It’s not every day you get a graphic novel steeped in Filipino culture and mythology from a Western publisher like HarperCollins, so Squalo & Mage vs. the Rage of the Bakunawa, the debut graphic novel by Kara Bodegón-Hikino, is a gem in its own. 

This zippy first book in an epic duology follows young sorceress Mage and her shark bestie Squalo on a wild and magical RPG-style adventure across Mundo, where powerful creatures, dangerous enemies, and an ancient guardian of the sea stand between them and everything they hold dear. 

While aimed towards middle graders, the book packs pleasant surprises for readers of all ages. Here, we list eight reasons why it deserves a spot on your reading list.

Philippine mythical creatures get the spotlight

Let’s start with the obvious point. For too long, Western fantasy has held a near-monopoly on the creatures children grow up fearing and loving. Squalo & Mage breaks that monopoly wide open. The bakunawa (the author’s favorite creature in Filipino folklore) becomes a sought-after character that drives the story, along with other mythical creatures like the fearsome tikbalang and the ever-so-popular aswang.

Pinoy culture references

Aside from Filipino mythology, the book incorporates fun Pinoy culture references that the author herself did not overthink. From a pile of puto at a breakfast buffet and a 24-hour hot pandesal store to posters of tubero services at lamp posts and a nostalgia-inducing sorbetes cart, she just weaved them into the story, and they worked!

Non-Filipino readers won’t miss anything (nor will they need a crash course on Filipino culture to appreciate the story), but Pinoy readers will stop to smile every so often.

The themes have actual weight (without getting preachy)

At a glance, Squalo & Mage is a fantasy graphic novel. But as you go deeper into the story, it touches societal issues such as environmental accountability, economic inequality, and political corruption, without burdening young readers. They don’t feel forced into the story at all. Instead, they emerge from it, making the themes feel natural and necessary. 

The beautiful color palette

Illustrators make thousands of micro-decisions about color, and Bodegón-Hikino is no stranger to the color dilemma. In fact, Squalo & Mage was supposed to have a flashy, neon palette—she revealed in an interview with Fully Booked. But printing limitations forced her to change the plan, and she ultimately went with an enchanting pastel palette after reaching out to her friend Rob Cham, a respected figure in the Philippine komiks world.

The result is a visual world that feels like it exists at the edge of a dream, with tonal shifts—greyer (or more indigo) for flashbacks, brighter for the present—that make the color language alone do some real narrative work.

Exceptional panel composition

What’s harder to articulate than beautiful art—and what this book gets right—is pacing. Action sequences are given the visual real estate they need to feel kinetic. Powerful. Meanwhile, readers can take their time to enjoy the softer moments without feeling hurried. 

It makes you want to play a game that doesn’t exist yet

You finish Squalo & Mage and immediately wish someone would turn it into a video game. That’s just how it is, and we’re saying this as a compliment! The book’s impeccable RPG-style world-building, coupled with texture, mechanics, and a distinct aesthetic, makes it a great candidate for a game adaptation that needs to happen. 

Kindness shines as an innate superpower

In most fantasy stories, power usually equates to strength, speed, or some supernatural ability. Here, kindness—compassion—shines through as Mage’s greatest asset. Beyond being a virtue, it is framed as a formidable force that can crush evil—complete with thrilling battle scenes to prove it. 

Standalone satisfaction within a larger story

Squalo & Mage vs. the Rage of the Bakunawa is the first book in a duology. Yet it wraps up nicely, sparing even casual readers the dreaded unsatisfying, non-ending. The arc resolves. Questions are answered. It gives readers a sense of completion, while leaving enough room (and excitement!) for the second book, which is currently in the works.

Squalo & Mage vs. the Rage of the Bakunawa is now available in paperback and hardcover formats at fullybookedonline.com.

Meet Kara Bodegón-Hikino and get your copy signed during the book’s special launch event happening at Fully Booked High Street this Saturday, June 20.