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what are you reading wednesday?
Jan. 8th, 2020 10:17 amI read a lot of comics this week. Sorry/Not sorry.
What have you finished reading?:
The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars by Michael Dante DiMartino (Author), Bryan Konietzko (Author), Veronica Fish (Illustrator), Irene Koh (Illustrator) - i guess avatar kyoshi was also bi so korra isnt the first. after the first part of the book it just sort of goes into republic city fighting over the new spirit portal created and the land around it. theres a lot of gang violence with 'triads'. i dont get why these gangs are forced to be in groups of 3. its not like gangs are regulated anyway. there's power in numbers!
Lumberjanes Vol. 13 by Kat Leyh (Author), Shannon Watters (Creator), Noelle Stevenson (Creator), Grace Ellis (Creator), Brooklyn Allen (Creator), Dozerdraws (Illustrator), Maarta Laiho (Colorist) - the girls have to stay inside. some play board games, others find a tunnel full of bugs. mothra makes an appearance.
Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Author) - this is a really heavy coming of age memoir about a kid with a parent addicted to heroin. my dad was a heroin addict too. He died of an overdose when I was 15. So this book was especially heavy hitting, although it made me oddly grateful that my situation could have been way worse. this kid had to live with his grandparents. i got to say with my family. his mom was always in and out of his life. my dad was... at least occasionally more present. Honestly this book brought up a bunch of hard memories and made it hard for me to sleep.
The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang (Author) - Oh this is a really sweet coming of age story about a prince who likes to wear dresses, but has to keep it a secret. He hires a dressmaker, but having to keep his secret means she has to be kept a secret as well. Its super sweet, handles things gracefully, and has a cute ending. There seems to be a debate on the Prince's gender, but the only thing the book spells out is that he enjoys wearing dresses. The art is absolutely gorgeous. I'd recommend this one.
This Was Our Pact Paperback by Ryan Andrews (Author) - This is a coming of age story about kids that make a pact to follow lanterns released down a river. Eventually two kids are left: one so high strung he cant have any fun and one so fun loving he cant be serious for a second. Both the main characters are kind of annoying and each chapter just feels like its following a quick paced plot like where things happen just because they have to happen. It wasn't terrible but I didn't like this one.
SuperMutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki (Author) - this wasnt exactly what I thought ti was going to be. I thought it was going to be a graphic novel but its actually the publishing of a webcomic. The webcomic is more of a disjointed each panel has a punchline like you'd find in the paper or whatever. It wasn't bad, and it was clever and amusing, but not great either.
Ink in Water: An Illustrated Memoir (Or, How I Kicked Anorexia’s Ass and Embraced Body Positivity) by Lacy J. Davis (Author), Jim Kettner (Author) - this was a graphic memoir about a punk girl going through a breakup and getting anorexia. its pretty sad but she turns to body building and kicks her disease's ass. I liked the story, but i really didn't like the art too much.
Cast No Shadow by Nick Tapalansky (Author), Anissa Espinosa (Illustrator) - teenage boy has no shadow but otherwise doesnt affect him. he meets a ghost. only he can see her, because of the shadow thing. they fall in love. he helps her find closure so she can finally be at peace. This was cute, but occasionally they have the ghost and the shadow 'narrate' and it tries to get too cute and becomes a little hard to follow.
Beautiful Darkness by Kerascoët (Author), Fabien Vehlmann (Author), Helge Dascher (Translator) - Little cutesy sprite things live in a little girls body till she dies. now its like lord of the flies. most of the little fairy things die in pretty grotesque ways. theyre trying to straddle the line of adorable and completely unsettling and I'd say it works, but its not like the greatest thing I read or anything. its not terrible either.
Middlewest Book Two by Skottie Young (Author), Jorge Corona (Artist), Mike Huddleston (Artist) - okay this is the second trade which is basically about being mentally and physically abused as a kid. but oh my god does it strain to put the father in a "well he was abused too" light. I know its important to have some kind of nuance, but as a survivor, i dont fucking care. it doesn't get to justify abusing another human, yet alone a kid. anyway, the kid also has anger issues and lashes out because hes being abused but he wants to stop the cycle. theres a lot of magic and symbolism in this comic, but its very obvious what its always trying to get at, which I appreciate.
The Beauty Volume 2 by Jeremy Haun (Author, Artist), Jason A. Hurley (Author) - The Beauty is an STD that makes people beautiful. The only known side effects is that it makes you hungrier but actually it'll eventually kill you but people dont know that yet. Anyway, this trade follows a transgender woman who is also a badass assassin. The Beauty is gender confirming which is nice. It was basically a tragic love story and kind of sad.
Ghost Tree by Bobby Curnow (Author), Simon Gane (Illustrator) - A person is fighting with his wife and went back home for some solitude. In his yard is a ghost tree where spirits gather. The main character keeps being drawn to the ghosts and the past, including reconnecting with a former lover, as opposed to focusing on his future. Eventually he realises he has to leave the past, but when he gets home to his wife, it is too late.
Sentient - by Jeff Lemire (Author), Gabriel Walta (Artist) - A convoy of earth colonists is heading to a colony on another planet. However, the colony is in disarray and trying to separate from Earth. There is a separatists on this spaceship and kills all adults. Now an AI must keep all the children alive. Lemire is always good, but this was great.
Sara by Garth Ennis (Author), Steve Epting (Artist), Elizabeth Breitweiser (Artist) - badass russian sniper girls killin nazis in ww2. EXCEPT one is also suspicious of the RUSSIANS TOOO *eyeroll*. This is very, very american. And honestly war stories don't really *do* it for me anyway.
Goodnight Paradise Joshua Dysart (Author), Alberto Ponticelli (Artist), Giulia Brusco (Artist) - Okay this was another really good read where a homeless man finds a dead body adn chooses to investigate the murder, but no one listens or cares about what he has to say. obviously he also has substance abuse issues and untreated mental stuff, but its just... really deep. they touch a lot into gentrification, and the unethical way homeless people are treated. also, the murder mystery is GOOD and has a lot of twists and turns.
What are you currently reading?
Nowhere Men Volume 1: Fates Worse Than Death by Eric Stephenson (Author), Nate Bellegarde (Artist), Jordie Bellair (Artist) - I'm not very far in, but as far as I can tell, this is like 4 rockstar science billionaires coming together to "make the world a better place" but it doesnt go as planned. I really dislike the art.
What have you finished reading?:
The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars by Michael Dante DiMartino (Author), Bryan Konietzko (Author), Veronica Fish (Illustrator), Irene Koh (Illustrator) - i guess avatar kyoshi was also bi so korra isnt the first. after the first part of the book it just sort of goes into republic city fighting over the new spirit portal created and the land around it. theres a lot of gang violence with 'triads'. i dont get why these gangs are forced to be in groups of 3. its not like gangs are regulated anyway. there's power in numbers!
Lumberjanes Vol. 13 by Kat Leyh (Author), Shannon Watters (Creator), Noelle Stevenson (Creator), Grace Ellis (Creator), Brooklyn Allen (Creator), Dozerdraws (Illustrator), Maarta Laiho (Colorist) - the girls have to stay inside. some play board games, others find a tunnel full of bugs. mothra makes an appearance.
Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Author) - this is a really heavy coming of age memoir about a kid with a parent addicted to heroin. my dad was a heroin addict too. He died of an overdose when I was 15. So this book was especially heavy hitting, although it made me oddly grateful that my situation could have been way worse. this kid had to live with his grandparents. i got to say with my family. his mom was always in and out of his life. my dad was... at least occasionally more present. Honestly this book brought up a bunch of hard memories and made it hard for me to sleep.
The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang (Author) - Oh this is a really sweet coming of age story about a prince who likes to wear dresses, but has to keep it a secret. He hires a dressmaker, but having to keep his secret means she has to be kept a secret as well. Its super sweet, handles things gracefully, and has a cute ending. There seems to be a debate on the Prince's gender, but the only thing the book spells out is that he enjoys wearing dresses. The art is absolutely gorgeous. I'd recommend this one.
This Was Our Pact Paperback by Ryan Andrews (Author) - This is a coming of age story about kids that make a pact to follow lanterns released down a river. Eventually two kids are left: one so high strung he cant have any fun and one so fun loving he cant be serious for a second. Both the main characters are kind of annoying and each chapter just feels like its following a quick paced plot like where things happen just because they have to happen. It wasn't terrible but I didn't like this one.
SuperMutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki (Author) - this wasnt exactly what I thought ti was going to be. I thought it was going to be a graphic novel but its actually the publishing of a webcomic. The webcomic is more of a disjointed each panel has a punchline like you'd find in the paper or whatever. It wasn't bad, and it was clever and amusing, but not great either.
Ink in Water: An Illustrated Memoir (Or, How I Kicked Anorexia’s Ass and Embraced Body Positivity) by Lacy J. Davis (Author), Jim Kettner (Author) - this was a graphic memoir about a punk girl going through a breakup and getting anorexia. its pretty sad but she turns to body building and kicks her disease's ass. I liked the story, but i really didn't like the art too much.
Cast No Shadow by Nick Tapalansky (Author), Anissa Espinosa (Illustrator) - teenage boy has no shadow but otherwise doesnt affect him. he meets a ghost. only he can see her, because of the shadow thing. they fall in love. he helps her find closure so she can finally be at peace. This was cute, but occasionally they have the ghost and the shadow 'narrate' and it tries to get too cute and becomes a little hard to follow.
Beautiful Darkness by Kerascoët (Author), Fabien Vehlmann (Author), Helge Dascher (Translator) - Little cutesy sprite things live in a little girls body till she dies. now its like lord of the flies. most of the little fairy things die in pretty grotesque ways. theyre trying to straddle the line of adorable and completely unsettling and I'd say it works, but its not like the greatest thing I read or anything. its not terrible either.
Middlewest Book Two by Skottie Young (Author), Jorge Corona (Artist), Mike Huddleston (Artist) - okay this is the second trade which is basically about being mentally and physically abused as a kid. but oh my god does it strain to put the father in a "well he was abused too" light. I know its important to have some kind of nuance, but as a survivor, i dont fucking care. it doesn't get to justify abusing another human, yet alone a kid. anyway, the kid also has anger issues and lashes out because hes being abused but he wants to stop the cycle. theres a lot of magic and symbolism in this comic, but its very obvious what its always trying to get at, which I appreciate.
The Beauty Volume 2 by Jeremy Haun (Author, Artist), Jason A. Hurley (Author) - The Beauty is an STD that makes people beautiful. The only known side effects is that it makes you hungrier but actually it'll eventually kill you but people dont know that yet. Anyway, this trade follows a transgender woman who is also a badass assassin. The Beauty is gender confirming which is nice. It was basically a tragic love story and kind of sad.
Ghost Tree by Bobby Curnow (Author), Simon Gane (Illustrator) - A person is fighting with his wife and went back home for some solitude. In his yard is a ghost tree where spirits gather. The main character keeps being drawn to the ghosts and the past, including reconnecting with a former lover, as opposed to focusing on his future. Eventually he realises he has to leave the past, but when he gets home to his wife, it is too late.
Sentient - by Jeff Lemire (Author), Gabriel Walta (Artist) - A convoy of earth colonists is heading to a colony on another planet. However, the colony is in disarray and trying to separate from Earth. There is a separatists on this spaceship and kills all adults. Now an AI must keep all the children alive. Lemire is always good, but this was great.
Sara by Garth Ennis (Author), Steve Epting (Artist), Elizabeth Breitweiser (Artist) - badass russian sniper girls killin nazis in ww2. EXCEPT one is also suspicious of the RUSSIANS TOOO *eyeroll*. This is very, very american. And honestly war stories don't really *do* it for me anyway.
Goodnight Paradise Joshua Dysart (Author), Alberto Ponticelli (Artist), Giulia Brusco (Artist) - Okay this was another really good read where a homeless man finds a dead body adn chooses to investigate the murder, but no one listens or cares about what he has to say. obviously he also has substance abuse issues and untreated mental stuff, but its just... really deep. they touch a lot into gentrification, and the unethical way homeless people are treated. also, the murder mystery is GOOD and has a lot of twists and turns.
What are you currently reading?
Nowhere Men Volume 1: Fates Worse Than Death by Eric Stephenson (Author), Nate Bellegarde (Artist), Jordie Bellair (Artist) - I'm not very far in, but as far as I can tell, this is like 4 rockstar science billionaires coming together to "make the world a better place" but it doesnt go as planned. I really dislike the art.
