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

The conflict between man and machine gets a graphic novel examination in this YA adventure by painter/designer/cartoonist d'Errico. Burn is just a fun-loving, normal kid before he's caught up in a rebellion by giant robots created to serve humans, who slaughter his family and most of his friends. When Burn is injured and a mecha named Shoftiel is damaged in a fight, Shoftiel uses parts from both to create a surviving hybrid whose variant parts battle for control. This conflict is portrayed in a mental limbo where Burn and Shoftiel argue the merits of each side. Meanwhile in the real world, Burn encounters Aeya, the young daughter of Dr. Carnegie, creator of the mechas, and Kali, a tough-talking Han Soloesque female biker fleeing the battle. D'Errico's b&w art excels at strong character design and well-staged set pieces, carrying the somewhat formulaic characters, who will be no novelty to readers familiar with Astro Boy, Akira or the Matrix. Still, by spreading these influences over a wide area, """"Burn"""" emerges as a fast-paced tale that leaves lots of room for further adventures. Strong language and a few grisly images make this suitable for older readers. Ages 12up. """"(Oct.)"""" .

School Library Journal (Sun Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

Gr 9 Up-Artificial intelligences declare war on humans after finding them inefficient and unfit to use robots as labor. After one killing machine uses Burn, a half-dead boy, to partially rebuild itself, the gestalt cyborg organism is also targeted for robotic destruction while simultaneously mistrusted by the human survivors. Burn presents readers with a series of choppy, inchoate scenes rendered in a loose pencil style that increasingly undermines the robotic designs and any tactile solidity of the illustrations. But more unfortunate than the incongruous look of the work is the utter lack of any recognizable human action, interaction, or dialogue. The characters dont ever act in a believable manner, making the already-difficult scenarios more unrealistic and impossible to connect with on an intellectual or emotional level. Its disappointing that these classic science-fiction ideas have been given such short shrift in execution. Benjamin Russell, Belmont High School, NH

Voice of Youth Advocates

On a desert world where robots are a part of everyday life, Burn is an everyday tween until Cerebus, the robotic ôsonö of Dr. Anders Carnegie, decides humans are a disease that needs to be cured. Although Dr. Carnegie tries to talk him out of it, Cerebus sends his robotic minions Puriel and Shoftiel out to slaughter humanity. Shoftiel is nearly destroyed by soldiers while crushing a village, and his self-repairing tendrils find the spare parts for a fix in the still living remains of Burn. The resulting cyborg still tries to follow CerebusÆs orders while Burn and Shoftiel are in continuous conflict. With the help of Kali and her speeder-biker teen sidekicks, Burn battles Puriel and others to protect Dr. CarnegieÆs young daughter Aeya. Canadian artist and comics/manga creator dÆErrico collects the first six issues (all there are so far) of her kinda-mecha-manga, which plays out as a nice meditation on man versus machine for the younger set. There are several places where following the rules of the format causes a character to answer a question before it is asked or comment on something that has not yet happened, but it is not pervasive. The mix of ink and scratchy pencil in the black-and-white panels give this book a distinctive, if slightly unfinished, look. It is a good choice for tweens who like a little brainwork with their battles.ùTimothy Capehart.