This debut graphic novel by Brazilian cartoonist Daniel Semanas is a candy-colored, visual tour de force that draws from influences as diverse as American Pop Art, Korean “K-pop,” internet culture, and Manga. Set in South Korea in the near future, it tells the story of Phanta, a young Korean fighter who has a fiercely competitive relationship with her brother. In a effort to top his popularity on the internet, she embarks on a psychedelic journey into an underground drug cult in hopes of becoming the new member of a popular K-pop group. She gets more than she bargained for, however. Roly Poly is a story about faith and perception, and how believing in something can unconsciously influence the people around you and yield unexpected results—such as wishes coming true.

• TPB
  5/23/2019