Graphic Novel reviews R

RAPUNZEL'S REVENGE - Shannon & Dean Hale [Bloomsbury]
A blend of fractured fairy tales and Old Wild West Action, with a modern take on the damsel who can take care of herself.  Rapunzel rescues herself and teams up with Jack (of giant-slaying, golden goose fame) to rid the land of its evil ruler, her adopted mother.  Colorful art, crazy situations, witty fantasy, and a social conscience all blended together.  Very well done and fun. [4]

Rat Catcher - Andy Diggle
A FBI agent is left for dead in a safe house where the rat and his guards are killed.  It's the infamous Rat Catcher, a snitch assassin, at work.  The agent is out for revenge, but finds no one's loyalty is unquestioned, even on his own side.  Solid noir work, but nothing extraordinary.  Library.  [3.5]

Rawhide Kid: Slap Leather

Some people found this to be an offensive portrayal of gay people.  I can see that, because the Kid's excessive camping and swishing around is over the top, but I thought it was all in good fun and in service of the humor.  Besides, the Kid kicks ass!  [4]

Reckless - Ed Brubaker

Relish: My Life in the Kitchen - Lucy Knisley  [First Second]
A memoir of an eating life, by the cartoonist daughter of divorced foodies.  A lifetime of eating: street food in Mexico as a kid with her pornography-loving boy chum; baked goods in Italy that result in an obsession to recreate the perfect croissant; mushrooms fried crisp in olive oil with butter; the perfect chocolate chip cookies.  It's a loving, beautifully told story, with recipes.  [4.5]
  
Resistance (3 volumes) - Carla Jablonski  [First Second]
A family from a village in Free France, 1942, gets involved in the Resistance.  Tensions run high and no one is sure who to trust and some of them do things they don't want to.  The first volume is a bit trite.  They are ecumenically blind to anti-Semitism and even the little girl's ideas are given weight, which seems unlikely.  The art is rather crude.  Well-intentioned but bland.  The second volume adds a bit more spice, and the third has real emotional feeling.  Library. [3.5]

Roller Girl - Victoria Jamieson  [Penguin]
A young girl is mesmerized by the roller girls and joins a junior league.  But she really isn't very good at it, and her lifelong best friend has other interests, including boys.  As she struggles with finding an identity and making friends, she risks losing her mother's support.  At turns cheerful, silly, and poignant, this is a commendably subtle coming of age story and tale of determination in the face of adversity.  Some of the drawing is amateurish but the writing is very sharp.  [4.5]