Season of the Roses

Wary’s gritty graphic novel debut follows Barb, a French teenage soccer player with a puff of orange hair and a hard-edged drive to win, as she and her teammates pursue the national championship. Meanwhile, the captain of the club’s men’s team, Bilal, pursues Barb. Barb likes him back, but soccer comes first, much to the dismay of her mother, who wishes she would focus on chores and school. Equally unsupportive is the club’s president, Chantal, who announces that due to budget constraints, only the men’s team will be sent to nationals. Barb, her teammates, and her coach, Esteban, are outraged. Her world-weary mom tells her that “fairness doesn’t matter... the boss gets the last word,” but the owner of the restaurant where the girls hang out inspires them to put up a fight. After the girls win an impromptu game against the boys, the teams agree on a rematch, after which the general assembly will vote on which team goes to nationals. Barb’s determination eventually wins over her mom, but this is not a feel-good sports story. Barb’s red-cheeked rage explodes across multiple panels drawn in precisely shaded fine tip markers. Wary populates the Technicolor Parisian suburban landscape with clipped slang, bright track jackets, and close-ups of the on-field action. This energetic tale offers a reminder that in an unjust world, all players must be fast on their feet. (Mar.)