Posted January 14, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
Breaks
Genres: Graphic Novels Pages: 152
Series: Breaks #1 Rating: 
Synopsis: Cortland Hunt has made some dangerous mistakes. Now he's waiting quietly for those mistakes to catch up with him. Ian Tanner coasts through life denying the spark of anger beneath his laid back exterior. When school politics and personal lives become a battleground, the pair find that what they share may just be their only safe haven. Bringing the world of LGBT young adult fiction into the realm of comic books, and collecting the first arc of the acclaimed weekly web series (2014-2016), Breaks is the story of two young men discovering who they were, who they are, and who they will become. It's a love story...but a little broken.
Breaks (Emma Vieceli & Malin Rydén) is for some reason being marketed with comparisons to Heartstopper, and the similarities are basically: queer British boys in a Sixth Form setting, there’s some sport, there’s bullying, and someone’s got to come to terms with his sexuality. That’s it — and that might sound like a reasonable amount, actually, but it’s the tone that’s most important, and that’s worlds apart. Breaks is much grittier — even where Heartstopper deals with difficult topics, there’s a general sense that things are going to be okay, because they have each other and they’re both good boys.
Cort and Ian are not particularly great people (nor particularly likeable), there’s a good deal of violence, and we certainly don’t get to see them cuddling adorably. The art is also a touch closer to realism, which also reduces the cuteness factor.
It didn’t help the book at all that the reading experience via the Kindle version is bad, and while it’s also available free online, that also has its problems: the choice of background colour doesn’t provide a great contrast, and it’s difficult to know what part numbers correspond to which volumes. Really irritating.
That said, on its own merits it’s… alright? I think it’s ultimately not my thing, but I enjoyed the supporting characters like Amilah and Rennie, and I’m kind of curious about Harvey and where things are going between Cort and Ian.
Rating: 2/5
Tags: book reviews, books, graphic novels, queer fiction
Posted January 5, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments
Camp Spirit
Genres: Fantasy,
Graphic Novels,
Romance Pages: 208
Rating: 
Synopsis: Summer camp is supposed to be about finding nirvana in a rock garden... But Elodie prefers Nirvana and Soundgarden. Can she confront rambunctious kids, confusing feelings, and supernatural horrors all at once?
Summer 1994: with just two months left before college, Elodie is forced by her mother to take a job as a camp counselor. She doesn't know the first thing about nature, or sports, of kids for that matter, and isn't especially interested in learning... but now she's responsible for a foul-mouthed horde of red-headed girls who just might win her over, whether she likes it or not. Just as Elodie starts getting used to her new environment, though -- and close to one of the other counselors -- a dark mystery lurking around the camp begins to haunt her dreams.
Axelle Lenoir’s Camp Spirit felt a bit like there were two halves, not equally split, that it kept jumping between: a summer love story between two camp counselors, Elodie and Catherine… and a spooky/supernatural story that involved the camp leader, and only later connected at all with what was going on with Elodie and Catherine.
The romance is cute enough, but it feels like it might actually have been stronger if it’d stuck to the summer of self-discovery between Elodie and Catherine or the supernatural plot. As it was, the supernatural plot felt side-lined compared to the teenage woes of those two.
It is, of course, also a very teenage book, given that a large part of what’s going on involves Elodie and Catherine developing feelings for each other.
I quite liked the art, and overall, I did have fun reading it, but it felt strangely slow — especially the first half or so.
Rating: 3/5
Tags: Axelle Lenoir, book reviews, books, graphic novels, queer fiction, romance, SF/F
Posted December 28, 2024 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
Snowflake Kisses
Genres: Graphic Novels,
Romance Pages: 70
Series: Noahverse #3.5 Rating: Synopsis: After an eventful fall term, Skylar and Jacob are finally together and getting ready to spend their first holiday together.
It′s an extra special holiday for Skylar though. It′s his first Christmas with the Grays as part of a real family, and he′s both nervous and excited. Could this be the Christmas he finally feels like he truly belongs?
Jacob is looking forward to spending the weekend with his boyfriend, but right before the trip his anxiety kicks in. He hasn′t found Sky a gift yet, and he′s freaking out! There are so many things he could get but only the most amazing will do for his Skylar. Will Jacob be able to find the perfect gift in time?
Snowflake Kisses (Jordon Greene, Yayira Dzamesi) is a super cute short story in comic format, which is related to a book I haven’t read but was pretty intelligible without it. Skylar and Jacob are dating, and go with Skylar’s parents to have a little Christmas holiday together.
Skylar’s frequently non-verbal and likes to wear skirts, and Jacob is just helplessly in love with him, it’s really cute. The art works well and is really clear, and I liked that the speech bubbles are different shapes to show Skylar’s different ways of communicating: mouthing words, using his phone to speak for him, or using ASL.
It’s sweet, and probably more meaningful for people who’ve read the book, but still fun for me.
Rating: 3/5
Tags: book reviews, books, comics, graphic novels, romance
Posted November 7, 2024 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
The Sad Ghost Club
Genres: Graphic Novels Pages: 248
Series: The Sad Ghost Club #1 Rating: Synopsis: Ever felt anxious or alone? Like you don't belong anywhere? Like you're almost... invisible? Find your kindred spirits at The Sad Ghost Club.
(You are not alone. Shhh. Pass it on.)
This is the story of one of those days - a day so bad you can barely get out of bed, when it's a struggle to leave the house, and when you do, you wish you hadn't. But even the worst of days can surprise you. When one sad ghost, alone at a crowded party, spies another sad ghost across the room, they decide to leave together. What happens next changes everything.
Because that night they start the The Sad Ghost Club - a secret society for the anxious and alone, a club for people who think they don't belong.
The Sad Ghost Club by Lize Meddings is a pretty short graphic novel (took me 15 minutes to read, despite the page count) which features two lonely, awkward teenagers befriending one another after a day of agonising whether they wanted to attend a party, and an awkward evening of not really speaking to anyone at the party. The concerns and anxieties are really familiar from my own teenage years — I was definitely a sad ghost.
I don’t know what it’d have meant to me as a teenager, but as an adult it felt a little overly simplistic, and Socks’ explanation of their difficulties with depression (and the way they urge SG to seek help) felt… cookie-cutter, and laid on with a trowel. Also, it’s really hard to follow which of them is which other than by dialogue. I’m not very visual, so perhaps there are clues I couldn’t pick up, but Socks and SG look pretty identical to me.
It’s probably great for the right audience, but I wasn’t it. Always glad to try new things, though!
Rating: 2/5
Tags: book reviews, books, graphic novels, Lize Meddings
Posted October 31, 2024 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
.self
Genres: Graphic Novels,
Science Fiction Pages: 146
Rating: Synopsis: Postscript backs up everything about a person into a file ready to be loaded in a printed body that offers one final chance to wrap up loose ends after they’ve died.
Nat Winters has finally achieved something like a perfect life. No more scraping or getting by. She has a home, a husband and a job turning into a career.
When Nat’s Postscript gets hacked and her file is torrented, her life gets set on fire by these tweaked copies of her running around the world, chasing down their own versions of her deferred dreams. As more of them begin coming to town, looking for her, Nat will be forced to confront a dozen different sides of herself and try to fix the mess they’ve made. But as she tries to contain things, Nat finds out there’s a contingent of Blanks out there who want to hurt her, even kill her, on the orders of a mysterious enemy who is looking to make this identity theft permanent.
.self starts with an interesting concept: there’s a service that allows you to record all your experiences, right up until you die. Once you die, you’re uploaded into a blank body in order to allow you to move around, meet people, and provide closure. But what if that file gets out into the world early? What if dozens of people torrent it, download you, and put create copies of you? What will those copies do?
I think there’s a lot that could be done with this concept, but .self goes with a fairly straightforward route. Some clones want to kill Nat and take over her life, some want to punish her, some want to be their own person, etc, etc. I wasn’t sold on the idea that these clones were what they said they were: one tells Nat that they’re alternate versions of herself, versions that took a different path, but how? If they’re based on her recent data, they’re all the same. And they all seem to know what they are, and have no blurring of identity between their new self and Nat.
They’ve also all been downloaded into all kinds of bodies, not ones that look like Nat, but there’s little exploration of how weird that might be.
Overall, I thought that at each turn, the most predictable choice was made, and a story that could’ve dug into identity mostly just turned out to be about a modicum of personal growth for Nat, unconvincingly presented.
The character designs are cool, though.
Rating: 2/5
Tags: Aditya Bidikar, book reviews, books, Cara McGee, Christopher Sebela, graphic novels, Rebecca Nalty, SF/F
Posted October 24, 2024 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments
The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite
Genres: Fantasy,
Graphic Novels,
Science Fiction Pages: 184
Series: The Umbrella Academy #1 Rating: 
Synopsis: In an inexplicable worldwide event, forty-three extraordinary children were spontaneously born to women who'd previously shown no signs of pregnancy. Millionaire inventor Reginald Hargreeves adopted seven of the children; when asked why, his only explanation was, "To save the world." These seven children form the Umbrella Academy, a dysfunctional family of superheroes with bizarre powers. Their first adventure at the age of ten pits them against an erratic and deadly Eiffel Tower, piloted by the fearsome zombie-robot Gustave Eiffel. Nearly a decade later, the team disbands, but when Hargreeves unexpectedly dies, these disgruntled siblings reunite just in time to save the world once again.
I thought I’d give Gerard Way’s The Umbrella Academy a shot, though I didn’t know anything about it other than that there’s a Netflix(?) series, and I kinda liked the violin-woman design on the cover.
It’s… a bit of a mess, to be honest; there are some interesting character designs, but it jumps around, motivations aren’t clear, characters don’t really have coherent arcs, etc, etc. The idea of taking a bunch of “special” kids and training them to fight/unlock their powers/etc is a classic, but barely really used here; why they’re so dysfunctional, alluded to but barely touched on; the whole situation for Vanya, nope…
I don’t really get it, overall. Though I still think the violin-body design is astounding to look at.
Rating: 1/5
Tags: book reviews, books, Dave Stewart, Gabriel Ba, Gerard Way, graphic novels, Nate Piekos, SF/F
Posted September 26, 2024 by Nicky in Reviews / 1 Comment
The Baker and the Bard
Genres: Fantasy,
Graphic Novels,
Romance Pages: 160
Rating: Synopsis: Author-artist Fern Haught weaves an enchanting, gentle fantasy tale of friendship, determination, and respecting nature in their debut graphic novel, The Baker and the Bard. Perfect for fans of The Tea Dragon Society, Legends & Lattes, and Animal Crossing.
Juniper and Hadley have a good thing going in Larkspur, spending their respective days apprenticing at a little bakery and performing at the local inn. But when a stranger makes an unusual order at the bakery, the two friends (and Hadley’s pet snake, Fern) set out on a journey to forage the magical mushrooms needed to make the requested galette pastries.
Along the way, Juniper and Hadley stumble across a mystery too compelling to ignore: Something has been coming out of the woods at night and eating the local farmers' crops, leaving only a trail of glowy goo behind. Intent on finally going on an adventure that could fuel their bardic craft, Hadley tows Juniper into the woods to investigate.
What started as a simple errand to pick mushrooms soon turns into a thrilling quest to save some furry new friends—and their caretaker, a softspoken little fey named Thistle—who are in danger of losing their home.
The Baker and the Bard, by Fern Haught, is a short and sweet graphic novel which has justifiably been compared to the Tea Dragon Society books. The two main characters, Juniper and Hadley, are apprentices who leap at the chance to go on a bit of an adventure to find a particular glowing mushroom to fulfil a big order for a client. In the process, they make a few friends and maybe make things a bit better for some people.
It’s very slight, not going into a lot of depth about anything, but the dynamic between Juniper and Hadley is cute, and the little snake is very cute.
There is a bit of a jarring bit where Hadley asks Thistle about gender stuff; rather than an organic part of the journey, it feels like a bit of a Teaching Moment, because it’s not been clear up to that moment that Hadley had any such questions or was anything other than comfortable with themself. And to be clear, I’m not saying it shouldn’t be included or that the presence of a non-binary character needs to have a reason, but it felt like that specific scene came out of left-field.
Overall, a fun enough short read, probably aiming at middle-grade reading age, I’d guess? The art is pretty cute, with a pastel sort of aesthetic.
Rating: 3/5
Tags: book reviews, books, graphic novels, romance, SF/F
Posted June 16, 2024 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments
Across a Field of Starlight
Genres: Graphic Novels,
Science Fiction Pages: 345
Rating: Synopsis: An epic sci-fi graphic novel romance between two non-binary characters as they find one another through time, distance, and war. An amazing story that explores the complexity of human nature and what brings us together.
When they were kids, Fassen's fighter spaceship crash-landed on a planet that Lu's survey force was exploring. It was a forbidden meeting between a kid from a war-focused resistance movement and a kid whose community and planet are dedicated to peace and secrecy.
Lu and Fassen are from different worlds and separate solar systems. But their friendship keeps them in each other's orbit as they grow up. They stay in contact in secret as their communities are increasingly threatened by the omnipresent, ever-expanding empire.
As the empire begins a new attack against Fassen's people--and discovers Lu's in the process--the two of them have the chance to reunite at last. They finally are able to be together... but at what cost?
This beautifully illustrated graphic novel is an epic science fiction romance between two non-binary characters as they find one another through time, distance, and war.
I really wanted to like Blue Delliquanti’s Across a Field of Starlight a lot, because there’s a lot to like about it. The sheer diversity of body types, the queer normativity, the different types of relationships… there’s so much here, and the art is lovely, and the sheer energy in some of the facial expressions and body language is great.
Unfortunately, I found it a little hard to follow at times — the jumps felt too sudden, so that I wasn’t always sure if scenes were supposed to be connected or not. I adored the whole roleplaying game the two main characters set up between them, and I’d have loved a little more of that context to understand more of why they act the way they do together. A little more world-building would’ve been nice, too, to understand a little more than “evil Empire is evil” and “the resistance can be just as bad”.
I still did enjoy it, and I’m sure some of the deficiencies are mine: I’m not as adept at reading visual media as I’d like to be. But for me, I was left with some questions.
Rating: 3/5
Tags: Blue Delliquanti, book reviews, books, graphic novels, SF/F
Posted May 31, 2024 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
We Only Kill Each Other
Genres: Crime,
Graphic Novels,
Historical Fiction Pages: 136
Rating: Synopsis: With World War II on the horizon, Nazi sympathizers and fascists have taken root on American soil in alarming numbers, intending to push the U.S. towards and alliance with Germany.
When the lone hope of stopping the American Nazi movement falls to Jewish-American gangsters currently entrenched in a violent turf war, the gangsters find that there’s only one thing they hate more than each other: Nazis.
We Only Kill Each Other is set during the run-up to World War II, featuring two Jewish characters who are asked to use their skills (beating people up, intimidation and other forms of violence) to defuse the Nazi presence in their city in the US. They’re at loggerheads, however, and make unlikely allies.
It’s not a period I read much about, and as the narrative makes clear, there are no heroes here — these guys are not upstanding normal citizens, but a thug and a gang boss who happen to be Jewish. I read it more because it was there and I could read it for free than out of interest in the story based on the summary, so it’s worth keeping in mind that I’m not exactly the target audience.
And indeed, I found it mostly just… alright? The characters bonded in the end (because of course), and they did indeed manage to beat the Nazis (good) at least in this limited way (thwarting an assassination that would’ve been great for them). The art and writing were okay, but nothing that stood out. I admit to very little knowledge about the quality of the representation of the Jewish characters and whether it plays into any stereotyping.
Rating: 2/5
Tags: book reviews, books, comics, crime, graphic novels, historical fiction
Posted May 13, 2024 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments
Everything is OK
Genres: Graphic Novels,
Memoir,
Non-fiction Pages: 184
Rating: Synopsis: Everything Is OK is the story of Debbie Tung’s struggle with anxiety and her experience with depression. She shares what it’s like navigating life, overthinking every possible worst-case scenario, and constantly feeling like all hope is lost.
The book explores her journey to understanding the importance of mental health in her day-to-day life and how she learns to embrace the highs and lows when things feel out of control. Debbie opens up about deeply personal issues and the winding road to recovery, discovers the value of self-love, and rebuilds a more mindful relationship with her mental health.
In this graphic memoir, Debbie aims to provide positive and comforting messages to anyone who is facing similar difficulties or is just trying to get through a tough time in life. She hopes to encourage readers to be kinder to themselves, to know that they are not alone, and that it’s okay to be vulnerable because they are not defined by their mental health struggles. The dark clouds won’t be there forever. Everything will turn out all right.
Debbie Tung’s Everything is OK is a journey through the artist’s experience of depression and anxiety, interspersed with one-page spreads illustrating various “inspirational” phrases and hints about dealing with anxiety and depression. Her art is cute, and she makes good use of colour to bring across the right moods.
I don’t want to critique someone else’s journey with mental health problems. And I’m sure there are people who’ve found this uplifting and helpful in their own journey — many of the things she says are good sense.
What it isn’t is a handbook to recovery from anxiety and depression, even though at times it’s phrased as general advice to everyone. For anyone whose situation is different or very complex, though, it risks coming across just as hackeyed and tone-deaf as the voices Tung depicts as bringing her down (people who say “just get over it”, “you’re doing this for attention”, etc). It’s no universal panacea, and there are many people for whom basic therapy doesn’t help, or doesn’t help enough. The journey she depicts in this book is an incredibly lucky one — which is great for her, but isn’t the answer to all the mental health problems in quite the way that some reviewers think. Just as it’s not as simple as “pull yourself together”, it’s also not as simple as “stop criticising yourself and learn to live with your flaws”.
Which, to be scrupulously fair, Tung doesn’t say — but nor does she really address it. The book does mention different journeys, but it doesn’t touch on the absolute depths. I wouldn’t give this to someone to help them “understand” depression, because it can’t do that job. I’d give it to Debbie Tung’s friends and family, to help them understand her depression and anxiety, and if someone identifies with the picture of depression in these pages, no doubt it can be useful in the same way. But please, for the love of chickens, don’t give it out as a general instruction book, please.
Rating: 2/5
Tags: book reviews, books, Debbie Tung, graphic novels, memoir, non-fiction
