I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Tin Man by Justin Madson Published by Abrams on April 19, 2022
Genres: Comics & Graphic Novels / General, Young Adult Fiction / Comics & Graphic Novels / Coming of Age
Pages: 224
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Netgalley
A YA graphic novel about unlikely friends—a tin man seeking a heart and a high schooler trying to come to terms with the death of her grandmother
In Justin Madson’s debut graphic novel, Tin Man, a girl and her brother befriend the titular Tin Man with unexpected results. Solar is in her last year of high school and is reeling from the recent death of her grandmother. She has abandoned her plans for the future and fallen in with a bad crowd. Her little brother, Fenn, doesn't understand why she's changed—she doesn't even want to help him build their rocket in the garage anymore. Campbell is a tin woodsman—a clunky metal man whose sole purpose in life is to chop down trees. He longs for more, however, and decides to seek out a heart, believing that, with one, he will be able to feel things he has never felt before and, therefore, change his life.
Equal parts The Iron Giant, The Wizard of Oz, Edward Scissorhands, and Freaks and Geeks, Tin Man is a story about finding friendship in the unlikeliest of places.
It’s a retelling of the Wizard of Oz with special emphasis placed on the Tin Man, which I think is very nice. I didn’t feel super attached to any of the characters, though, and I really did not enjoy the art style (which I assume is personal preference and not anything to do with the actual art style). Regrettably, I’m going to give this three stars and recommend that you just flip through this in a bookstore to see if it grabs you.
Tin men live in glass clock towers