excited critical reaction to these works, one might presume that in 2021 that number will end up being higher. That’s all great, but as an adult reader, there was something that came late in the year that made it much more exciting for me — the release of The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen.

The Magic Fish is somewhat clearly marketed to a teen or YA reader, featuring as it does a set of teen protagonist and a colorful cover and marketing tact. In its pages, readers will find a complex and emotional tale, which in summary is about a young boy who is the son of Vietnamese immigrants. He wants to come out to his parents, but does not know the words in the language to do so. It’s incredibly poignant and emotional, and Nguyen uses a vast and towering amount of narrative and visual talent to tell the story by weaving in a series of slightly-tweaked fairy tales that speak to the events in the current day.

The artwork in this story is gorgeous, capably bouncing from grounded teen sittings in the modern day to timeless kingdoms. From stories of a group of friends at school figuring out the intense feelings among them, to the story of a princess susceptible to magic and flirting in grand settings with a dashing prince. The story itself bounces from the familiar to the fantastical, from the allegorical to the relatable and specific. It’s tremendous work, and I found the use of color to be particular inspired and impressive, up there with the neon-pastel stylings of A Map To The Sun, though a bit more understated.

While reading this book, I was engaged throughout, consuming the entire thing in one sitting, although I had not planned to. I was moved to tears by the cathartic ending of the book, which I won’t spoil other than to note there is a rewarding progression for the main character’s central challenge. I was also caught up with a familiar feeling while reading this story, one that I have felt often of late while reading books from publisher First Second, thinking specifically here of Tillie Walden’s books, or last years breakout hit title, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me, by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O'Connell.

The feeling is that while outwardly these books feel marketed toward teens or YA readers, these are very complex stories that can appeal to all ages. The Magic Fish is certainly that, and past that, it also seems to indicate that publishers like Random House are continuing to steadily and deliberately lay a track to connect the many many readers of books by Telgemeier and Pilkey to a burgeoning market of increasingly complex graphic novels that cater to similar sensibilities and — most importantly — tell great stories with high levels of craft. While reading The Magic Fish, I felt like a proud parent noticing their child is coming of age, growing into an interesting and capable adult.

That’s right — The Magic Fish is such a great story that it speaks to a wider trend in graphic novels at large: major publishers are preparing for the audience for YA comics to come of age, and that’s a very exciting trend indeed.

Graphic Novel Review: The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

The Magic Fish
Writer/Artist: Trung Le Nguyen
Publisher: Random House Graphic
Price: $16.99
Real life isn't a fairytale. But Tién still enjoys reading his favorite stories with his parents from the books he borrows from the local library. It's hard enough trying to communicate with your parents as a kid, but for Tién, he doesn't even have the right words because his parents are struggling with their English. Is there a Vietnamese word for what he's going through? Is there a way to tell them he's gay? A beautifully illustrated story by Trung Le Nguyen that follows a boy as he tries to navigate life through fairytales, an instant classic that shows us how we are all connected. Available in softcover and hardcover editions.
Release Date: October 14, 2020

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Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.