Graphic Novels
Assorted graphic novels plus one I just need to get off the list already.
Monstress vol 1, Marjorie M. Liu and Sana Takeda
Oh boy, Monstress. Where do I start.
Well, first of all, it's not for me. It's very violent and gory and I tend to like my media a bit more uplifting. That said, it's freaking amazing. Our heroine Maika Halfwolf opens the book up for bidding at a slave auction, but very clearly is only there because she wants to be: she is in control the entire time. And yet, she is not in control. Maika is on a quest for information about something that happened to her, some kind of possession that she still doesn't understand. Whatever it is, it makes her dangerous, and she can't quite control it. Together with a small fox child and a cat, Maika struggles through a violent and war-torn landscape to try and understand what lies inside her.
It's a beautifully illustrated book, with gorgeous artwork even for the most horrific things. And I think there's only one named male character-- wait, no, two, and one is a cat. Neither one of them moves the plot so much as Maika does; it is very much her story, and very much a story of women. The worldbuilding is great, not so much as to be infodumpy, not so little as to be confusing. But I don't think I personally will be seeking out the second volume, purely because it is not for me.
That said, if this sounds like your kind of thing? Go for it. Seriously. My girlfriend loves it, and it is really well put together.
Fuck Fascists Factor: 5--fascists will froth at the mouth. Women, women everywhere, and not a dude to see! Disabled women, women of color, good women, evil women! WOMEN. GASP.
Ghosts, Raina Telgemeier
This is the latest graphic novel from Raina Telgemeier, and I think the first that isn't autobiographical in some way. Ghosts follows Catrina and her sister Maya as they move north to a coastal California town, Bahía de la Luna. Their new neighbor shows them the local (and very real) ghosts, which Maya adores, and Cat fears. As Dia de los Muertos approaches, Cat has to learn to deal with her fear of death, and Maya's possible death in particular, in order to settle.
Now, I personally really enjoyed this book, but I got pretty uncomfortable toward the end. It seemed very much as if Telgemeier was conflating Dia de los Muertos and Halloween, and they are very, very different celebrations. I am the whitest white girl you'll ever meet, so I cannot speak to this, and I haven't seen any other reviews on the subject (for lack of time, nothing more). All I can say is that it makes me uneasy, and that I will seek out other reviews before opining further on the subject.
That uneasiness makes me reserve recommendation pending further research. Telgemeier's other books are good, though, so go read those while I look this up.
Fuck Fascists Factor: 4--fascists have major problems. It's about brown people and brown people's culture, with a disabled girl being the emotional heart of the book and a diverse cast.
How to Talk to Girls at Parties, Neil Gaiman, Fábio Moon, and Gabriel Bá
This is a weird one. But then again, it's Neil Gaiman, so really I should have expected it going in.
How to Talk to Girls at Parties is a short graphic novel based off, I think, a Gaiman short story. Enn and his friend Vic go crash a party that one of Vic's friends mentioned. Vic, a confident ladies' man, almost immediately disappears with a beautiful girl named Stella, abandoning the more awkward Enn to some of the weirdest conversations of his life as it gradually becomes apparent that they crashed a very different party than the one they expected.
The art is gorgeous and the story eerie in the very best of ways. I can't talk much more about it without spoiling it, but I'd recommend it for sure.
Fuck Fascists Factor: 2--fascists have slight problems. The two heroes are straight white English men, but the girls definitely have all the power in this situation.
Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life, Rachel Renee Russell
This is the first book in the Dork Diaries series, which seems like a sort of Diary of a Wimpy Kid aimed more at preteen girls. And, like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, it's pretty meh to me as an adult. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the book, but the more I thought about it afterwards, the more meh I became.
Our heroine, Nikki, has just gotten a full scholarship to a snobby private school because her dad won the bug extermination contract for it. Nikki, being a teenager, is pretty embarrassed by this and how it hinders her efforts to become super cool. She really is a very engaging character, I will say that. Plus the writing makes her very sympathetic and keeps her on this side of likeable. I think if the writing hadn't been so good, I would have grown exasperated with her. But her artistic talent and her determination to do well trump the irritating teenage qualities.
Frankly, I do like this better than Wimpy Kid, mostly because it's significantly lighter on the grossout factor. Apart from that, they're very similar; artistic kid enters school and deals with bullies while trying to be themselves. Cute book, good for teens. Maybe a bit young for adults, though.
Fuck Fascists Factor: 2--fascists have slight problems. White girl with a poor or middle class background (hard to tell) conquers all.
This entry is crossposted at http://bookblather.dreamwidth.org/422024.html. Please comment over there if possible.
Monstress vol 1, Marjorie M. Liu and Sana Takeda
Oh boy, Monstress. Where do I start.
Well, first of all, it's not for me. It's very violent and gory and I tend to like my media a bit more uplifting. That said, it's freaking amazing. Our heroine Maika Halfwolf opens the book up for bidding at a slave auction, but very clearly is only there because she wants to be: she is in control the entire time. And yet, she is not in control. Maika is on a quest for information about something that happened to her, some kind of possession that she still doesn't understand. Whatever it is, it makes her dangerous, and she can't quite control it. Together with a small fox child and a cat, Maika struggles through a violent and war-torn landscape to try and understand what lies inside her.
It's a beautifully illustrated book, with gorgeous artwork even for the most horrific things. And I think there's only one named male character-- wait, no, two, and one is a cat. Neither one of them moves the plot so much as Maika does; it is very much her story, and very much a story of women. The worldbuilding is great, not so much as to be infodumpy, not so little as to be confusing. But I don't think I personally will be seeking out the second volume, purely because it is not for me.
That said, if this sounds like your kind of thing? Go for it. Seriously. My girlfriend loves it, and it is really well put together.
Fuck Fascists Factor: 5--fascists will froth at the mouth. Women, women everywhere, and not a dude to see! Disabled women, women of color, good women, evil women! WOMEN. GASP.
Ghosts, Raina Telgemeier
This is the latest graphic novel from Raina Telgemeier, and I think the first that isn't autobiographical in some way. Ghosts follows Catrina and her sister Maya as they move north to a coastal California town, Bahía de la Luna. Their new neighbor shows them the local (and very real) ghosts, which Maya adores, and Cat fears. As Dia de los Muertos approaches, Cat has to learn to deal with her fear of death, and Maya's possible death in particular, in order to settle.
Now, I personally really enjoyed this book, but I got pretty uncomfortable toward the end. It seemed very much as if Telgemeier was conflating Dia de los Muertos and Halloween, and they are very, very different celebrations. I am the whitest white girl you'll ever meet, so I cannot speak to this, and I haven't seen any other reviews on the subject (for lack of time, nothing more). All I can say is that it makes me uneasy, and that I will seek out other reviews before opining further on the subject.
That uneasiness makes me reserve recommendation pending further research. Telgemeier's other books are good, though, so go read those while I look this up.
Fuck Fascists Factor: 4--fascists have major problems. It's about brown people and brown people's culture, with a disabled girl being the emotional heart of the book and a diverse cast.
How to Talk to Girls at Parties, Neil Gaiman, Fábio Moon, and Gabriel Bá
This is a weird one. But then again, it's Neil Gaiman, so really I should have expected it going in.
How to Talk to Girls at Parties is a short graphic novel based off, I think, a Gaiman short story. Enn and his friend Vic go crash a party that one of Vic's friends mentioned. Vic, a confident ladies' man, almost immediately disappears with a beautiful girl named Stella, abandoning the more awkward Enn to some of the weirdest conversations of his life as it gradually becomes apparent that they crashed a very different party than the one they expected.
The art is gorgeous and the story eerie in the very best of ways. I can't talk much more about it without spoiling it, but I'd recommend it for sure.
Fuck Fascists Factor: 2--fascists have slight problems. The two heroes are straight white English men, but the girls definitely have all the power in this situation.
Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life, Rachel Renee Russell
This is the first book in the Dork Diaries series, which seems like a sort of Diary of a Wimpy Kid aimed more at preteen girls. And, like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, it's pretty meh to me as an adult. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the book, but the more I thought about it afterwards, the more meh I became.
Our heroine, Nikki, has just gotten a full scholarship to a snobby private school because her dad won the bug extermination contract for it. Nikki, being a teenager, is pretty embarrassed by this and how it hinders her efforts to become super cool. She really is a very engaging character, I will say that. Plus the writing makes her very sympathetic and keeps her on this side of likeable. I think if the writing hadn't been so good, I would have grown exasperated with her. But her artistic talent and her determination to do well trump the irritating teenage qualities.
Frankly, I do like this better than Wimpy Kid, mostly because it's significantly lighter on the grossout factor. Apart from that, they're very similar; artistic kid enters school and deals with bullies while trying to be themselves. Cute book, good for teens. Maybe a bit young for adults, though.
Fuck Fascists Factor: 2--fascists have slight problems. White girl with a poor or middle class background (hard to tell) conquers all.
This entry is crossposted at http://bookblather.dreamwidth.org/422024.html. Please comment over there if possible.