Karen Haber Reviews LaGuardia by Nnedi Okorafor, Adapted by Tana Ford & James Devlin

LaGuardia, Nnedi Okorafor, adapted by Tana Ford & James Devlin (Berger Books/Dark Horse 979-1-50671-075-4, $19.99, unpaginated, tp) July 2019. Cover by Tana Ford.

So many graphic novels, so little time before deadline: Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, and Lo­cus award-winning writer and screenwriter Nnedi Okorafor’s LaGuardia, adapted by Hugo Award nominees Tana Ford & James Devlin, features some of the most appealing aliens I’ve seen in a graphic novel.

The clever, politically astute story involves shapeshifting aliens who have landed in Nige­ria and the story’s protagonist, Future Nwafor Chukwuebuka, a spirited woman who is trying to smuggle one of her alien friends into New York City by way of the LaGuardia Interstellar and International Airport. Much more happens, of course, and quite a few different aliens get involved, but you’ll have to read this droll, hand­some graphic novel to find out.

The dynamic, expressive art by Tana Ford brings Okorafor’s engaging cast of characters and the world they inhabit to exhilirating life. Okorafor’s experience writing comics (Black Panther) pays off here in a story you really can’t put down, and Tana Ford paces her, step for step, with colorful, confident power. It’s timely and engaging, with excellent production values. This softcover full color volume has extra features including pages of Ford’s character sketches, endpages, and Okorafor’s afterword. It’s a hand­some graphic novel from Dark Horse’s Berger Books imprint. Don’t miss it.

This review and more like it in the February 2020 issue of Locus.

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