'False Guard' with story and art by Merwan is a graphic novel about a young man who wants to join an elite martial school in a different town.

A young man named Mane shows up in Irap to join the Pankat school there. He falls in with some shady characters, and learns that the leader of his fighting school has dangerous plans.

I did end up liking this but the art was kind of similar and I had a hard time telling characters apart. It got easier as the book went but took a while. There are also some pages with way too many panels on them to get the whole story in. The art is good and this graphic novel includes the author's character designs and a cover gallery.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Magnetic Press, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

Even when Merwan misses he is doing really interesting stuff with his art and stories. This one is an MMA fable, mediating (I think?) on art vs. commerce, sport vs. entertainment, selling out vs. changing society, team vs. the individual, students vs. teachers all in a vaguely medieval Arabic city state obsessed with fighting sports. The art was amazing but the plot didn't work for me entirely, because I just couldn't buy in to the protagonist being will to murder people and not asking for more details around what the heck was going on with the seemingly anarchist plot. Also, unlike his earlier post-apocalyptic dodgeball series, the fight scenes just weren't' dynamic or interesting for me. That said, it was a glorious failure to me and I'll read anything else of Merwan's I can get my hands on.

As a comics enthusiast, there was a lot in Merwan to enjoy. I think young readers who are captured by visuals would find this book highly engaging.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.

'False Guard' by Merwan is an engaging story revolving around Young Mane, a student engaged in the martial art of Pankat. Aiming to rise to the ranks of celebrity in these competitions, Young Mane faces off against foes as well as his own inner demons and pressure to join a life of crime. This is a story that is reminiscent of shonen manga novels (e.g. Naruto, My Hero Academia, Jujutsu Kaisen), with enriching and dynamic visuals to boot.

This is a highly-engaging, high-octane graphic novel that is packed with action, exciting fight scenes and is bursting with colour.

First off, the art is impressively detailed and colorful. A little too colorful at times, but I appreciated the colors because they were sometimes the only thing I could identify characters with. As dynamic and spectacularly detailed as all the action scenes are, that same dynamism is what makes it hard to follow the action. It all makes for visually impressive panels that make the story hard to follow.
The story itself is pretty straightforward. An outsider with dreams of joining the big leagues in the most respected sport in the land arrives in the big city to join the most legendary gym, but racism and class divide keep getting in his way. He meets a bad influence that has past connections with his new trainer, and then things get emotionally complex from there.
I guess complex really is the best word to describe it. It's a story that can be read in many layers and get different things from it depending on how deep you're willing to go into the story. It's not my cup of tea, but I do see how it has the potential to really pull readers into Mane's story.

Happy thanks to NetGalley, Diamond Book Distributors, and Magnetic Press for the early read!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

False Guard by Merwan is a graphic novel blend of science fiction and fantasy that will appeal to fans of Gladiator or Fight Club. The story revolves around Young Mane, a young man engaged in the martial art of Pankat. He goes from school to school training in Pankat. Unfortunately, Fessat a former student turned criminal wants Young Mane to join him in a life of crime. According to the synopsis, the plot revolves around the "young warrior full of dreams and confidence hoping to rise to the ranks of celebrity in the popular Pankat competitions."

Overall, False Guard is an intense, action-packed graphic novel that will appeal to anyone looking for an andrenaline-filled read. One highlight of this book is the manga-inspired art. It reminded me of a lot of shonen or boys' comics that I've seen, such as Naruto or HunterxHunter. Although the art style is great, the subject matter of this book didn't appeal to me personally. I took off 2 stars, because I personally don't enjoy reading books with lots of fight scenes. I'm sure many people will find this book interesting though. If you're intrigued by the description, or if you're a fan of graphic novels in general, you can check out this book when it comes out in November!