Boxers & Saints are companion graphic novels that recount two sides of the Boxer Rebellion in 1890s China. Boxers tells how Chinese villagers took up arms against foreign Catholic missionaries and Chinese converts to Catholicism. While based on historical events, the rebels in Boxers channel traditional gods and operatic heroes which lends an element of fantasy to the novel and serves to show the passion of the villagers who sought to preserve China's cultural tradtions. Told primarily in greys and browns, the color used in the book highlights magical or pivotal moments including the gods come to life, the foreignness of the other armies, and the tragic loss of lives. 
 As always, Gene Luen Yang's illustrations are crisp and clear and simplified in their beauty. The story is well-told but disturbing, and my rating of 3 stars reflects my own lack of enjoyment in reading war stories.