H.A. (1)

I was in the comic book store perusing the graphic novels looking for something... different. Something... queer. Something with no superheroes or extended universe of 837 other comics I would have to read to understand what is going on in this one. Not only did the spine of this look interesting, but I could see the metallic edges on the top of the book's pages and it was so gorgeous (I have already used this word more than 17 times in talking about this book various places) that I had to show more pick it up and see what it was about. Picking it up I instantly saw how colorful the pages themselves were, and the tagline on the back cover is "Jules is a trans man trapped in his life as a nun," and I DID NOT NEED TO KNOW ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

THIS BOOK IS LIKE A FEVER DREAM. It starts out in the convent, and so you think nuns, okay, I know what is happening her, only nearly instantly you learn these particular nuns are in charge of keeping the world safe from a very particular demon. Okay, got it. The demon has been talking to Jules, though, and promises to help Jules escape and live as a man if the demon can fuck/possess him and Jules says DEAL. Once Jules is out in the world, it feels like a "normal" Inquisition-adjacent historical fantasy world, but then there are occasional bleed throughs from the modern world: like telephones, a modern-looking multi-stall bathroom, a discussion on health care benefits at Starbucks. This book is not interested in explaining to you the rules of how its world works. This book is interested in Jules, and in Casper (fellow trans man and thief Jules meets on the road), in their relationship and in the things that haunt them, both literally and figuratively.

I love that the "reveal" of Casper is uncommented on by the book. Casper is a man, and the first time he and Jules get naked together (this book is fairly explicit sexually), you realize this is one more thing that they have in common, but there is no "Oh!" moment. This book very much centers the trans experience and does not ever pause to explain itself to the cis gaze. There are plot elements that feel like they could resonate with issues like toxic allies, the financial costs of transitioning, but more as themes/feels, not in a straightforward allegorical way.

I could not put this down. (Literally. I paused to look something up online at one point and held the book open to my spot with the other hand the entire time, because finding a bookmark to put it down felt like too much an interruption.) I will say that as a physical object, the heavy pages and the spine construction combine to make this book somewhat fragile. Parts of my book are cracking away from the spine already. If that is going to bother you I recommend handling this carefully.

THE COLORS ARE SO RICH AND THE SENSE OF HUMOR SO PERFECTLY TWISTED AND even though I often have a problem rooting for characters who are thieves who are not explicitly Robin Hood-ing I LOVE JULES AND CASPER SO MUCH THEY MUST BE PROTECTED AT ALL COSTS. show less

The art in this graphic novel was soooo good!! I absolutely adored the art style, the character designs, and all the colors. Ugh if I were leaving a rating for just that it would definitely be a 10/10. Everything about this was so camp. While I do think the storyline left something to be desired I still really enjoyed a lot of aspects about it. I loved the relationship between Jules and Casper, the religious struggle that Jules goes through throughout the entire story, the internal and show more external dialogue, the fight scenes etc etc . I also liked how the author showed the struggle with gender presentation/expression for Jules while still allowing him to dress in some outfits that would normally be deemed as "traditionally" feminine. That isn't something that you get to see a lot in queer/trans masc media because of the fear that they won't be seen as men if they deviate from a "traditional" male presentation which, while being a completely understandable fear, doesn't exactly leave room for examples of a fun/creatively queer wardrobe. So overall I would say that The Chromatic Fantasy was a very exciting and refreshing novel that I enjoyed very much and I look forward to seeing what else the author will put out in the future! show less

A playful and fun fantasy filled with swashbuckling adventure and lots of sex.

A nun is exiled from a convent for making a bargain with a devil and becomes Jules, a highwayman who covets other people's clothes. He runs up against Casper, a jewel thief with an affinity for cursed jewels such as the one Jules wears as part of his compact. Tales of derring-do and doing it ensue.

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: Part One. Jules gets fucked by god. -- Part Two. Jules chills the hell out for a sec. -- Part show more Three. Casper and Jules get eaten by snakes and die. -- Part Four. Casper and Jules do something else instead of solving anything.

(Best of 2023 Project: I'm reading all the graphic novels that made it onto one or more of these lists:
• Washington Post 10 Best Graphic Novels of 2023
• Publishers Weekly 2023 Graphic Novel Critics Poll
• NPR's Books We Love 2023: Favorite Comics and Graphic Novels

This book made the PW list.) show less

Very weird and fun; surprisingly uplifting given the premise. In the end it's not that deep? I guess I would describe it as a surreal t4t romance novel. But I definitely enjoyed it. I laughed out loud at the play, and Sam wanted to know what I was laughing at, and I was like "I can't read this out loud in a shoe store."