Bash! (Bash! #1)

NBA player Gobert and author Bay team up in this adrenaline-fueled graphic novel, told in the vein of Space Jam and illustrated by Serrano, in which superstar athletes from across the cosmos participate in an intergalactic basketball game. Teenage Rudy, supposedly an ordinary human, lives in Nevilia, “one of thousands of slums” run by Governor Valkyrion on the planet Arcadia. He dreams of playing basketball in the Bash, a highly competitive game where the best ballers across the universe compete on the court under intense environmental conditions to prove their skills. Rudy’s teammates encourage him to pursue this goal, but his mother fears for his safety, citing unknown secrets kept by Rudy’s disappeared father, Atlas, who claimed that his past would endanger Rudy. While watching the Bash, Rudy is approached by a mysterious old man named Ulysses, who reveals he was friends with Atlas and believes that he was a god. Serrano’s highly detailed art boasts stark, noir-style coloring that expertly complements Rudy’s tumultuous family saga. Set against the backdrop of an explosive, high-stakes tournament, the creators craft a fantasy epic teeming with plenty of basketball action and macrocosm politics. Ages 10–17. (Feb.)