Bionic

November 1, 2020
Grades 10-12 On top of puberty, teenagers in Shadmi's Bionic must also get accustomed to cyborg prosthetics. In 2027, Victor Steiner is a nerdy, tech-obsessed teenager at Willoughby High who develops a crush on the pretty, popular Patricia Partzlaus. Though she initially dismisses him, Patricia and Victor become closer after a major car accident forces her to turn her body into a bionic triumph, an example of the success of her father's technology. Despite their new closeness, Patricia ignores Victor at school, though she still invites him on dangerous excursions, getting both of them in trouble. The pencil-shaded, hand-drawn style of the art contrasts well with the tech-focused story. Patricia's characterization is more focused on her sexual experience compared to Victor's, and her behavior seems more in line with Victor's fantasies than with her own agency. Still, this novel does a great job of delving into the difficulties of finding yourself as a teenager in extreme circumstances. Fans of Charles Burns' Black Hole (2005) will find a similarly engaging story of horrifying bodily changes that upend the teenage experience.

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