Tin Man

March 15, 2022
A melancholy tin woodsman and a troubled teenager help each other through bad patches in this debut graphic novel. Expanding on a self-published comic released in 2017, Madson connects Solar, who has abandoned both engineering college plans and the spacecraft she was helping her little brother, Fenn, build in the garage to hang out with sociopathic boyfriend Merrick, and funnel-topped Campbell. Campbell is struggling to understand what feelings are all about ever since he left the Tin Forest to get his clockwork heart. Adolescent readers confronting life-altering changes and decisions of their own will have no trouble identifying with Solar and Campbell, who, even when surrounded by others, look lonely and introspective in the precisely drawn, palely hued art. Initially drawn together by their fondness for Fenn, whose hurt and sense of being betrayed by his once-idolized sister haven't stopped him from working enthusiastically on the rocket, the two become fast friends united by a mutual loss of certainty about what life has to offer them. But along with including among his various borrowings from the Wizard of Oz books a massive climatic whirlwind for drama, the author casts sneering, violent Merrick as such a thoroughly rotten apple that Solar's eventual breakaway comes as an easy choice that points the way (Oz-like) to a tidy, happy ending. Nearly all the lanky human figures in the atmospherically wintry settings read as White. There's plenty of heart, and not just the mechanical kind, in this spare, sensitive friendship tale. (Graphic fantasy. 12-15)

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June 3, 2022

Gr 8 Up-If it wasn't for the parallels to The Wizard of Oz, this work would seem like a very strange story indeed. Fenn and Solar are siblings who used to be close-knit, but the passing of their grandma left Solar turning away from her goal of becoming an aerospace engineer and gravitating instead to a group of local good-for-nothing teens. Fenn, who longs to be a space explorer, misses their time spent working on the rocketship in their garage together and having a sister who would pay attention to him. They reside in Old Zarrow (Oz for short, of course) and Tin People live outside of their town in the Tin Forest. Fenn meets a Tin Man named Campbell in a local junkyard, and they strike up an unlikely friendship. Campbell longed to have a heart, but his mechanical heart was broken by a girl named Dottie. Campbell finds comfort in his new friendship with Fenn and also discovers that he has lots in common with Solar. Fenn and Solar must find their way back to one another and learn to work through their grief for their grandmother while still chasing their dreams. Madson's art is consistent, and his characters are especially relatable. References to L. Frank Baum's books can be found tucked into the background, such as the residents of run-down Oz worrying about tornadoes in the forecast. VERDICT An oddly compelling twist on The Wizard of Oz with a heavy dose of sibling drama. Good for larger graphic novel collections.-Gretchen Hardin

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2022
This Wonderful Wizard of Oz-inspired graphic novel creatively explores growing up, loneliness, and loss. Fenn, a boy obsessed with space, finds and brings home the titular Tin Man, whose name is Campbell, after scavenging the local junkyard for scrap metal. The unusual pair becomes friends, but that relationship is overshadowed by the behavior of Fenn's teen sister, Solar. Formerly studious, Solar has started cutting school and hanging out with a band of slackers, including her possessive boyfriend, Merrick. The bright, angular illustrations emphasize the isolation and yearning felt by the three protagonists as they weather small-town life (which is pretty gloomy, despite several Oz references). Madson creates a rich backstory for Campbell, explaining why he wants a mechanical heart and the circumstances around his decades-long junkyard abandonment. Likewise, readers come to understand Solar's rebellious behavior, which is rooted in her desire to figure out who she really is in the wake of her beloved grandmother's death. Everything comes to a head with the obligatory tornado; what will resonate with readers most is the story's emotional arc. Michelle Lee

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2022
This Wonderful Wizard of Oz-inspired graphic novel creatively explores growing up, loneliness, and loss. Fenn, a boy obsessed with space, finds and brings home the titular Tin Man, whose name is Campbell, after scavenging the local junkyard for scrap metal. The unusual pair becomes friends, but that relationship is overshadowed by the behavior of Fenn's teen sister, Solar. Formerly studious, Solar has started cutting school and hanging out with a band of slackers, including her possessive boyfriend, Merrick. The bright, angular illustrations emphasize the isolation and yearning felt by the three protagonists as they weather small-town life (which is pretty gloomy, despite several Oz references). Madson creates a rich backstory for Campbell, explaining why he wants a mechanical heart and the circumstances around his decades-long junkyard abandonment. Likewise, readers come to understand Solar's rebellious behavior, which is rooted in her desire to figure out who she really is in the wake of her beloved grandmother's death. Everything comes to a head with the obligatory tornado; what will resonate with readers most is the story's emotional arc.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)