For a story about conjoined twins where one dies in a separation surgery and the surviving twin has to figure out life on her own...this was fine. MosFor a story about conjoined twins where one dies in a separation surgery and the surviving twin has to figure out life on her own...this was fine. Mostly predictable. The art was alright. Meh. ...more
This is a fantastic and wonderful graphic memoir about Sara Soler and her partner Diana, following their journey after Diana comes out as trans. It's This is a fantastic and wonderful graphic memoir about Sara Soler and her partner Diana, following their journey after Diana comes out as trans. It's a successful blend of personal and informative, giving a strong emotional heart to the more informative sections.
The art is very cute, and very much NOT like the cover. Sara's artwork is much more stylized, in cute comic form that is round and bouncy and dynamic. The color palette is also great, using only the trans flag colors to bring everything to life, and it works.
I much preferred the personal story of Sara and Diana's relationship to the mini lectures, mostly because I'm already aware of the explanations and ideas being brought up in them. However, this is written in Spanish by a Spanish native, and I have no idea what transgender life is like in Spain - it may be the case that the simple lecture style married with the personal memoir style is exactly what some people may need to understand the broader picture, or to empathize more deeply.
Overall, this is a fun and emotional and lovely graphic novel. It's a great memoir of a relationship, it's educational, and I think would work for any age group from young teen and up. ...more
Gorgeous art from Stephanie Hans, which is no surprise, but overall it was missing something.
This is the story of what happens after a rapture, whenGorgeous art from Stephanie Hans, which is no surprise, but overall it was missing something.
This is the story of what happens after a rapture, when there are few people left trying to survive. There is a stoic character, a hopeful one, a trusted adult, a roving gang of awful people, and...Giants?
While I think I can see what metaphor was being attempted here, I feel the execution did not work out. I felt little to no emotion for any of the characters, nor for the events unfolding. There wasn't enough information given about anything to make me care.
A disappointing read from Kieron Gillen.
Thanks to NetGalley and Image Comics for proving an eARC for review....more
This was a damn effective graphic novel. Spare art, stark reporting, no nonsense, lets you understand the depth of the disaster and the toll it took oThis was a damn effective graphic novel. Spare art, stark reporting, no nonsense, lets you understand the depth of the disaster and the toll it took on New Orleans and the people who called it home. ...more
Super, super cute and exactly what I needed right now.
(view spoiler)[On a side note, I could not get past the sentient anthropomorphic vegetables groSuper, super cute and exactly what I needed right now.
(view spoiler)[On a side note, I could not get past the sentient anthropomorphic vegetables growing and selling non-sentient versions of themselves to humans to eat?? There is an explanation given but OMG. It felt like I was reading some Jordan Peele might have come up with. (hide spoiler)]...more
This story definitely worked better in graphic format compared to the novel, but it's still very weak overall.This story definitely worked better in graphic format compared to the novel, but it's still very weak overall....more
As a story of its own, this was great. A young Lois starts her first internship when things go wrong, she has to deal with an old BFF with lots of bagAs a story of its own, this was great. A young Lois starts her first internship when things go wrong, she has to deal with an old BFF with lots of baggage and issues of her own, and somehow figure out how to keep her life on track - and what that will even look like. The incredibly cute, charming and colorful art brings this story about youthful rebellion and finding yourself and dealing with feeling small to life in a fantastic way. Having this story being told through the lens of Lois as an Asian woman brings a whole new layer to it that I enjoyed.
It's a great story. It's fun and empowering. I want teens to read this story.
But it is not a LOIS LANE story.
This is essentially a wholly original story and character with the name Lois Lane and some DC Comics hallmarks to make it seem like it takes place in the DC Universe. And it's hard to grapple with that, because on one hand: yes, I love that this story is being told in a way that gets it to the largest audience it can possibly get, using the DC Comics name. But that can also handicap it in a way, if people are expecting at least some familiarity to the Lois Lane that has been established and loved for nearly a hundred years.
Perhaps the strength of the story is enough for many to enjoy on its own. I certainly hope that there are teens out there finding this and seeing themselves in Lois and the other characters, and gaining strength and some insight from its pages....more
Super disappointing, felt like sapphic romantasy in graphic novel form and if that concept works for you, you’ll probably enjoy this.
The focus in thisSuper disappointing, felt like sapphic romantasy in graphic novel form and if that concept works for you, you’ll probably enjoy this.
The focus in this overly long graphic novel is on the sapphic romance, which is nicely done, but everything else fell to the wayside. The side characters were nearly indistinguishable from one another - one example is how each queen’s brother was the same happy go lucky dude, only one was white and one was brown. It had the most generic political palace plot you can think of. The anxiety rep felt alright though it seemed like it fell away toward the end, rather than seeing it truly be worked on.
The art is the biggest let down here, and that cover is so misleading. The actual art in the book is like a rough sketch version of the polished cover. 90% of the art was a character set against a solid color background with no indication of space or setting. It felt very amateur.
I was really looking forward to this one, alas....more
A paint by numbers post-apocalyptic society with some “mutant” hybrid animal-people for flair. Nothing about this feels original, the plot jumps and sA paint by numbers post-apocalyptic society with some “mutant” hybrid animal-people for flair. Nothing about this feels original, the plot jumps and shifts and takes off in five hundred directions at warp speed. None of the characters feel solid enough to make the plot movement make sense.
The Mist-Walker follows a half-ogre, Temperance, and the witches who raised her. Their small village is in a forest that is surrounded by a mysteriousThe Mist-Walker follows a half-ogre, Temperance, and the witches who raised her. Their small village is in a forest that is surrounded by a mysterious Mist that attacks and kills whatever goes into it. This first volume unfolds as Temperance and the witches start a journey to try to figure out how to survive and defeat the mist.
I have to say, the storytelling in this volume was all over the place and not very clear. While I could come up with a simple storyline to summarize this volume, it was hard to follow exactly what the point of the story is. It's about the Mist attacking people, and Temperance coming into her own, and Temperance and her grandmother's relationship, and about the witches in their village, and about humans hunting the Mist (maybe?) and the witches, and about a truly random love story between Temperance and a human, and, and, and. There is SO much here, and none of it really coheres into a solid storyline. Every idea is battling the others and it makes for a very muddy and confusing story.
The art is the real highlight here, however. Character design is very fun, with short squat witches and beautiful curvy witches and big beefy Temperance. The color work is mostly muted, which works for the very flowy quality of the art. There was some great emotional storytelling happening in the art itself. Really lovely.
Thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for the chance to read this. ...more
Short in length but expansive in subject, Gender is Really Strange is a great informative, accessible introduction to a discussion of gender.
This graShort in length but expansive in subject, Gender is Really Strange is a great informative, accessible introduction to a discussion of gender.
This graphic novel tackles various aspects of gender: how it is different from sex, how colonization led to erasing native cultural expressions of gender (or lack of it), how hormones work, and how and why people question their gender, among other topics.
It is a surface introduction to these topics, so don't expect something super in-depth if you already know these topics; the audience for this is people who know little to nothing about how gender really is just a social construct, and provides tools to help people take their first steps in deconstructing the gender binary on a personal level.
Though I was aware of many topics in here, I still found this very informative; I especially enjoyed the section on various native presentations of gender (or lack thereof) that colonization's enforcement of the gender binary eventually eclipsed.
We can always stand to learn something new, and Gender is Really Strange is a fantastic way to do so.
Thanks to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the opportunity to read this. Gender is Really Strange will be released on October 19th. ...more
This is an absolutely lovely retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, but with an interesting difference and a play on the way stories can change dependinThis is an absolutely lovely retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, but with an interesting difference and a play on the way stories can change depending on who tells them.
As we follow our little red wolf as he frolics through the forest and gets himself into trouble, the art lays out a beautiful landscape. Truly, every page is stylized and stunning, a feast for the eyes. The character designs are beautiful and haunting, and the muted color palette really works for the story being told.
A great picture book for children, but maybe for older children; the topics are a bit deep and can lead to some great conversation about grief and right vs wrong if taken seriously.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for the opportunity to read this!...more
If you want a stupidly cute romance with light angst, cute art, decent character arcs and tropes used well, then If You'll Have Me is fantastic.
I wasIf you want a stupidly cute romance with light angst, cute art, decent character arcs and tropes used well, then If You'll Have Me is fantastic.
I was honestly surprised at how much I enjoyed this. Momo and PG are college students who meet up and become friends, eventually falling for each other. But, they each have their own baggage to deal with that interferes with their perceptions of themselves and each other. Their friend dates are cute, their first kiss is cute, the resolution after the third act angsty separation is cute. And though this does utilize the third act sort of breakup trope, it was done in a way that made sense for what we've learned about Momo and PG, and it wasn't overdramatic.
The art is SO cute. The simplicity and bright color work might be a turn off for some, but I really loved it. The lightness of it felt perfect for the story being told.
Highly recommend this if you want a sweet romance read!...more
Camp Spirit was an absolutely random pick for me on Kindle Unlimited, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it!
The main outline of the Camp Spirit was an absolutely random pick for me on Kindle Unlimited, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it!
The main outline of the story isn't all that unique; an angsty teen is forced to be a camp counseler by her parents, and she makes friends and has a romance along the way. What made this stand out for me was the paranormal twist on it, and even though that could have gone pretty trope-y, it worked for me. Elodie can't shake the feeling that something weird is going on, especially regarding the quirky and weird camp chief, but she's also dealing with very teenage issues. The balance between the teen angst and spooky storyline was great.
There's a silly humor to this that I really enjoyed, and it's backed by the art and character design. While super clean and easy to follow, there's a humor and heart in every panel that really does a lot of heavy lifting to tell us what each character is like. I could practically hear some of the panels as if I was watching a cartoon instead of just reading a graphic novel. It was great fun.
Camp Spirit is a really solid and fun story with quirky campers, a bit of spookiness, and a grunge-loving teen just trying to figure out what she wants. Very much recommended for older teens, and anyone who thinks it sounds interesting. ...more
This is a super cute and pretty straightforward romance story. What stands out for me is the ART! The character designs are cute, there are lots of fuThis is a super cute and pretty straightforward romance story. What stands out for me is the ART! The character designs are cute, there are lots of fun expressions, and omg the CLOTHES!!...more
An absolutely wonderful story for its target age group, Tidesong tackles anxiety, feelings of inadequacy, and what it feels like to live up to larger An absolutely wonderful story for its target age group, Tidesong tackles anxiety, feelings of inadequacy, and what it feels like to live up to larger than life ideas and expectations of who you're supposed to be.
Really sweet and simple story telling, with a great message and cute art to back it up. Highly recommended for young readers....more
Wish I loved this as much as I did volume 1, but it was still a good time. Good art, decent character work, shoddy world building, found family and quWish I loved this as much as I did volume 1, but it was still a good time. Good art, decent character work, shoddy world building, found family and queer joy....more
I can kinda see how people laud this as being a masterpiece, a comic classic, blah blah blah.
The art and lettering gave me a headache. And while I evI can kinda see how people laud this as being a masterpiece, a comic classic, blah blah blah.
The art and lettering gave me a headache. And while I eventually got into the rhythm of the story and understood what Moore was doing, it was a SLOG to get through. ...more
Two stars mainly because the art was great and provided the feeling of the setting much more competently than any of the writing did.
NeoForest takes Two stars mainly because the art was great and provided the feeling of the setting much more competently than any of the writing did.
NeoForest takes place in a distant future where the world has become lush and verdant again, and humanity exists in pockets of feudal-esque citadels, but with science. The art provides an interesting contrast between the greenery and science of this world, and is pretty nicely done. At times it felt a little too static for me, and maybe a little too boring in the color choices, but it evoked exactly what it wanted to.
The writing fell completely flat for me here. First off, the text choice in the layout of the story was awful; the font is so small, and there is SO MUCH text trying to set up the worldbuilding, multiple relationships between characters, a plot against the current ruler (our main character's father), and the forest somehow starting to kill humans. All this, in 64 pages. Despite all the story work being put into this volume, I found myself not really caring one whit about any of the plot lines.
An interesting story, NeoForest has a little bit of promise, especially in the art. However, I think I'd have to see reviews on the next volume that say the writing improves dramatically before I even consider picking it up.
(Thanks to NetGalley for this review copy.)...more