From the website:
Spunky, strong-willed, eleven-year-old Mirka Hirschberg isn’t interested in knitting lessons from her step-mother, or how-to-find-a-husband advice from her sister, or you-better-not warnings from her brother. There’s only one thing she does want: to fight dragons!
Granted, no dragons have been breathing fire around Hereville, the Orthodox Jewish community where Mirka lives, but that doesn’t stop the plucky girl from honing her skills. She fearlessly stands up to local bullies. She battles a very large, very menacing pig. And she boldly accepts a challenge from a mysterious witch, a challenge that could bring Mirka her heart’s desire: a dragon-slaying sword! All she has to do is find – and outwit – the giant troll who’s got it!
Not only do I suggest you check out this graphic novel (formerly a web comic), I implore you do so as quickly as possible. Don’t say to yourself “oh, I will come back and click the link tomorrow” . . . no no no! You will be missing out on the quirky and amusing adventures of the 11-year old, fantasy obsessed Mirka. She is a wonderful character who is headstrong, but not in a grating or annoying way, and she is quickly learning when she should choose her own battles.
Somehow she keeps finding herself in a battle with a pig, who seems more razorback and less piglet, and just so happens this pink nemesis can speak, and quite well, and doesn’t really have anything pleasant to say. Mirka’s battle with this pig is not only a lesson in being stubborn and bringing about results, but is wonderfully illustrated and is some of my favorite artwork found in the pages of the book.
The supporting characters of the book are very strong indeed, lending their own special brand of support (and obstacles) in Mirka’s quest to become a monster queller. Fruma, Mirka’s stepmother, is very enigmatic with her knowledge of witches and monsters, and make one wonder if maybe she was at one time very much like Mirka.
The writing is sharp and clever, while also educating the reader in some of the aspects of Jewish culture, often times in a very casual way, so maybe a kid doesn’t even know they are learning. GASP! And the author, Barry Deutsch, has a lively and unforgettable art style that will stick with the reader long after the book is over.
Barry has crafted a wonderful world for Mirka to romp and slash about in, and I for one, cannot wait to read more of her adventures . . .
And you can Pre-Order the book from these fine retailers here:
Amazon – Hereville
Indie Bound – Hereville
You can view the original web comic here :
http://www.hereville.com/webcomic/
The new graphic novel contains many new pages, story elements and redrawn segments not found in the web comic!
