Graphic Novel Review: Lillian Rivera’s Unearthed: A Jessica Cruz Story
The Details
Media Type: Ebook (ARC)
Title: Unearthed: A Jessica Cruz Story
Author: Lilliam Rivera
Illustrator: Steph C.
Publisher: DC Comics
Pages/Length: Paperback; 208
Release Date: September 14, 2021
Source: BHI/Publisher
I received a free copy early release copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
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Acclaimed author Lilliam Rivera and artist Steph C. reimagine one of DC’s greatest Green Lanterns, Jessica Cruz, to tell a story about immigration, family, and overcoming fear to inspire hope.
Jessica Cruz has done everything right. She’s a dedicated student, popular among her classmates, and has a loving family that has done everything they can to give her a better life in the United States. While Jessica is a part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, allowing her to go to school and live in the U.S., her parents are undocumented. Jessica usually worries for her parents, but her fears and anxiety escalate as a mayoral candidate with a strong anti-immigration stance runs for office.
As the xenophobia in Coast City increases, Jessica begins to debate whether it’s worth renewing her status to stay in the U.S., or if her family would be safer and better off moving back to Mexico. And despite her attempts to lean on her friends and family, she finds herself constantly visited by visions of Aztec gods, one pulling her towards hope and the other towards anger.
But when her father is detained by I.C.E., Jessica finds herself being pulled into an abyss of fear. With her father gone and feeling helpless, Jessica must find her way out of her fears and ultimately become a voice for her community.
The Artwork
How to describe Steph C.’s art style, and actually do it justice? This is the dilemma that I’ve been facing as I mulled over how to review this book. Her art style is unique, so very vibrant, and makes the most out of every single page. Jessica’s life is big and bright most times. The love she has for her friends, and her family, radiating off the page. In an instant though, Steph C. is able to take that same art style and show the immense fear that Jessica faces. It shows her anger and hopelessness in bold strokes that are hard to ignore. I loved absolutely everything about the way this graphic novel was illustrated. It was precisely what this story needed to really hit home.
The Review
Now that I’ve gushed over the artwork, which if you’d allow me I’d gush over even more, let me focus on the story. Unearthed: A Jessica Cruz Story is so impressive, that it’s hard to put into words. Where Jessica Cruz is normally a DC Universe character who is used to villains and violence, here she is up against something infinitely more frightening. She has to face every day as an undocumented citizen. Her family, even though they do it lovingly, puts pressure on her to be the one who achieves her dreams. Jessica has to balance all the things that every teenager faces, while also facing the very real fact that her parents could be ripped away from her at any moment. I originally thought that I would call this story a timely one, but the fact is that it’s actually a timeless one.
Although this isn’t exactly a superhero story (yet), there is definitely a villain in this story. The frontrunner for mayor is a woman who pushes xenophobia in Jessica’s home of Coast City. We’ve seen her rhetoric before, many a time. Constant calls to “clean up” the city. Crime stats thrown around, all targeted at a single group of people. ICE in the streets, and people carted off with no reason. This story pulls no punches, as it showcases the realities of being an undocumented immigrant in a world that works hard to keep them small and scared. Though Jessica is protected by her DACA status, she lives in constant fear for her community.
Oh, and what a vibrant community it is. I need to pause here and go back to talking about the illustrations for minute, because the way that Jessica’s neighborhood is portrayed is lovely. We see the cart vendors she passes daily, and knows by name. We see children playing games in the streets, and family parties full of loving embraces. We see neighbors who are more like family, taking care of one another whenever they can. As someone who grew up in a place just like this one, I felt the deep love that went into these panels. Sometimes a single neighborhood can feel a world apart from the larger city that it is in.
What really blew me away though, was the thread of Aztec history that spans this book. Jessica grew up hearing stories of the Gods. Her mother used their teachings as a way to impart lessons, and inspire hope. So when Jessica’s world starts to slowly crumble, and it feels like every one is against her, it is so fitting that the Gods would step in. The dichotomy between Chalchiuhtlicue and Tezcatlipoca is a perfect way to highlight the war going on inside our main character. Part of her wanting to protect herself by withdrawing in fear and anger, while the other part of her screams that something needs to be done to protect everyone. I can’t say too much else, or I’ll spoil things. Suffice it to say that this internal battle feels perfect in the context of what Jessica faces. That little nod to the mystical, and the magical, is just the icing on the cake.
I’ll end this review by simply saying that this is an extremely important graphic novel. What was most refreshing was just the fact that there is no sugarcoating of any kind here. Every scar, every hurt, is laid out on the page. I am genuinely impressed at this DC offering. It’s real, it’s poignant, and it provides the kind of hopeful message that I think we all need right now. Seriously, this isn’t a story you should miss out on.
