One of the sweetest stories of friendships falling apart and coming together that I’ve read in ages. The art is fun and dynamic, portraying youthful silliness and high drama with equal grace. Also, recipes!
This was a hell of a thing to pick off my tbr when I couldn’t sleep. I hadn’t read the description; the cover pulled me in and once I saw the creative team it was a done deal. I like what I’ve read of Brubaker and Phillips and I’ve got more of their work on my list.
Going in blind I was a bit concerned at the start that we were going to have a very violent midlife crisis on out hands. And while that isn’t entirely untrue it also doesn’t capture just what the story is about.
Jonathan Webb can’t sleep. On an ill-timed expedition for… we’ll call them sleeping pills — he follows a domino-masked couple into an underground speakeasy for the very rich and gets saved by a manic pixie dreamboat with a violent streak that makes me think I probably should have read/watched Fight Club.
Things get progressively more interesting and convoluted as our storytellers slip into their familiar mashup of spy noir and the reader os left just as confused about the reality if the situation as Webb himself.
I was pleasantly surprised by how it all wrapped up and I look forward, as always, to seeing more work from Brubaker and Phillips.
Going in blind I was a bit concerned at the start that we were going to have a very violent midlife crisis on out hands. And while that isn’t entirely untrue it also doesn’t capture just what the story is about.
Jonathan Webb can’t sleep. On an ill-timed expedition for… we’ll call them sleeping pills — he follows a domino-masked couple into an underground speakeasy for the very rich and gets saved by a manic pixie dreamboat with a violent streak that makes me think I probably should have read/watched Fight Club.
Things get progressively more interesting and convoluted as our storytellers slip into their familiar mashup of spy noir and the reader os left just as confused about the reality if the situation as Webb himself.
I was pleasantly surprised by how it all wrapped up and I look forward, as always, to seeing more work from Brubaker and Phillips.
This was a fascinating look into the life of an artist who wanted only to practice her craft, along with all the personal and political events that got in her way. I don’t want to say too much about the storyline (which was told with respect and genuine care), but I was deeply impressed with the formatting of this particular biographical graphic novel.
I’d never heard of Ros Serey Sothea before stumbling across this graphic novel, and as intrigued as I was I had also resigned myself to hunting down some potential-obscure music. But lo!
It. Has. A. PLAYLIST.
As someone who compulsively researches things alongside whatever I’m reading, this is a huge boon because it let me dive right in. Also, there are cue throughout the book to show you when to play certain songs. They aren’t disruptive to the overall flow (I did not actually notice them until the flag for song #8), and you can certainly read the book and enjoy the narrative without listening alone.
I also appreciate the backmatter included. There’s photos of the major players beside their image from the book, and I particularly like that Cahill has a few pages to explain where he deviated or simplified historical fact for the sake of the narrative.
I’d never heard of Ros Serey Sothea before stumbling across this graphic novel, and as intrigued as I was I had also resigned myself to hunting down some potential-obscure music. But lo!
It. Has. A. PLAYLIST.
As someone who compulsively researches things alongside whatever I’m reading, this is a huge boon because it let me dive right in. Also, there are cue throughout the book to show you when to play certain songs. They aren’t disruptive to the overall flow (I did not actually notice them until the flag for song #8), and you can certainly read the book and enjoy the narrative without listening alone.
I also appreciate the backmatter included. There’s photos of the major players beside their image from the book, and I particularly like that Cahill has a few pages to explain where he deviated or simplified historical fact for the sake of the narrative.
The art and the color palette lends itself to the story of Dana, a high schooler whose extracurricular effects makeup work lands her in deep trouble. Things only come to a head when she and her friend Lily attend a filmmaking class and fissures begin to form.
I really loved this book. It’s a classic senior-crisis coming of age plot but the details are unique and the characters feel real, particularly Dana herself. The horror obsession comes from a place of love rather than treating it as some item off the quirky outsider checklist.
I really loved this book. It’s a classic senior-crisis coming of age plot but the details are unique and the characters feel real, particularly Dana herself. The horror obsession comes from a place of love rather than treating it as some item off the quirky outsider checklist.
Paris by Andi Watson
I somehow missed Paris when it was releasing in single issues, but I’m so glad I caught the collection.
I’ve been a fan of Andi Watson since Slow News Day and I was delighted to see this latest offering.
This is my first introduction to Simon Gane’s work, and I’m glad to have him on my radar. His style is a compelling blend of sleek vintage shapes (like Watson’s own drawings) with an added chunkier texture reminiscent almost of Mignola. It adds depth and detail to the scenes without overpowering the characters or the story, and I suspect I’ll find new goodies hidden in the details with every reread.
Paris is the story of two women dissatisfied with their respective destinies who’s lives intersect and are immediately enriched. Without going into too much detail, it’s a queer love story told among the backdrop of art history and 1950s Paris and if it makes you cry, at least I can promise they’ll be very different tears than the queer classic it evokes.
I’ve been a fan of Andi Watson since Slow News Day and I was delighted to see this latest offering.
This is my first introduction to Simon Gane’s work, and I’m glad to have him on my radar. His style is a compelling blend of sleek vintage shapes (like Watson’s own drawings) with an added chunkier texture reminiscent almost of Mignola. It adds depth and detail to the scenes without overpowering the characters or the story, and I suspect I’ll find new goodies hidden in the details with every reread.
Paris is the story of two women dissatisfied with their respective destinies who’s lives intersect and are immediately enriched. Without going into too much detail, it’s a queer love story told among the backdrop of art history and 1950s Paris and if it makes you cry, at least I can promise they’ll be very different tears than the queer classic it evokes.
Overall I enjoyed this book. The premise, the pacing and the characters (even the ones I loved to hate) were all enjoyable.
I had two problems with this book:
1). This is a minor point and pretty subtle in its presentation, but the main character loves her friends despite their geekiness, rather than because of it. The main character herself qualifies as a geek, but of a different nature (Master of Library Science, romance novel enthusiast). I'm tired of novels that seem to say "my passions are normal, but yours are just weird. I want more general appreciation for others' interests (can we call it intersectional geekery?).
2). The real reason I only gave this book four stars is because it's choppy. Some scenes are written in lyrical prose, and some have a mainstream chic-lit voice to them. Each tone suits the scene it describes, but the transitions between are abrupt or nonexistent, which makes for a jarring experience.
I had two problems with this book:
1). This is a minor point and pretty subtle in its presentation, but the main character loves her friends despite their geekiness, rather than because of it. The main character herself qualifies as a geek, but of a different nature (Master of Library Science, romance novel enthusiast). I'm tired of novels that seem to say "my passions are normal, but yours are just weird. I want more general appreciation for others' interests (can we call it intersectional geekery?).
2). The real reason I only gave this book four stars is because it's choppy. Some scenes are written in lyrical prose, and some have a mainstream chic-lit voice to them. Each tone suits the scene it describes, but the transitions between are abrupt or nonexistent, which makes for a jarring experience.