Cleopatra in space

Instead of looking forward to her rule, Cleopatra yes, that Cleopatra prefers to skip her algebra lessons in favor of playing with slingshots. Plans to celebrate her fifteenth birthday are put on hold when she is transported to a future complete with ray guns, an adorable council of talking cats, and a dictator who has wiped out all the galaxy's electronic knowledge and kept it for himself. The good news? Cleopatra is the savior who will restore order to the Nile galaxy. The bad news? There's no way home. And she still has to take algebra. Cleo's mentor, a historian cat, is one of the best sidekicks around, and the imaginative content (example: an interplanetary space bike in the shape of a sphinx) and flow of Maihack's panels is a delight, with its exciting layout of a futuristic Egypt complete with cool pyramid skyscrapers. The origin narrative slows some of the action, but readers will still eagerly anticipate book two of this promising series.--Jones, Courtney Copyright 2014 Booklist

Gr 3-5-The spunky Egyptian princess escapes her tutor and is transported to Mayet, a planet in the future. There, the 15-year-old learns that evil dictator Xaius Octavian is conquering neighboring civilizations. She discovers a Mayet prophesy about a hero who will defeat this evil and is astonished to learn the she is the foretold liberator. "Lightyears from home, millennia in the future, and. savior of the planet," she bemoans as she is sent to Mayet school for further education and training. Cleo is a troublemaker who skips school and performs poorly in academic subjects. However, the royal immediately takes to ray gun practice with the same zeal she anciently had for a slingshot. Her sharpshooting skills astound the student body. After four months of training, planet leaders evaluate her progress and determine that she is rash, lacks discipline, and needs two more years of preparation. But time is running out. Under the guise of a school assignment, she is sent on a dangerous mission to retrieve an important key. Plenty of action ensues as this Teflon-like heroine, seemingly oblivious to peril, fearlessly attempts to complete the task. This high-adventure fantasy, complete with a talking cat in the sidecar of a flying sphinx, is chock-full of action and attitude. Charming characters with expressive faces and disproportionately large heads seem younger than their 15 years. Although the opening time shifts are confusing, young readers will soon be caught up in the escapist fun.-Barbara M. Moon, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

After first toying with his Cleopatra in Space premise in a webcomic, Maihack now showcases his sassy heroine in a debut sci-fi graphic novel. Yanked from first-century B.C. Egypt to the Nile galaxy thousands of years in the future, Cleopatra -- or Cleo, as she prefers to be called -- is hailed as a messiah, destined to crush the evil Xerx. Quick with a quip (and, as it turns out, a ray gun), the fifteen-year-old moans, "Supposed savior...And I still have to go to school?!" Cleo -- sporting a cute bob and a cobra headband (think Elizabeth Taylor in the 1963 film) -- seems ready to doze off in algebra. Later, she trounces her entire class in a sparring match and wisecracks: "If 'x' equals Cleo -- then 'y' equals defeated combat-training class...Who needs algebra?" Maihack's time-warped Egypt is portrayed in crisp line art, muted jewel tones, and striking perspectives to create riveting panels featuring futuristic pyramids and a flying-sphinx motorbike (complete with a sidecar for Cleo's mentor, a talking cat named Khensu). After Cleo single-handedly vanquishes mummy robots and tosses out another one-liner: "Let's wrap this up," readers will be clamoring for more of Maihack's dynamic illustrations, campy humor -- and, of course, more Cleo. tanya d. auger (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

This Cleopatra wasn't born to rule over Egyptshe has a galaxy to save! Fifteen-year-old Cleo is playing hooky from her algebra lessons when she stumbles across a mysterious tablet that takes her on a one-way trip to the future. Upon her arrival, she learns that it's her destiny to defeat the evil aliens who have conquered half of the Nile galaxy. Cleo is remarkably nonchalant about her change in circumstances, though she grumbles about enrolling in Yasiro Academy. "Light years from my home planet, millennia in the future, and a supposed savior of the galaxy / and I still have to go to school?!" At least the curriculum includes target practice, where her old slingshot skills prove to be transferable. Cleo's easygoing confidence makes her a likable, if not especially complex, heroine, but the real star of the graphic novel is Maihack's art. The cinematic paneling during action sequences skillfully conveys Cleo's vivacity and flair. Moreover, Cleo's novel surroundingswhich include talking cats, ray guns and even a flying sphinxfeel fresh and immediate to readers thanks to Maihack's character designs and backgrounds, which manage to be winsome without being cloying. Offer this winning adventure to young fans of Ben Hatke's Zita the Spacegirl (2011). (Graphic science fiction. 9-12)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.