Starred Review ALA Booklist (Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

Starred Review After Mug and Wiz defeated the basketball-playing mummy and collected his loot in Fantasy Sports, v.1 (2015), they find themselves unceremoniously plopped in the middle of the ocean. Luckily, there's an island city nearby, Barbel Bay, but the residents are wary of mages, so the unlikely pair try to keep a low profile. Huge sacks of treasure are tough to hide, however, and it's not long before someone steals their swag, and the only way for the mages to get it back is a high-stakes game of beach volleyball. Bosma's dynamic, manga-style artwork is as action-packed and beautifully colored as ever, and he makes great use of perspective and composition to impart personality to his characters, from Bunyanesque Mug, whose size seems to increase with his temper, to lithe Wiz, who lankily flits through each graceful action scene. If that weren't enough, Bosma includes some intriguing hints about Wiz's origin and the function of the Order of Mages: the citizens of Barbel Bay have good reason to distrust wizards, and Wiz starts to feel some cracks in her loyalty. That additional depth, and the promise of more to come, makes this sequel shine even brighter than the already shiny series opener. A standout among youth graphic novels that earns its ample, varied appeal.

Kirkus Reviews

Just as its predecessor, Fantasy Sports, Vol. 1, did, this manga-inspired volume features Wiz-Kid, a brown-skinned young female wizard apprentice, and Mug, a barbarous tomb raider.When Mug and Wiz are thrown off route on their way to the Archmage and land in a ramshackle town populated by what look like walking fish, Mug's injured, and Wiz hasn't enough magic to take them to their destination. Soon after meeting a cunning healer who tells them it was mages who ruined Barbel Bay, their bags of treasure are stolen. Conjuring the minimal magic to which she has access, Wiz produces a spell to find the treasure. Following it, the pair navigates seemingly abandoned streets until they reach the shore, where everyone has gathered for a volleyball tournament—at which their treasure has been added to the prize. In the process of their saga, Wiz starts to question their missions. What truly does the Order of Mages mean to do with all the treasure? Why are they raiding cities and leaving them ruined? Bosma could have simply mirrored Wiz's first, successful outing, but instead he introduces Wiz's back story, moral complexity, and mystery and leaves the ending unresolved, making this second volume more substantial than the first. Bosma's anime panels are polished, with movement and the right amount of intricate action-adventure frames.Fans will be breathing down Bosma's neck for the third. (Graphic fantasy. 12-18)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Bosma-s good-hearted and beautifully drawn sequel once again mixes high fantasy and sports drama as Wiz and her hot-tempered partner, Mug, dropped in a decrepit beach town when their travel spell goes awry. For the first time, Wiz sees the terrible consequences in a community whose champion has been defeated by one of her fellow mages. When the treasure that the pair is transporting is stolen, Wiz and Mug must compete in a high-stakes game of volleyball to win it back. The energy and pace of the game is perfectly captured by Bosma-s effortless line work, with quick diagonal panels and speed lines that reference classic sports manga. Bosma is one of the artists on the enormously popular Cartoon Network series Steven Universe, and this book shares the show-s vivid colors and humorous loose-limbed action. It also carries a similar message of the power of unity and friendship in the face of anger and miscommunication. (July)

School Library Journal (Fri Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

Gr 5-7 This installment picks up right where the predecessor left off: mages Wiz-Kid and Mug are headed home with the spoils from their basketball victory. The dynamic duo's route takes them through Barbel Bay, a seaside town recently visitedand ransacked bythe Order of Mages. Wiz and Mug attempt to blend in as locals for a night, but they are tricked by a thieving cleric. Their treasure is stolen and, it turns out, used as ante for Barbel Bay's volleyball tournament. Wiz and Mug once again take to the sports arena, this time to earn back what's rightfully theirs. The pair quickly learn the rules of volleyball and crush the opposition, but when Barbel Bay's own champions enter the fray, Wiz and Mug's best efforts might not be enough to see them through. While the first volume of "Fantasy Sports" centered on the dynamic between the main characters, this follow-up explores the heroes' world. What is the Order of Mages? How was Wiz adopted into the profession? And, most important, why would a town openly disdain the Order? Bosma's artwork consistently succeeds with its acclaimed early-1990s anime aesthetic, and the modern absurdist-style comedy remains spot-on. The artwork is further embellished by a vivid blue tone to Barbel Bay, in contrast to the red hue of the first volume. This entry does require readers to be familiar with Wiz and Mug's characterizations and offers little in the way of an introduction for new readers. VERDICT A must-buy for any library with the first volume on the shelf, and a solid additional purchase for any library looking to build a graphic novel section. Matisse Mozer, Santa Monica Public Library, CA