I love that these stories of immigration are being told more and more often these days. People need them. I really enjoyed this story and the illustrations.

It’s so important for these stories to be told. This comic was great , the illustrations were amazing and there was a powerful message. So many kids go through this and it showed the struggles.

The coloring of this book with shades of green at times? Beautiful. I admit that I did find myself wishing I could see Jessica Cruz’s use of the Green Lantern superpowers, but she didn’t need superpowers to be powerful. This is a really great realistic fiction novel that you can also hand to superhero fans.

This graphic novel was a hard and easy read at once. The writing was amazing. I was taught to read with comics, DC specifically and I've seen some good and bad writing.

This was great.

If you don't know the story of Green Lantern Jessica Cruz, for a lot of reasons I won't get into here, she suffers from severe, world shattering fear. It is her biggest hurdle.

Green Lanterns are about willpower. You can see how overcoming that fear is integral to her character.

Take all that and set it in modern America. Where xenophobia is everywhere and it's a perfect fit for the character.

It was a hard read because it's prescient.

Jessica Cruz is a DACA recipient who has to make the choice to renew or convince her undocumented parents to go home because the hate surrounding them is too much.

And after a federal ruling July 16th, the day I finished this graphic novel, it makes it even more of the times.

Jessica has the weight of her family on her shoulders. Renew. Get good grades. Go to college. Good job. Clean the house. Cook dinner. Somehow have time to sleep.

She has a small friend circle and works at a museum with an amazing Aztec Gods section and her coworker? None other than John Stewart.

Seeing my two favorite Green Lanterns interact as teenagers made my heart so happy. The moments the two of them are together allow Jessica a reprieve from the stress of her life and he has a first hand appreciation of a lot of what she's going through.

Plus they're cute together. I ship it.

As if all of that wasn't enough, there's a mayoral candidate running on a very anti-immigration campaign and her racism and xenophobia aren't hidden at all.

Jessica sees someone get arrested by ICE while she's on the bus headed home. It amps up her fear an anxiety to new levels. And then her father is taken and it's hell.

She starts having dreams about the Aztec Gods and I won't spoil any of that.

I will say, this graphic novel was amazing. We see Jessica overcome her fear. That's not to say that her fear is gone, that's impossible. But she's got a better handle on what to do to help herself and her community. Even her friends join in and it's the support system she needs.

Now for the art.

At first I found it a little unnerving. Everyone has black eyes and it kind of freaked me out. By the end though it had grown on me and I found myself actually liking it by the end of the story.

I actually can't picture this with any other style of art.

The artist was so skilled at drawing emotion. It was so raw and real, I really loved that.

So, all in all? 5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and DC entertainment for this ARC.

I'm a big comics fan, but not a big DC fan, so I'm not very familiar with the green lantern character or the magic of that superhero story... but the good news is you don't have to be to enjoy Unearthed! This origin story has a lot to appreciate, including the illustration style, Aztec gods!, Jessica's struggles with DACA and immigration status, and characters that are flawed but who you root for.

I felt like the story was a little bit choppy, and worked toward a resolution too quickly -- a tradeoff that happens frequently in graphic novels when you're trying to avoid having too much text. I loved Never Look Back, Rivera's Latinx Orpheus and Euridice retelling, and I think that anyone who has read that will love the mythology and culturally specific Latinx storytelling that is beautifully baked into this graphic novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for an early review copy, all opinions are my own.

Thankyou to NetGalley for the ARC!
This is an amazing comic with beautiful illustrations representing Latinx communities.
Following Jessica Cruz, a dedicated student who is part of DACA, which allows her to go to school and live in the U.S.
As an only child, she has so much pressure to excel in school, priorities like cooking, cleaning and doing laundry. But what she really fears is her parents being deported and she often wonders if it’ll just be easy to go back to her hometown.

Jessica is also visited by visions of Aztec Gods, one pulling her toward hope, while the other towards anger.

This was very emotional and it showed a great representation of what many Latinx go through living in the United States.
A fast paced comic that everyone needs to read!

Unearthed is not only a story of an everyday teenager doing her best with friends that love her, it’s also a story of immigration and how Jessica will question her role in a sometimes unforgiving and harsh world while trying to keep her family together.

I love how these YA DC books can reimagine the origin story of your favorite superhero or introduce a character to a new reader, while also talking about very important and relevant topics. This one definitely has a powerful message and hopefully will resonate with readers. The art style was really unique and I think it suited the story well. I would like to have a sequel and really see Jessica come into her own.

To be posted on the day of release:

First, I found much to enjoy in the unique visual style in Unearthed: A Jessica Cruz Story. While the book features many of the grammatical elements of a comic book/graphic novel, the art has a slightly different effect. The lines blur and boundaries cross, even in this element of the book.

Beyond this, the story itself was engaging and well done. From a popular character in the Green Lantern mythology, the reader is given a story with resonance and truth for today's world, with particular appeal for young readers facing or wrestling with very human and important ideas (in this case, immigration is a primary part of the work). The use of language is a beautiful aspect of the book, as well.

There's so much possibility here for young readers to take home, and even for reading teachers and social studies teachers to bring into classrooms for a fresh take on relevant topics. Gratitude to DC Comics and Netgalley for the advance reader copy, in exchange for an honest review.

From author Lillian Rivera, whose love of DC comics and desire for Latinx representation make her a pitch-perfect choice, and illustrator Steph C. comes a beautifully illustrated graphic novel origin story from DC that mixes the timely concerns of a DACA student (racism, I.C.E., and all the other trappings) with splashes of Aztec myth mixed in. Jessica Cruz is a model citizen. She gets good grades, volunteers at the museum, and takes care of her family, who are undocumented immigrants – until her worst nightmare comes true. The illustrations are so different from the usual DC comic style, but they are flowing and gorgeous. The story is quick but packs a ton of emotion, whether this is a topic you’re passionate about or you didn’t know about the struggles minorities face in the United States. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys the medium of graphic novels, as it has a little something for everyone.