Thought I’d squeeze another review post in December since I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately. Downtime at pop-ups means I’m catching up on titles I haven’t read yet!
If you missed me at the BoxSF Holiday Market, never fear – you will get another chance to shop if you come to Milk SF 302 Valencia this Saturday, Dec. 18 from 12-5pm. I saved a bunch of titles specifically for this event so be sure to check it out! (I’ll be bringing Roxane Gay’s comic: The Banks, a bunch of salacious yuri titles, All Out: A Queer Anthology, Julia Serano’s Excluded, 99 Erics, Elvira’s new Memoir, Snotgirl holiday bundles vol. 1-3 and many more…)
Mini store update: I submitted a proposal to the leasing agent along with my financial statement and I’m about to submit my financial statement for application to get a microloan from Main Street Launch as well so we’ll see how it goes…! If I sign a lease at this place it’s going to be all hands on deck to get floors installed and doors open for soft launch, pop-ups and workshops galore! (Floor party anyone?)
Now, onto these reviews…
Snowbird by Erin K. Wilson
This one really impressed me in the beginning. I liked the focus on climate change activism and I thought the protagonist was somewhat interesting. It did take a turn to talking more about her breakup than her activism which, okay, that adds to the character I suppose, though it felt like it took away from what had originally intrigued me about the story. I didn’t mind this book at all, and I liked the addition at the end where the character sort of goes back and reprimands herself for all the ways she went wrong in the original narrative, though I think I would like to see more from this author about climate justice and climate activism which is a hugely important topic and one that people are really starting to wake up about.
Championess
So admittedly this is not the genre/theme I am generally into, but at some point it definitely got interesting enough to the point where I became invested in the characters and the story. The main character is a perspective I think we do not see too often, a (very impoverished) Indian British woman, and she is really interesting and compelling. I think it is refreshing in comparison to all the needlessly dramatic lives of rich aristocrats in Britain (e.g, Bridgerton and The Crown) and wildly more interesting. It is a complete story so there will not be any further installments, and it stands well enough on its own. Definitely worth picking up if the medieval genre suits you and you’re intrigued by a perspective rarely seen in the genre.
Camp Spirit
Okay so this follows in Axelle Lenoir’s style from What if We Were… and I love their art style so of course I wanted to pick this one up as well. I also love that they tend to do one-offs vs. serials, though in this case, I think I would like a continuation. There were some elements of the supernatural part of the story that I really felt were not explored in sufficient detail, and I would have loved to continue to follow the love story between the two girls that blossomed. Overall, I did enjoy it and would recommend it to others, but those were just my thoughts. Also, I found it somewhat questionable how they treated Magalie, the only black female character. That was… I’m not sure. I understood her character but there were some points that I was feeling like Elodie was being (perhaps unintentionally?) racist towards her. I don’t know, just a few bits I was questioning.
Catboy
This little graphic novel was SOOOOOO CUTE!!!! AAAAAA!!!! I love Catboy. Omigosh. I think I understand the hype now. Imagine your beloved feline friend turning into a human? Animorph? Furry? I don’t know. Henry-the-cat becomes Henry-the-cat-who-is-tall-and-walks-on-two-legs, but still Olive’s best friend. Hijinks ensue. I really adored this story, and would definitely keep reading more about these two. I think this feels like an all-ages story as there was nothing explicit (no graphic language, violence or sexual references) so I actually think this could be a pretty good present for kids too if you’re looking for holiday gifts still.
semelparous
I didn’t have to google the author of this to see that it was a man who wrote this series. (I did, and yes, it is a man who is responsible for this.) For some reason, this is a pretty highly rated yuri series though I am not exactly sure why… The art is absolutely ludicrous with the anime boobage (I am certain this must be some kind of kink because everyone knows boobs and proportions don’t actually work like that, right? Right???), the story itself is pretty ridiculous too and while I am a self-indulgent lesbian who loves a sexy girls’ love story, this might be a bit much even for me. It’s also fairly problematic that the main character is 15 and the love interest is 18 (yikes!) – I get that they wanted this to be a coming-of-age high school adventure story but given that the writer/illustrator is a man I think there’s also perverted reasons for these ages. Truthfully, if there wasn’t so much gratuitous fan service and horrifically proportioned body styles (seriously, backs don’t BEND like that bro) and if this were actually written from a gay woman’s perspective, it could have potential. I actually don’t hate the adventure part of the story. But the two main girls act like they’re in their 20s, not teens, and the way they act towards each other is wildly unrealistic in my opinion and extremely inappropriate… But hey if action adventure stories with excessive fanservice are your thing, maybe you want to buy my only copy of this.
If I Could Reach You (vol. 1 & 2)
This story is pretty interesting, albeit a bit stressful and somewhat anxiety inducing. It’s a somewhat uncomfortable unrequited love tale of a girl who is in love with her brother’s wife, and well… you can pretty much guess all the angst involved with this one. I am interested to see where it goes, and to be honest I am kind of a sucker for unrequited love stories. I guess I don’t mind stories that I get mad at – at least they’re memorable, right?
A City Inside
This was a beautiful little slice of life lesbian story with Tillie Walden’s signature illustrations which are just so delicate and wonderful. I really enjoy Tillie’s art and perspective and the very subdued way she approaches storytelling. It’s a fully contained story, very short but very cute and nice to read.
The Waiting by Keum Suk Gendry Kim
Gosh, where do I begin with this story? It was so thoughtfully, beautifully told and illustrated for starters. It was also very educational, and enlightened me to this extremely heartwrenching issue of families separated at the border of North and South Korea during the war. I had some idea, but not a very deep understanding and I felt like this was a very personal window into some of the stories of the people who lived through this time. The author did make this a fictional tale, not non-fiction, though it is based on some conversations and tales from the author’s own mother and family friends.
Night Bus by Zuo Ma
This is a very cool and intriguing set of comics that are like little short stories only somewhat interconnected in that they all take place in the author’s hometown. The author is featured (sort of?) in some of the comics so this is, in a way, a fictionalized and fantastical memoir. I really enjoyed the weird, funky, and mysterious elements of all these stories and would read more comics by this author.
That’s it for reviews for now – I hope to see lots of folks checking out the Winter Magic Market Land at Milk SF this Saturday, Dec. 18th! It starts at noon and we’ll be there until 5pm. There are going to be some other great vendors there as well, so please enjoy the magical queer shopping experience that will be taking place. It will truly be one of a kind and I am really looking forward to it!
The next Writer’s Workshop will be Sunday, Jan. 2nd at 7PM over at Silver Sprocket (1018 Valencia St) so please set your calendars. If you’d like to be added to the mailing list for the writer’s workshop, please email sourcherrycomics@gmail.com with your email address and I will loop you in.
Oh and, don’t forget about the GoFundMe that is still running! We are seeking donations for the storefront and all associated costs for getting this brick and mortar off the ground and running. (Permits, utilities, lawyers/accountants, etc… Also if you know anyone who is familiar with the city’s ADA compliance laws in a retail setting and willing to offer some services for free, please let me know!)
As usual, feel free to email or DM the instagram with any questions or book suggestions! Curious about something but not sure if you want to pick it up? Maybe I can give it a read first – or maybe I already have! Ask and you’ll find out…
XOXO