My Soul Mate

Two aspiring manhua artists in Hong Kong—one a comics assistant, the other a recently deceased ghost—form an unusual partnership in Kee’s fanciful meta graphic novel. Hoping to one day publish his own comic, young introvert Cheung Shan has worked for the past two years honing his skills as a comics assistant. Meanwhile, adult former comics assistant Chung Chuen Ming has toiled day and night over the past six months to finish his own comic project. When Ming dies, seemingly of a heart attack, 40 pages away from his goal, he restlessly wanders the streets as a ghost until he encounters Shan hard at work. After Ming inadvertently possesses Shan, the artists come to an agreement: Shan will allow Ming to use his body to complete his comic, and Ming will help Shan prove himself to his supervisors to progress in his career. Conventional paneling conveys beat-by-beat depictions of the comics-making process in a tale that doubles as a primer to and celebration of the art. Though stiff dialogue leads to somewhat halting pacing, stunningly realistic grayscale artwork—which occasionally veers toward the fantastic as the protagonists develop projects featuring zombies and other supernatural fare—results in a visually varied exploration of artistic passion. Ages 10–up. (Jan.)