Tokyopop; $10.99
Disney’s Descendants started off as a live-action film made for the Disney Channel and has since turned into a significant franchise for the company. This book is an adaptation of the first film, done in the style of popular manga. The story follows the children of four of Disney’s most notorious villains – Maleficient, the Evil Queen, Jafar, and Cruella De Vil – as they are sent to a prestigious school in Auradon. Auradon happens to be where all of the Disney protagonists and princesses and their children live; the villains were cast away to the Isle of the Lost 20 years prior to the start of the story.
Mal, Maleficient’s daughter, has been tasked with finding the Fairy Godmother’s wand, which will help lift the banishment that the villains have faced for the last two decades. Mal and her friends have to make a choice, though – do they help their wicked parents or do they step out on their own?
The Descendants manga is actually pretty cute. The artwork, done by Natsuki Minami, is colorful and wildly expressive in a way that matches the usual saturation level of a Disney cartoon. It also serves as a good introduction to the manga style, by reading from left to right (where most manga will read right to left) and being in full color. This is a good all-ages story that will likely appeal to Disney fans of all kinds.
-Carrie Wood