Stuck Rubber Baby (1995)

Worth it for the art, definitely, and the writing is good.

Can I just say that I hate dialect, though? Especially the way dialect is done in traditional comic format - tho' and an'? I know these folks are from the south. ( )

Worth it for the art, definitely, and the writing is good.

Can I just say that I hate dialect, though? Especially the way dialect is done in traditional comic format - tho' and an'? I know these folks are from the south. ( )

Summary: Toland Polk is a young man growing up in a Southern city (called Clayfield, but clearly modelled on Birmingham) in the middle of the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Toland becomes part of the fight to end segregation and battle prejudice, in a time and place where even white sympathizers could be the targets of racially-motivated violence. Toland, however, has another secret, one he's keeping even from himself: he is gay, and the movement for racial equality and acceptance becomes part and parcel with Toland's struggle to accept himself.

Review: I lost the preconception that graphic novels had to be funny a long time ago - I've read enough of them in enough different genres, including serious fare like Persepolis, Maus, and Fun Home, to know better. But I can't help but being a little struck every time I read a graphic novel that attempts to tackle a story of this scope and magnitude. Even though it's not an autobiography, this is clearly a very personal story for Cruse, and that raw emotion shines through the pages. But for some reason, I didn't get as involved in this book as I might have expected. I think that part of the reason is that there's a large cast, and the storyline is not particularly straightforward, so I wound up feeling a little scattered. And the artwork, though meticulously done, is very dense, and I often had a hard time telling the male characters (other than Toland, who was the only one with straight blond hair) apart. 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Although this is fiction, I think it would probably appeal most to fans of graphic memoirs, particularly those interested in LGBT issues or the civil rights movement. ( )

Toland Polk is a teenaged guy growing up in the South in the days of segregation—on the white side of town. After his parents are killed in a drunk driving accident, Toland lives with his sister and her good-old-boy husband and gets a job at a gas station. Soon the struggle for civil rights is all around him, and Toland starts hanging out with a group of people—black and white, gay and straight—who believe in equality. Toland gets involved, almost despite himself, and is changed forever. Stuck Rubber Baby takes on racism, abortion, and coming out as gay in the South in the 1960’s, and there’s some very disturbing violence in this powerful book.
( )

The first graphic novel I've read that I thought truly worthy of the term "novel". ( )