Red Scare: A Graphic Novel
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
A page-turning sci-fi adventure set in 1953, featuring a clever girl who, against all odds, must outsmart bullies, the FBI, and alien invaders during the height of the communist Red Scare.
The New York Times Book Review calls Red Scare a “masterly graphic novel debut… tightly wrought, intense, unpredictable… breathtaking action sequences… pacing is remarkable… a virtuosic performance.”
"Red Scare is a brilliant, fast-paced adventure. Action, history, and a tiny bit of fantasy collide in eye-popping panels, loaded with heart." -- Max Brallier, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Kids on Earth series
Peggy is scared: She's struggling to recover from polio and needs crutches to walk, and she and her neighbors are worried about the rumors of Communist spies doing bad things. On top of all that, Peggy has a hard time at school, and gets taunted by her classmates. When she finds a mysterious artifact that gives her the ability to fly, she thinks it's the solution to all her problems. But if Peggy wants to keep it, she'll have to overcome bullies, outsmart FBI agents, and escape from some very strange spies!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in 1953, Walsh's debut is an action-packed, period-oriented thriller that follows student Peggy, who is recovering from polio and uses forearm crutches, as she finds a glowing red object that allows her to fly—and draws FBI interest. Alongside her family's struggle to make ends meet and the bullying that she endures at school, Peggy's white-presenting community obsessively fears communism's potential impact. Government emissaries pursue a purported Russian agent locally, and tensions rise when new kid Jess is outed as being the daughter of a communist. Walsh takes on complex themes, but a lack of nuanced characterization undercuts key scenes, as when Peggy's largely off-page veteran father, who lives with PTSD after losing two legs and an eye in the Korean War, defends Jess's father from a mob with a sudden monologue about the dangers of abandoning American principles—one that paints violence as inconsistent with U.S. history. The story nevertheless maintains a strong tempo throughout, mixing polished Tintin–style characterizations with a feel of classic comic noir to communicate the era's unease. Back matter provides further context about the time period, polio, and the artist's process. Ages 8–12.
