Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy

Hockey/romance books seem to be all the rage right now, and I just borrowed this one, published a couple of years ago, from my local library. Have I mentioned before that libraries rule!? I have not read a book by Faith Erin Hicks in a while, and with Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy she is hitting on all cylinders. This books has strong, fully realized characters, interesting personal dynamics and relationships, and a plot that left me wanting more. 

It is about Alix, a star hockey player on a team where her teammate and captain Lindsay constantly berates her in the locker room and on the ice. 

One day she snaps and attacks Lindsay, which shocks everyone and herself. In order to help herself and also convince her coach to approve her invitation to the Canada National Women’s U18 Team’s summer camp, she decides to ask Ezra for help managing her anger. Ezra is a drama kid who presents as gay and deals with a lot of antagonism from a couple of bullies because of that. Alix admires how Ezra can diffuse the hostility directed against him and redirect it through cleverness and humor. The two strike up a friendship and get to know each other. It turns out that Ezra is more gender fluid than gay, and they end up in a relationship.

The artwork and how it conveys emotional scenes and facial expressions is one big reason this book works so well. The characters come to life in their reactions and in actions, but the hockey and drama scenes work just as well as the interpersonal ones. Hicks is magical with her line-work, an alchemist who makes the flat images breathe and emote. 

I also loved how this book contained so many nuanced, complex, and realistic relations. Alix and Ezra's relationship is a focal point of the book, but there are also a few forays into their family lives, including how they deal with their parents and their own relationship issues. None of the love stories here are idealistic or perfect, but they all feel real. In addition, Alix and Ezra have to navigate how some of their friends take these new developments, and they find out about some other unresolved feelings related to bullying from the past. Ironically, it does not look so much in depth at the hockey team dynamics, other than to point out that no on in that locker room ever had Alix's back. The way the book ends is very open-ended, and I hope that it gets a sequel because I would love to spend more time with these characters. They were very easy to fall in love with.

As I mentioned above, this book was written and drawn by Eisner Award winning artist Faith Erin Hicks. She has created some of my favorite books over the past decades, including The Nameless City trilogy, The Adventures of Superhero Girl, Pumpkinheads, and Friends with Boys. She talks about her work on this book as well as her own hockey skills in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read of this book have been positive. Kirkus Reviews wrote that "the ending feels a bit abrupt, but readers will forgive that thanks to the overall incredible storytelling and character building." Ian Keogh concluded, "The general path is predictable, but handled with such delicacy and sympathy that Alix and Ezra carry readers through with the smoothness of skates on ice." Amanda Melilli called it "a feel good romance that doesn’t shy away from the painful side of life."

Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy was published by First Second, and they offer a preview and more here.

Science Comics: Frogs: Awesome Amphibians

You know what is awesome? Libraries! Recently, I realized I was the only one in my family without a library card. So I rectified that matter and checked out a couple of graphic novels. This one, Frogs, was the first one I read, because I have really enjoyed the Science Comics series and Liz Prince is one of my favorite comics artists. I have read and reviewed many of her books, about relationships, bands, and growing up, and I was eager to see her take on nonfiction comics.

This book stars Fran, a "city kid" whose parents have taken new jobs and moved to the country. She is not thrilled about this situation, and when she goes out to explore the local neighborhood she finds a pond and what she thinks is a fish. It is actually a tadpole, and it can talk(!). In short fashion, Fran finds herself enrolled in Amphibian Academy where she (and by extension, the reader) learns all sorts of things about these animals. For instance, it has lots about how they breathe, grow up, survive over winters. I also learned that they include more than frogs, toads, newts, and salamanders but also the limbless caecilians. 

There is also a good amount of info about environmental factors, diseases, and parasites that affect amphibians. One of the biggest revelations for me here was the existence of Big Night, a multi-community response to the transition from winter to spring when amphibians face danger getting to their habitats. There are lots of calls for action in the book, and that one in particular is very accessible for anyone. Altogether, this book is a fantastic resource for any readers eager to learn about frogs and other amphibians. 

All of the reviews I have read of this book have been superlative. In a starred review for School Library Journal, Emilia Packard summed up, "Prince’s devoted investigation of frogs and toads offers effortless education for readers of all ages and levels of interest, poised to make an Anura aficionado of every reader." Johanna Draper Carlson called it "the best kind of educational comic, one that teaches the reader while keeping their interest so much they might not realize how much they’re learning, on an unusual subject with plenty of awesome facts." Jaime Herndon wrote that "readers of any age will find this volume filled with fun facts."

Frogs: Awesome Amphibians was published by First Second, and they provide a preview and more information here.

Run, Book One

The March trilogy of graphic novels is a modern classic, a multi-award-winning set of books that chronicle the life of John Lewis during the first part of his life. This book, Run, was proposed as the first in another series, but Lewis died just as the final edits were made to it, and it is up in the air if it will ever continue. Still, it is a worthy and fascinating book well worth reading and revisiting.

This volume takes place after the first push of civil rights victories, and it shows how even that segregation was legal and voting rights cleared that equality was far from the norm. This book opens with a white congregation refusing to allow blacks to enter their church and worship, and shows more examples of how entrenched power structures made it difficult for true justice to be practiced. I think it is important to see just how much struggle existed and continues to exist, even after "progress" was made. We are still fighting some of these same battles now, sadly.

This book also features much detail about the workings and politics of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee that Lewis headed, and how it morphed into a different sort of movement that eventually gave rise to the Black Panther Party. 

It also chronicles several contemporary events, such as the Vietnam War and Watts riots, and how they all contributed to the political atmosphere of the times. This book ends with Lewis deciding to run for office, and even if it ends in an open-ended manner that may never be resolved, readers would know that Lewis was elected and served for decades as a US Representative. And I feel that what makes this book relevant and moving is how it shows the friction and effort necessary with any political action. 

Like the March trilogy, this book was written by Lewis and Andrew Aydin, with art by L. Fury, in her graphic novel debut, with some assists by Nate Powell. Fury has been at work on her own graphic novel project, Condemned, and Powell has a long list of credits, including the March books, an adaptation of Lies My Teacher Told Me, and his own works like Fall Through.

This book has received many accolades and glowing reviews. Publishers Weekly concluded their starred review, "Lewis’s stunning American story and legacy lives on in these pages." In another starred entry, Kirkus Reviews called it "an intimate, powerfully revealing look at a crucial, complex time, through the eyes of a true American hero." In a third starred review, Eric Carpenter wrote that it was "as informative and essential an addition to the nonfiction comic canon as its much-lauded predecessors."

Run, Book One was published by Abrams ComicArts, and they offer a preview, a teaching guide, and more information about it here.

History Comics: Rosa Parks & Claudette Colvin: Civil Rights Heroes

I have to admit I went into reading this book, Rosa Parks & Claudette Colvin: Civil Rights Heroes, with a bit of trepidation, because I know that Parks's story is often-told and also incorrectly, as if she was just some tired woman who happened into the situation, which could not be further from the truth. However, there was so much in this book that I either did not know or appreciate, and it was truly eye-opening. If I have a quibble with it, it would be that the title should be reversed, because its narrator and main focal point is Claudette Colvin, who just died this year and should be known by many more people. She was arrested nine months before Rosa Parks was, also for not giving up her seat to a white person in Montgomery, Alabama. The difference was that Colvin made for a poorer test case for litigation, as she was younger, unmarried, and pregnant at the time of the proceedings. It was not until later that Parks became the subject of that test case to argue against and finally end segregation (legally, at least). 

What this book does an excellent job of is telling things like it was, not sugar-coating language, events, or how some people ended up getting more credit than others for the civil rights work. It shows the long, laborious process it took to get justice, from the arrest to trial and later appeals. It shows how these events affected both women and their families, highlighting how they lost friends and jobs and also feared for their lives because of the stands they took. This book also situates these events with other contemporary happenings, like the murder of Emmett Till, to give a clear context of the times. It makes these people real, not just grand figures from history to be studied.

Reading this book the same day that I learned the Reverend Jesse Jackson died, and revisiting the 1984 skit "The Question is Moot" from Saturday Night Live, it strikes me that even after decades we are still dealing with the same issues of disparity, violent authorities, hateful legislation, and misinformation. It's shameful that some of us have hoodwinked by illusions of progress, when the same old things just happen under different guises. Having access to stories like these is vital for people to realize that these struggles are ongoing, difficult, and necessary.

Rosa Parks & Claudette Colvin was written by Tracey Baptiste and drawn by Shauna J. Grant. Baptiste has many books to her credit, including Kid X and Super Goat Girl. Grant has created her own series of Mimi graphic novels as well as a couple of entries in the Baby-Sitter Little Sister series.

All of the reviews I have read of this book have been positive. Kirkus Reviews called it "a valuable addition to the growing swath of graphic novels drawing attention to civil rights history." Johanna Draper Carlson wrote, "The narrator and the open, friendly art style make History Comics: Rosa Parks & Claudette Colvin an enlightening read with something new to say."

Rosa Parks & Claudette Colvin: Civil Rights Heroes was published by First Second, and they offer a preview and more information about it here. This book is suggested for readers age 8 and up, and it features some hateful language and references to sexual violence.

Steady Rollin': Preacher's Kid, Black Punk, and Pedaling Papa

I got this book a few years back from a Kickstarter campaign for Birdcage Bottom Books. Steady Rollin' is a collection of previously published comics, and the only thing holding them together is that they are all autobiographical, roughly chronological, and feature the author and illustrator, Fred Noland. He is currently, in his own words, "an avid cyclist and proud papa." 

Over the course of this book he delves into lots of subjects and time periods, including looking at his upbringing as a literal son of a preacher man, his foray into the punk music scene, living in and around southern California, working at a car wash, various cycling trips, and a tense escapade where he tracked down someone who had stolen his bike. Along the way, I got a lot of insight into his politics, personality, and parenting. 

Each comic episode is a concentrated look at his life, sometimes funny, sometimes thoughtful, and always engaging. He tends to look at things, warts and all, and I appreciated the many truth bombs he dropped. At first I was disappointed that there was not a unified narrative, but I think this book has something better. Although the stories only really roughly fit together and were purposed for other venues, taken altogether they create a mosaic of man I find not only interesting and entertaining but also someone I'd actually like to meet and hang out with. I am not sure if we would get along necessarily, but I like the cut of his jib. And I really like his comics.

As I wrote earlier, Noland is a working artist, and he has produced work for many prominent magazines and venues. He has made a short graphic biography of Major Taylor, one of the USA's first global superstar athletes, and has been working on a longer one as well. He speaks more about his work and this book in this interview and also in this article.

I was not able to find many reviews of this book online, but Publishers Weekly called it a "companionable grab bag of humorous autobiographical shorts."

Steady Rollin' was originally published by Birdcage Bottom Books, but now you can get copies from Microcosm  Publishing (they offer a preview and more at the link).

The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival

Holocaust survivors are growing older and fewer, and The Girl Who Sings is a graphic novel made to ensure their stories are preserved and told to future generations. It tells the tale of Estelle Nadel, who lived in Poland as a girl, and whose story is recorded and featured by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. It is divided into four parts, the first the lead-up to Nazi occupation, the second an account of her family hiding, the third a look at their liberation that brought new terrors, and the fourth the tale of how they finally arrived to America and struggled to make new lives.

What is powerful about this book is its first-hand account of the genocide and harrowing events of the period, ones that are being replicated in the present in multiple places despite a vow to "never again" abide such prejudice and hatred. People were labeled subhuman, detached from social structures like education, relegated to ghettos, and eventually sent to camps to either work or die. Others were killed with bullets and bombs in the course of war. I know there are those who would like to pretend none of this ever happened or even those who would like to replicate these events to perpetuate their own foul beliefs, and one of the strongest ways to combat them is to keep these stories visible. I was deeply moved by this book, more than I expected to be. It is a vital tale of survival and hope in the face of despair, and I feel it is an important story for others to see.

The Girl Who Sang is Estelle Nadel's story, but she died in 2023, and it was translated into graphic novel form here by editor Bethany Strout and artist Sammy Savos. Savos is a storyboard artist and cartoonist who has a strong sense of storytelling, character design, and emotional expression. Through the interaction of plot, words, and images the people and events depicted in this book seem palpable and alive.

 This book has received many accolades and has been very well reviewed. In a starred review from School Library Journal, Darby Wallace called it a "must have." In another starred review, Kirkus Reviews described it as "sweeping, stark, tragic, and triumphant." Emily Schneider wrote that the "metic­u­lous nar­ra­tion and insights, com­bined with Sam­my Savos’s com­pas­sion­ate artis­tic vision, ensure that this sto­ry will not be forgotten."

The Girl Who Sang was published by Roaring Brook Press, and they offer a preview and more here.

Life Drawing

It had been a minute since I read any Love and Rockets, but I recently read Life Drawing to check in with what Jaime Hernandez has been creating these past several years. This book follows the exploits of Jaime's two main focal characters of late, Tonta and Maggie. Most of the book looks at how Tonta is dealing with life after high school, with her bouncing around her aunts' houses, taking drawing lessons at the local community college, maybe finding gainful employment, and fumbling toward possible relationships. Maggie keeps popping up in and around her life in surprising ways, and together they begin to work on Maggie's fear of the ocean. 

None of this plot summary really gets at what makes this book special, which includes the dialogue, interactions between the characters, and gorgeous artwork. In many ways, it reads like a grown-up Archie comic, with multiple short, separate episodes that coalesce into a narrative whole. The characters are vivid and how they interact with each feels real, funny, and moving. The issues they deal with are mundane and relatable, but the artwork is exquisite and expressive. In lieu of a preview, I am just going to post a series of random panels as rendered by Hernandez. 

I think readers new to the Love and Rockets world might need to allow themselves some time to get into this book, as it is a bit scattered on the front end, but fans will be able to visit again with a cast of old friends. I loved seeing the familiar stomping grounds being populated with newer characters, and there are a few surprises, too, including a forest spirit and a couple of weddings. It's another outstanding comic by one of this generation's best artists.

All of the reviews I have read of this book have been positive. In their starred review Publishers Weekly gushed, "Hernandez's jaw-droppingly clean line and mastery of the subtly caricatured human form make the most mundane moments vibrate with life." John Paul Bullock wrote that it "is a perfect entry point for anyone who’s recently discovered this groundbreaking series." Tom Shapira pondered the task of tackling this series for the first time and wrote, "The reviews are still good, they’ve always been good, but there’s just so much of it."

Life Drawing was published by Fantagraphics, and they offer a preview and more information about it here. This book features adult situations, profanity, sex, and nudity, so it is recommended for readers mature enough to handle those things.