Read this at least twice when I was growing up. Loved the story of girl-learning-how-to-survive-on-her-own. The self-sufficiency. The connections withRead this at least twice when I was growing up. Loved the story of girl-learning-how-to-survive-on-her-own. The self-sufficiency. The connections with the animals.
Edit to add: Read this again with my tween around 2022 or so. It's funny how the movie of the book in my head looked different as an adult than I remember them looking when I read it as a kid. The stress of it all felt a lot more raw and dangerous. ...more
Ok, I don't know if this is a spoiler, so I'm putting things behind curtains... I think this book is about (view spoiler)[stealing (hide spoiler)].
It Ok, I don't know if this is a spoiler, so I'm putting things behind curtains... I think this book is about (view spoiler)[stealing (hide spoiler)].
It tells the stories of two teenage boys - one of Japanese descent living in WWII California, one of apparently Caucasian descent living in an anonymous suburb. (view spoiler)[Both boys find themselves in circumstances which motivate them to steal. Their parallel stories strongly contrast the justifications we all use for what we do in life, and eventually their stories come together. (hide spoiler)]
One of the boys ends up in an internment camp in rural California, the other falls in with a rough crowd in his suburb. The internment story is all in browns, and is wordless. We see what life was like in those camps. The suburban story is rendered in blues and mostly depicts kids getting into trouble in construction zones and gas stations.
It is a reflective story - perhaps too reflective for a teen audience. I found myself wondering how the two stories were connected, (view spoiler)[and appreciated that my curiosity paid off (hide spoiler)]. This might get picked up by a kid who was already interested in the internment camps, but there's not a major hook for the modern-day story, and the wordlessness in the internment section might be perceived as a lack of hard information.
And although I appreciate it more now that I'm reflecting on it to write this review, overall I found it literally forgettable. I read it less than a week ago, and when I saw it in my inbox (waiting to be reviewed), I thought that I still needed to read it. Which is never a particularly positive sign. ...more
This is the story of an 11-year-old kid who killed somebody.
When he did it, I was about the age of the girl he killed. I vaguely remember hearing abouThis is the story of an 11-year-old kid who killed somebody.
When he did it, I was about the age of the girl he killed. I vaguely remember hearing about this in the news. I don't remember realizing it was gang-related.
DuBurke's realistic, black and white style is very appropriate to the story.
It's sad and tragic, and I'm trying to decide if it's one to booktalk. It isn't a fun read. But it may be an important read. Especially for kids who weren't alive when it happened....more
Apparently, Mary Talbot is both Bryan Talbot's wife AND an academic expert on things like feminism and teen magazines and other things I'd enjoy studying.
This book is partially an autobiography of Mary (drawn by Bryan) and sort of a biography of the daughter of James Joyce. The two stories run parallel with different color schemes and illustration styles showing which story the Talbots are telling.
It's a neat idea. Mary Talbot's father was a prominent Joycean scholar and Lucia Joyce was a dancer in Paris who studied with Raymond Duncan (Isadora's brother) and Margaret Morris. Mary had a very negative relationship with her father, and Lucia had a good one with hers, though unfortunately the restrictions around women in her time lead to an eventual tragic end. Interesting, interesting, interesting.
Although Bryan's illustrations are lovely, occasionally the storytelling feels a little clunky. The narrative begins with Mary (though she's not identified) chosing to read a biography of Lucia on the train. After only a couple of pages, we transition into Mary's early life, but her story is told in first person. It is unclear whether the story is what Mary is reading or something she is thinking about. I found myself looking back and forth trying to figure out whose story was being told. Now that I know everyone's names, it's clear that this is the early life of Mary, but the way the book is introduced, it could easily have been Lucia. This is merely the first example of the occasionally confusing narrative.
Another thing that struck me as odd were the notes in small print typed in a few places. They start "NB" and comment on the illustrations (i.e. "My mother wouldn't have been seen dead in a frilly apron" when the apron in the frame is a frilly one). It's never explained why those kinds of details weren't changed as the couple worked on this book together. I didn't see the point.
Overall, though, I enjoyed these stories. Learning about women, academia, families, history, dance...
I've been following Beaton's webcomic periodically ever since I first heard about it at PLA 2010. I usually find her comics amusing, but I imagine theI've been following Beaton's webcomic periodically ever since I first heard about it at PLA 2010. I usually find her comics amusing, but I imagine the most perfect audience for her humor would be historians who read a lot. I'm almost that, but not quite. Suffice it to say, I don't ALWAYS get the joke. My favorites were the imaginings of what happens in books based on their covers (including a spat of Nancy Drews). Her scrawly illustration style is screwball enough to keep things moving. Yay for smart humor. And yeah....more
Short comic describing a peace corps worker's experience learning about a massacre in a troubled African country. Particularly deals with a specific bShort comic describing a peace corps worker's experience learning about a massacre in a troubled African country. Particularly deals with a specific brutal dictator and the needless killing of children during his rule.
Personally, I identified with the love story in the B plot more than the main throughline. Sylvestre and Emily are a fascinating couple, and I want to know more about both of them.
I'm also curious as to how much of this comic is true. Bokassa, the dictator described, seems to be real, and I assume there are autobiographical elements to the story.
I appreciated that Hayden used a different style of drawing for the children's book featured in the story. And the coloring here is particularly notable. Most of the pictures are wildly bright. During the darker flashbacks, the colors go into a darker camouflage palette. Which is nice.
As far as my GN-travelogue project, this doesn't describe very much of the travel elements. Or what the characters are doing in the country. Our primary traveler is more of a lens than an actual character to my eyes. ...more
I think it's neat that one of the detectives who caught the Green River Killer has a son who makes comics. This is an only slightly fictionalized accoI think it's neat that one of the detectives who caught the Green River Killer has a son who makes comics. This is an only slightly fictionalized account of Tom Jensen's experience hunting the serial killer in the Seattle area over three decades. Fascinating and emotional. This is my favorite kind of nonfiction....more
Follows the childhood of illustrator Allen Say. I particularly appreciated the insiders perspective on Japan during and after World War II. He doesn'tFollows the childhood of illustrator Allen Say. I particularly appreciated the insiders perspective on Japan during and after World War II. He doesn't talk much about the war, but I will be keeping this in mind while I read Ghosts in the Fog.
The thing I liked most about this is how he integrates photographs, his own illustrations in a variety of styles, text, and other people's illustrations. It's not quite a graphic novel (except for maybe one page). It's not quite a picture book. It's almost more in the illustra-novella, Diary of a Wimpy Kid vein.
Engagingly written, and a unique story. He doesn't go super deep or tell too many secrets, but this is a story which needs to be told anyway....more
I love taking my comics-knowledge temperature by reading this collection every year. This year, I was thrilled to see not only that it was edited by AI love taking my comics-knowledge temperature by reading this collection every year. This year, I was thrilled to see not only that it was edited by Alison Bechdel, but the cover was illustrated by Jillian Tamaki, a rising star who hasn't done nearly enough yet.
This year I'd read and reviewed many of the choices (and reviewed them here on GR), but here are some new-to-me pieces and creators I really loved. I'll be seeking out more by each of these creators:
- John Pham's piece about his elementary school is beautiful, complex, and affecting. I felt like I got inside his brain in his piece about his elementary school. The drawing is detailed and intricate, and the use of peach tones gives it a really striking aesthetic. This feels like a piece of art with commentary written upon it, in an awesome way. Personal, lovely, and made me want more. The part where he describes the futures of his four main friends really made me think, too. I feel like we could draw conclusions of some kind about culture, locale, or just the social circles comics creators run in by paying attention to the lives of their friends.
- Joey Alison Sayers' piece about the appropriation of a comic strip was insightful, clean, and funny. Normally I like a little bit more pretty in illustrations, but that wasn't necessary here. Brings up creator rights, technology, trend-chasing, product placement, branding, and oh yeah, theories of heaven and hell. Dug it.
- Sabrina Jones' Little House in a Big City, which is part love-letter to the Big Apple, part history of urban planning, part biopiece of Jane Jacobs, and part teeny memoir. This is the one that I found myself thinking about on my walk at 6:30 this morning. I'm really fascinated by the things she brings up, like our unsung pioneers in every field who happen to be women, like the reasons that mixed-use city blocks are more condusive to community than projects, like Eleanor Roosevelt's role in the "Bunch of Mothers," like the politics of changing the way normal people live. Great piece. I don't always love Jones' illustration style, but this is a story that made me want more. Makes me want to geek out and write a research paper.
- Eric Orner's Weekends Abroad was totally fun. Orner is a gay jewish guy and this chronicles some of his adventures living in Israel. He lived in Jerusalem and went to Tel Aviv for weekends, staying up all night hooking up with strangers, and sleeping in rented beach chairs. This is definitely a side of Israel I hadn't seen before. Orner's drawing is accessible and makes particularly good use of shadow. It's quite surprising that he hasn't done more well-known comics. I really want him to come out with a book-length story about his time in Israel.
I really love using anthologies to find new comics creators to drool over. The only problem with that is, most of the time the ones I haven't heard of don't have anything out that I can easily get ahold of. Time to start bookmarking more websites....more
This expansion of a zine tells the story of amerikan government conspiracy through the filter of cases which have some connection with food. Each chapThis expansion of a zine tells the story of amerikan government conspiracy through the filter of cases which have some connection with food. Each chapter includes images of formerly-top secret, recently-released documents from the government, an essay explaining the case, and additional graphs, lists, and charts. We learn about the framing of Fred Hampton, CIA experiments with mind control, the plot to assassinate Castro, and more.
Don't expect any sequential art here, even though there are illustrations by Nate Powell. As someone who harbors an amateur historian's love for Abbie Hoffman and the yippies, I really enjoyed the way these authors brought primary government documents to life.
The only part that dragged for me was a pair of chapters about Coca-Cola's far too close relationships with every president since Eisenhower. Although I'm totally a fan of sticking it to major corporations, those chapters didn't contain the personal stories inherant to most of the other pieces.
The book is very visual and dynamic, and feels like the beginning of what could become a life's work....more
Collects the works of Ted Rall, an awardwinning journalist and comic artist, surrounding his assignment to Afghanistan shortly after 9/11. The book isCollects the works of Ted Rall, an awardwinning journalist and comic artist, surrounding his assignment to Afghanistan shortly after 9/11. The book is split into three parts.
The first part felt like op-ed pieces covering the politics and drama regarding the middle east shortly after 9/11. This part I found difficult to get through, partially because all of the information was so current and is now so dated. I haven't followed these issues too closely, so I often had a hard time remembering what ended up being proved true and false, and what all happened after these events.
The second part is a short sequential art format novella about Rall's time in Afghanistan. I learned a lot about what it's like over there, at least for amerikan journalists.
The essays in the third part were much more accessible after the context of the story in the second part. Much of the content was rehashed from the GN.
I read this as a travelogue, not because I was looking for some nonfiction on Afghan politics. But I'm glad I read the prose parts as well. It gave me a more thorough context for news stories about Afghanistan. And yes, it's a downer....more
Things I liked: 1. GEORGE O'CONNOR - I LOVED his picture books (Kapow and Ker-splash), and his sense of humor comes through beautifully in his illustraThings I liked: 1. GEORGE O'CONNOR - I LOVED his picture books (Kapow and Ker-splash), and his sense of humor comes through beautifully in his illustrations. 2. Primary Sources Made Accessible - As a history buff, I love that a primary source is getting reintroduced to the public in such an approachable way. 3. Pretty Colors - Hilary Sycamore colors make this totally stunning.
Things I'm not such a big fan of: 1. Relevancy? I never really attached to the purpose of the journey. What was the goal? When did they reach it? Also, I didn't know where they were. I know they started on the island that would become Manhattan, but did they stay on it throughout? I REALLY wanted a map following their journey, preferably overlayed with current geography. I realize that maybe historians don't know exactly where they were, but it felt lacking. 2. Midrash - I love creative interpretation of well known stories - filling in the gaps of ancient religious texts, for example. But here, I don't know the story yet. So I find myself confused about what is fact and what is imagination. My initial reading of the story is tainted by the expansion in the illustrations. So I'm not sure the text is as well served as it might be in a more black and white (figuratively) telling. 3. Stereotypes. I already said I love O'Connor's style, but it does lean toward caricature. And when your topic is European exploration of Native American lands, it feels dangerously close to racism. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT IS THE ARTIST'S INTENTION, but it makes me nervous and distracted me during the reading.
And when it comes down to it, all the philosophical stuff distracted me so much, I didn't actually enjoy reading it very much. I feel bad for giving a bad rating, since I believe the intent is good. It just didn't work for me....more
Raina Telgemeier told me to read it. /// I really enjoyed this. It's very much in the style of Tintin, and features a young woman who likes to draw hersRaina Telgemeier told me to read it. /// I really enjoyed this. It's very much in the style of Tintin, and features a young woman who likes to draw herself as a superhero sidekick. There are daddy issues, there's an aunt who parties too much, there's class warfare.
(view spoiler)[I may be wrong about this, but I don't remember any nonJewish German characters who weren't spies. (hide spoiler)] The anti-spy propaganda was pretty intense, so much so that it made me think about the later anti-communist crusades. Which made me a bit uncomfortable. And made me hope that someone's using this in a classroom and bringing up those issues.
But a really engaging, old fashioned adventure story all told....more
This is a story which needs to be told. Sarah Emma Edmonds was a spy for the Union during the Civil War. The Union Army knew her as a man, and she tooThis is a story which needs to be told. Sarah Emma Edmonds was a spy for the Union during the Civil War. The Union Army knew her as a man, and she took on a series of roles which crossed both race and gender lines in order to gain information for her side. The illustrations are slightly impressionistic images of Edmonds in her various roles as well as more generalized frames of the period. Some may find problems in the thesis of the text. Jones repeats over and over that Edmonds was pretending to be a man, and in an age of gender politics, it feels strange to not mention even the possibility of a trans or queer identity. It is understandable to not want to get into this complex topic in a children’s book, but it does seem odd to emphasize the pretense so monotonously. However, Edmonds’ story is fascinating and should be part of our collective memory of the Civil War.
//SSBRC review. Also, I wish that Jones had brought up the fact that all of the roles Edmonds took up as a spy were part of the lower classes. Women, blacks. And she used those roles subversively to gain information from people who treated her as though she didn't matter. And the "pretending" mantra really did bug me....more
Rather a tragic story about a woman of advanced age who decided to be the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel in order to get rich and fRather a tragic story about a woman of advanced age who decided to be the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel in order to get rich and famous.
Really. That's it. I was really hoping for some kind of a feminist or ideological angle, but this is a lady who was gutsy enough to build her own barrel and make her adventure happen, then just fizzles out when she doesn't get rich off it. There's no indication that she has any other motivation and though she was a gutsy woman to try the task in the first place, there's no indication that there was any point in any part of the venture except financial desperation.
Ends up being a pretty disheartening read, when it comes down to it. Lovely illustrations, though, in case you had any doubt....more
Story of the man largely responsible for the creation of Manitoba who fought for the rights of the first peoples-descended residents.
Truly horrifyingStory of the man largely responsible for the creation of Manitoba who fought for the rights of the first peoples-descended residents.
Truly horrifying stories of the many ways the Canadian government tried and generally succeeded at screwing over the homesteaders.
I was fascinated, although when Riel started going off the deep end, I started to lose interest and considered not finishing. It becomes a bit less of a story vindicating the little guy and more tragic tale of a mad man. At least in my eyes. Brown seems to stay pretty neutral, so it's hard to settle on a lens on the events....more
This is SO GOOD. It's been a while since I've looked forward to reading something as much as I looked forward to reading this. And it's not because I This is SO GOOD. It's been a while since I've looked forward to reading something as much as I looked forward to reading this. And it's not because I like mysteries, although I was a big Nancy Drew and Sherlock Holmes fan as a kid. I'm really not a big noir person unlike other friends of mine. And I didn't think I was a big anthropomorphism fan. But apparently I am, because I LOVED Grandville and I LOVE this. The main thing I love about this is the glorious, lush illustrations. These paintings are so amazing to look at. Some of them are too pretty, to the point of being picture-bookey. But there's edge here, amazing characterization, adult content, and I think it's still very interesting that though this is originally a French language piece, it's set in amerika. I think the only thing that would have bumped it up to five stars would be something progressive and new about the story itself. The women are stereotypes (although pretty much every character is - it's noir after all), and I didn't entirely follow some of the plot. But I could have taken the time, I just wanted to turn the page and look at more of those PICTURES!!!...more
Really beautiful personal story about the creator's family's history in Vietnam. I haven't read many stories about what it was like to be a citizen ofReally beautiful personal story about the creator's family's history in Vietnam. I haven't read many stories about what it was like to be a citizen of Vietnam during the war. Tran traces his family lineage, talking about his grandparents and his parents. The illustrations are just stunning and there's also a page or two of photographs of his family. He uses lots of different styles of panels, including some absolutely amazing full-pagers that you want to frame and put up in your house. One slight complaint I had was that he tells the story in a very nonlinear way, and it was a bit hard for me to keep track of which branch of the family he was talking about, what year we were in, etc. I think if I'd noticed the cast of characters on the end papers before I finished the book that would have helped, and maybe the author honestly didn't know the exact dates in many cases, but I had some trouble wayfinding. Also, because there were so many characters, I didn't feel connected to any one person at all. It didn't feel as personal as I'm sure it felt for Tran to create it. I didn't emotionally connect. But I admire the beauty and recognize this as an impressive, stunning piece in history, comics creation, and personal story building.
Some of the framing of the story is Tran's trips back to Vietnam as the only member of his family born in amerika. So I'm including it in my list of graphic novel travelogues. Really good, I'm probably bringing it home for my mom to read....more
This is an example of a cover I do not like. There's too much going on. The silhouette of the trigger (and it took me a long time to figure out that tThis is an example of a cover I do not like. There's too much going on. The silhouette of the trigger (and it took me a long time to figure out that that's probably what it is), the landscape in the background, the looming face. I want to redesign the cover - all you'd have to do is take out one of the elements to vastly improve the thing. But whatevs.
What I really admired about this was the way that Sedgwick constructs it - like a mystery. There are flashbacks every other chapter or so, but what really stuck out for me was the way he subtly layered in the elements that made up the resolution so that, if you were paying attention, you could predict the ending. Maybe. This is a straightforward historical fiction piece, with some pretty gritty elements. I didn't particularly like any of the characters, but that wasn't the point. Great quick pacing, in a really tight volume. I listened to it, and it was only three discs. It's definitely on my shortlist for next year's booktalks....more
I have a couple of cousins who are still teens. One 18, one 16. And it terrifies me to death that this gives a taste of what their life is like, how tI have a couple of cousins who are still teens. One 18, one 16. And it terrifies me to death that this gives a taste of what their life is like, how their brains work. On the other hand, the girls in this are definitely in a very specific place and a very specific time that is very different from my family's. So I can still pretend that my girls aren't smoking pot every day, partying every weekend, etc. etc. etc. I can pretend.
One summary said that these girls go to the top public school in NYC. Which may or may not be completely accurate. But it is true that it's a fairly elitist school which students have to test into. Not to mention, the school is four blocks from ground zero, and the girls started this in March, 2002. Unique unique unique. They're able to articulate themselves much much more clearly than most teens I've met, their handwriting is much more legible than most teens I've met, they're aware of the world in a way that I think most teens aren't. It's really cool to watch them throw around feminism, sexism, discrimination, social justice issues, etc. among all their fart and penis jokes.
Which reminds me, these girls (intelligent and educated though they may be) are obsessed with sex. Obsessed. Which makes me wonder how much is conditioning (sex is how you get attention from boys) and how much is empowered sex drive from being post-feminist-movement. Teenage boys have a reputation of being sex maniacs, but would girls be any different if they were allowed to voice/embrace their true desires?
Also refreshing to see how comfortable they were with GLBTIQA issues. Honestly, the way they talk to each other kinda drove me crazy at times. Constantly making raunchy jokes at the expense of each other, etc. But there's so much love in the midst of the harshness. And you really truly watch them grow up over the two years the book covers. Each one goes through something really serious and makes very adult choices in a positive way. Makes me hopeful.
My favorite piece is written on 9/23/03 by Sophie, where she writes about 9/11 two years later. Just beautiful writing about a very unique time and space. Brought to mind amazing visual images and made me think about how I've reacted in the crises I've experienced.
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