In their lauded Banned Book Club, Korean creative team Kim Hyun Sook and Ryan Estrada, with illustrator Ko Hyung-Ju, used the graphic novel format to tell Kim's gripping story of book club rebellion under martial law. Kim and Estrada inspiringly continue Kim's autobiographical journey in No Rules Tonight, this time illustrated by Estrada himself.
No Rules Tonight opens in 1984, after Hyun Sook's banned book club was disbanded. The government's draconian curfews have been lifted, but "saying, thinking, watching, writing, or reading anything that the regime didn't approve of could still get me... arrested, beaten, or even killed." Hyun Sook feeds her curiosity and finds companionship through a Masked Folk Dance Team: "I studied Talchum, a thousand-year-old art form that was like band, musical theater, dance, history, and activism all rolled up into one." As winter break approaches, the team prepares for their annual hiking trip. The team's director, however, is unable to accompany them--when he doesn't stand at attention during the daily 5 p.m. playing of the national anthem, he is arrested and imprisoned.
Kim and Estrada highlight a sobering history. Kim is an inclusive storyteller who expands her own experiences through detailed examinations of her family, friends, acquaintances, and school. Her memories of team practices and performances are particularly resonant as she underscores the lifesaving power of art. Estrada displays that energy through full-color pages and comic panels that move, bend, and break, allowing the illustrations--and emotions--to spill out into uncontained full-page bleeds. He adroitly balances the all-too-real fear with humor, connection, and pure joy. --Terry Hong