I just saw a fantastic quote:
Respect existence, or expect resistance
Monday, 29 June 2020
Saturday, 27 June 2020
Graphic Novel Review - 'Primer' by Jennifer Muro (Writer), Thomas Krajewski (Writer), Gretel Lusky (Artist)
'Primer' is a drop-dead gorgeous original DC graphic novel for kids. Seriously, the artwork is some of the best I've ever seen in any comic, and the characters are fully realised. It is dynamic, dramatic, hilarious, touching, and it contains explosive paint superhero action.
Seriously.
Ashley Rayburn is a twelve-to-thirteen-year-old foster kid with an upbeat and energetic personality big enough to burst through the pages. There is nothing small about this literally colourful girl. Her criminal father is in prison, and she tries not to let the child abuse of her past get to her (she has nightmares about her dad); though her father still thinks that he owns her, and that she's in his thrall.
Ashley is a creative and girl power-loving street artist with a "bad streak", "like her father". She's a savvy and marvellously funny optimist with nonetheless deep insecurities. She has been in and out of foster homes for two years, until she is adopted by a young couple: Kitch Nolan, a community college professor and artist who is every bit a hipster, and Yuka Nolan, a shy Asian scientist with a dark secret. She's sweet (and also a huge football fan), but she worries a lot, and due to a misunderstanding Ashley thinks Yuka may not want her after all.
A switcheroo with a government military project - Project Warpaint - and sneaking around in the foster parents' room later, and Ashley receives superpowers. You know the classic superhero origin tale. Ashley dabs tubes of "paint"(superhero DNA residue), which are colour coordinated, on her skin, and they each give her a different power. There are thirty three paints in total. For longer lasting effects and simplicity, she uses three paint colours/powers on each crime busting escapade she goes on. For you better believe she immediately aspires to be a superhero.
Colourful in every way, and armed with spray cans and super paint applied to the skin, Ashley Rayburn is certainly not "just a little girl".
Just don't turn on the sprinklers when she's in the room.
I don't want to spoil much of the plot, though it is basic, but still entertaining. In addition to the foster parents in her family group, Ashley has a POC male best friend, Luke the hairstylist and wig maker, who she instantly clicks with at her new school. The main villain is a military guy who's a violent thug, you know the type, and the drill (heh), and he is effectively intimidating.
'Primer' comes close to being great - it could have been a five star win - except for a few things.
First, while I understand Ashley's feelings and insecurities from being a trouble-to-the-state foster child for years, I still think that her rejection of the Nolans (Yuka, specifically) near the end of the comic, born out of a barely-developed misunderstanding which led to her thinking they don't love her, is sudden and very contrived. They just threw her a birthday party and gave her VIP seasonal football tickets! Of course they care about her! Even a selfish and moody teen could see that! What real reason does Ashley have to think that the Nolans don't want her, and don't care for her? There isn't one. They're awesome people, who worry about her, and who never did anything wrong concerning her. I know that, for all her pizzazz, she's still a traumatised kid with trust issues, but this could have been written better.
Second, Ashley's talent as a street artist, and an artist in general, never really goes anywhere. Apart from the one superheroine painting on the street, she never does anything creative, like in Kitch's studio garage. The paints she uses on herself as the hero Primer were disposed to her by accident - they existed on the onset. She practically stole Project Warpaint and it is now her secret - it doesn't count as her personal project, because she didn't create it herself. Ashley doesn't really use her various powers imaginatively, except for how she paints her body; even in the crime fighting department she's lax in artistry. At least she's inspired, albeit in only one panel, by said superheroine painting before her climactic battle with the bad guy, and she changes her hair now and then. She's also the one who comes up with the name Primer.
And third, and I feel that this is eminently important, the comic doesn't make the military accountable for their actions; for their part in creating Project Warpaint, specifically for the purpose of warfare. They were going to use the paints to make super soldiers, and kill their enemies (whoever they may be) and other countless people. In another story, and in another organisation not called the government or the military, they would be the villains. They would be the corrupt system that the hero has to take down. They would be Marvel's Hydra.
But no: only one "bad apple" turns out to be doubly evil - a soldier who "goes rogue" and is a "liability" who kills scientists, and he wants to use the paints for himself to become the "ultimate soldier". Only he is taken out, and the rest of the military is scot-free. They thank the hero for saving them from the mess they themselves created, and they even become partners with the hero - "taking it from here" - and make her a new superhero suit.
Nothing is learned! One person takes an already evil plan too far in the extreme, and once he's out of the picture (no doubt "taken care of" in that sense by the military), that's the problem solved forever! No realisations, no redemption, no concerns, no "Why should we trust you? You did this! This is all your fault! How do we know you won't do something like it again?" - everything is all hunky-dory in a rushed ending.
I wouldn't say 'Primer' glorifies the military, but it doesn't criticize it either. Let's be friends with the unrepentant warmongers and murderers!
But for all that, 'Primer' is hard not to adore. It is hugely entertaining. It succeeds in colour, humour, action and drama. I love this new young superheroine by DC.
I just wish that the three issues I've raised had been fixed.
Final Score: 3.5/5
Seriously.
Ashley Rayburn is a twelve-to-thirteen-year-old foster kid with an upbeat and energetic personality big enough to burst through the pages. There is nothing small about this literally colourful girl. Her criminal father is in prison, and she tries not to let the child abuse of her past get to her (she has nightmares about her dad); though her father still thinks that he owns her, and that she's in his thrall.
Ashley is a creative and girl power-loving street artist with a "bad streak", "like her father". She's a savvy and marvellously funny optimist with nonetheless deep insecurities. She has been in and out of foster homes for two years, until she is adopted by a young couple: Kitch Nolan, a community college professor and artist who is every bit a hipster, and Yuka Nolan, a shy Asian scientist with a dark secret. She's sweet (and also a huge football fan), but she worries a lot, and due to a misunderstanding Ashley thinks Yuka may not want her after all.
A switcheroo with a government military project - Project Warpaint - and sneaking around in the foster parents' room later, and Ashley receives superpowers. You know the classic superhero origin tale. Ashley dabs tubes of "paint"(superhero DNA residue), which are colour coordinated, on her skin, and they each give her a different power. There are thirty three paints in total. For longer lasting effects and simplicity, she uses three paint colours/powers on each crime busting escapade she goes on. For you better believe she immediately aspires to be a superhero.
Colourful in every way, and armed with spray cans and super paint applied to the skin, Ashley Rayburn is certainly not "just a little girl".
Just don't turn on the sprinklers when she's in the room.
I don't want to spoil much of the plot, though it is basic, but still entertaining. In addition to the foster parents in her family group, Ashley has a POC male best friend, Luke the hairstylist and wig maker, who she instantly clicks with at her new school. The main villain is a military guy who's a violent thug, you know the type, and the drill (heh), and he is effectively intimidating.
'Primer' comes close to being great - it could have been a five star win - except for a few things.
First, while I understand Ashley's feelings and insecurities from being a trouble-to-the-state foster child for years, I still think that her rejection of the Nolans (Yuka, specifically) near the end of the comic, born out of a barely-developed misunderstanding which led to her thinking they don't love her, is sudden and very contrived. They just threw her a birthday party and gave her VIP seasonal football tickets! Of course they care about her! Even a selfish and moody teen could see that! What real reason does Ashley have to think that the Nolans don't want her, and don't care for her? There isn't one. They're awesome people, who worry about her, and who never did anything wrong concerning her. I know that, for all her pizzazz, she's still a traumatised kid with trust issues, but this could have been written better.
Second, Ashley's talent as a street artist, and an artist in general, never really goes anywhere. Apart from the one superheroine painting on the street, she never does anything creative, like in Kitch's studio garage. The paints she uses on herself as the hero Primer were disposed to her by accident - they existed on the onset. She practically stole Project Warpaint and it is now her secret - it doesn't count as her personal project, because she didn't create it herself. Ashley doesn't really use her various powers imaginatively, except for how she paints her body; even in the crime fighting department she's lax in artistry. At least she's inspired, albeit in only one panel, by said superheroine painting before her climactic battle with the bad guy, and she changes her hair now and then. She's also the one who comes up with the name Primer.
And third, and I feel that this is eminently important, the comic doesn't make the military accountable for their actions; for their part in creating Project Warpaint, specifically for the purpose of warfare. They were going to use the paints to make super soldiers, and kill their enemies (whoever they may be) and other countless people. In another story, and in another organisation not called the government or the military, they would be the villains. They would be the corrupt system that the hero has to take down. They would be Marvel's Hydra.
But no: only one "bad apple" turns out to be doubly evil - a soldier who "goes rogue" and is a "liability" who kills scientists, and he wants to use the paints for himself to become the "ultimate soldier". Only he is taken out, and the rest of the military is scot-free. They thank the hero for saving them from the mess they themselves created, and they even become partners with the hero - "taking it from here" - and make her a new superhero suit.
Nothing is learned! One person takes an already evil plan too far in the extreme, and once he's out of the picture (no doubt "taken care of" in that sense by the military), that's the problem solved forever! No realisations, no redemption, no concerns, no "Why should we trust you? You did this! This is all your fault! How do we know you won't do something like it again?" - everything is all hunky-dory in a rushed ending.
I wouldn't say 'Primer' glorifies the military, but it doesn't criticize it either. Let's be friends with the unrepentant warmongers and murderers!
But for all that, 'Primer' is hard not to adore. It is hugely entertaining. It succeeds in colour, humour, action and drama. I love this new young superheroine by DC.
I just wish that the three issues I've raised had been fixed.
Final Score: 3.5/5
Graphic Novel Review - 'Diana: Princess of the Amazons' by Shannon Hale (Writer), Dean Hale (Writer), Victoria Ying (Artist)
I wasn't sure I would enjoy 'Diana: Princess of the Amazons' at first. It was an impulse buy on Amazon along with 'Anti/Hero'. Even though I love Wonder Woman and Shannon and Dean Hale, I was worried that this particular product would be too kiddie and boring for me, with not enough understanding of the Wonder Woman character and mythos. The first seemingly banal several pages didn't exactly win me over.
But the more I read, the more invested I became. Super invested.
'Diana: Princess of the Amazons' is a simple story, but it has nice surprises up its sleeve. An eleven-year-old Diana is lonely amongst the busy adult women on Themyscira, so she makes a friend, a girl like her, out of clay, as she had been built out of clay herself. Things inevitably go wrong.
But more twists and complexities are incorporated into this premise than one might expect. The whole comic is auroral, lovely and sweet. There is action and magic. It is never boring.
In my opinion, it does junior Diana, who is not yet Wondy, superb justice.
Anyone who remembers being a child, especially a lonely child, can relate to Diana, a princess and the only child on her secluded island, which is meant to be a paradise for all its Amazons. An athletic, outgoing and growing girl amid her Amazon "aunties", Diana just wants to play; to share her games, hobbies, interests and explorations with someone her age and who has her free time. She wants someone to truly understand her, and she feels her invariably working mother, Queen Hippolyta, doesn't care for her much.
Children need attention for a reason. Playtime and creativity among both adults and kids is healthy; it's good for their nature and development. It's part of being loving, comforting, supportive, and just there for the kid. Don't let them think they have to do certain things alone, and solve their problems on their own, and that they can't tell anyone anything. Work is important, and so is helping others; and so is making sure children know that they are loved.
'Diana: Princess of the Amazons' is like a junior version of 'Wonder Woman: The True Amazon' by Jill Thompson. The young, clumsy, and (understandably) naive and pressurised Diana gets into trouble a lot, and ends up inadvertently endangering others. She wonders if she is a "true" Amazon throughout: she will receive her answer in more than one way.
It is a great little story for kids, with meaningful morals and themes. Each character is gorgeously drawn (I don't think I've seen a blonde Hippolyta before, and she is stunning, if too young-looking), as are the various wonderful set pieces of Themyscira. There is diversity in that some Amazons are dark skinned and curvy (though, again, the artwork makes many of the adults look like they could be teenagers). Symbols, figures and monsters from Greek mythology are harmonised excellently. And there is not a single male character present.
This DC children's graphic novel - a story of Wonder Woman as a little girl, and the start of her heroics - is bright, colourful, adorable, touching, and charming. It is wholesome entertainment, about family, companionship, compassion, love, understanding, forgiveness and mercy. Plus it contains cute animals, such as cheetah cubs, and there's an 'Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld' reference! I had already fallen in love with the book by then, but that alone sealed the deal with my recommending it with all my heart.
I wish for a Wonder Woman/Amethyst crossover comic now! They fit perfectly together! Diana, princess of the Amazons, and Amethyst, princess of Gemworld - make it happen, DC!
Final Score: 4.5/5
But the more I read, the more invested I became. Super invested.
'Diana: Princess of the Amazons' is a simple story, but it has nice surprises up its sleeve. An eleven-year-old Diana is lonely amongst the busy adult women on Themyscira, so she makes a friend, a girl like her, out of clay, as she had been built out of clay herself. Things inevitably go wrong.
But more twists and complexities are incorporated into this premise than one might expect. The whole comic is auroral, lovely and sweet. There is action and magic. It is never boring.
In my opinion, it does junior Diana, who is not yet Wondy, superb justice.
Anyone who remembers being a child, especially a lonely child, can relate to Diana, a princess and the only child on her secluded island, which is meant to be a paradise for all its Amazons. An athletic, outgoing and growing girl amid her Amazon "aunties", Diana just wants to play; to share her games, hobbies, interests and explorations with someone her age and who has her free time. She wants someone to truly understand her, and she feels her invariably working mother, Queen Hippolyta, doesn't care for her much.
Children need attention for a reason. Playtime and creativity among both adults and kids is healthy; it's good for their nature and development. It's part of being loving, comforting, supportive, and just there for the kid. Don't let them think they have to do certain things alone, and solve their problems on their own, and that they can't tell anyone anything. Work is important, and so is helping others; and so is making sure children know that they are loved.
'Diana: Princess of the Amazons' is like a junior version of 'Wonder Woman: The True Amazon' by Jill Thompson. The young, clumsy, and (understandably) naive and pressurised Diana gets into trouble a lot, and ends up inadvertently endangering others. She wonders if she is a "true" Amazon throughout: she will receive her answer in more than one way.
It is a great little story for kids, with meaningful morals and themes. Each character is gorgeously drawn (I don't think I've seen a blonde Hippolyta before, and she is stunning, if too young-looking), as are the various wonderful set pieces of Themyscira. There is diversity in that some Amazons are dark skinned and curvy (though, again, the artwork makes many of the adults look like they could be teenagers). Symbols, figures and monsters from Greek mythology are harmonised excellently. And there is not a single male character present.
This DC children's graphic novel - a story of Wonder Woman as a little girl, and the start of her heroics - is bright, colourful, adorable, touching, and charming. It is wholesome entertainment, about family, companionship, compassion, love, understanding, forgiveness and mercy. Plus it contains cute animals, such as cheetah cubs, and there's an 'Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld' reference! I had already fallen in love with the book by then, but that alone sealed the deal with my recommending it with all my heart.
I wish for a Wonder Woman/Amethyst crossover comic now! They fit perfectly together! Diana, princess of the Amazons, and Amethyst, princess of Gemworld - make it happen, DC!
Final Score: 4.5/5
Graphic Novel Review - 'Anti/Hero' by Kate Karyus Quinn (Writer), Demitria Lunetta (Writer), Maca Gil (Artist)
An absolutely delightful and splendid DC kids' comic.
I've read three 2020 mini graphic novels from DC "for kids" this week: 'Anti/Hero', 'Diana: Princess of the Amazons', and 'Primer'. I enjoyed them all - hooray for diversity and young superheroines kicking arse! - but 'Anti/Hero' might be my favourite. It's got such fantastic characters, character development, a practically perfect pace, brilliant and creative action, and the artwork serves to make it all remind me of a fresh-faced Saturday morning cartoon.
Set in the DC universe, it's time for a new generation of girl heroes to fight crime in Gotham!
Piper Pajaro is an Hispanic middle school wannabe superhero - the Cheesy Chips-eating, happy-go-lucky Hummingbird - with super strength and amazing bouncing energy. She's more brawn and impulse than brains, thus her tendency to cause more property damage than the criminals she tries to catch. She lives with her grandmother and cop uncle, and her absent parents are away in Antarctica doing groundbreaking scientific projects, and she desperately wishes to see them. A school competition to go to Antarctica for an adventurous summer program is just what she is looking for (what a coinckidink!).
Sloane MacBrute, a child prodigy in the same classes as Piper, is a supervillain. Only not really, as she's just committing crimes as jobs for her grandfather, a Scottish crime boss in Gotham known as the Bear, to support her sick mother. Sloane is a tech genius with a wrist watch which has an AI inside it, named Minnie, and she has little bug drones to help her out on her breaking-in-and-stealing errands.
An accident involving a theft of a device causes the hero and the archnemesis of this story to switch bodies. See how they live out each other's polar opposite lives with their polar opposite personalities, while they plan out how they can fix the device, among their other mistakes, and switch back.
Both girls are adorable, sweet, complex and precious in their own way, but I have to say that Sloane is my favourite. I love her design - I guess I have a soft spot for pale, white haired girls who wear black and are morally gray antiheroines - and she has such an assortment of facial expressions that I did not expect - both when she's herself and when Piper is in her body. She isn't really grumpy or moody at all, and she's a special highlight for three-dimensional smart girls in the media. Her relationship with her struggling, jobless and then hospitalised mum is also super lovely.
'Anti/Hero' is fun and colourful - there isn't a dull panel nor a moment without especial care given to it - but I have to admit that it isn't perfect. Sloane's crime boss grandfather, the Bear, and his goons are very much stereotypically Scottish: kilts, red hair, beards, saying lingo like "ye" and "did nae" and "wee lass", and the Bear actually has a pet bear. There's a bagpipe hanging on his office wall as well; of course they couldn't resist adding in that little detail. It's like Pixar's 'Brave' snuck into a James Bond plot (hey, a positive and complicated Scottish mother-and-daughter relationship is in here, too!). But at least the pet bear does play a major key role in the comic's climactic fight.
Additionally, that summer program to Antarctica that both Piper and Sloane are competing for - doubling their motivation for getting back into their own bodies - did that get forgotten about in the last sixteen pages?
But what a great team they make! They are so cute. Even Batman praises them in his two-page cameo at the end! In daylight! I realise I don't see the Dark Knight in broad daylight often, in any media.
I strongly recommend 'Anti/Hero'. It's all fun, funny, sweet, clever, intriguing, touching, heartfelt, and action-packed girl power (oh and there's a third wheel to the girls' team, Ben the junior journalist; he's barely worth mentioning, except that he's a POC, too).
Some of these new and original DC books for middle schoolers are sure showing promise! What super great and progressive stuff they are starting to put out for a new generation!
Final Score: 4.5/5
I've read three 2020 mini graphic novels from DC "for kids" this week: 'Anti/Hero', 'Diana: Princess of the Amazons', and 'Primer'. I enjoyed them all - hooray for diversity and young superheroines kicking arse! - but 'Anti/Hero' might be my favourite. It's got such fantastic characters, character development, a practically perfect pace, brilliant and creative action, and the artwork serves to make it all remind me of a fresh-faced Saturday morning cartoon.
Set in the DC universe, it's time for a new generation of girl heroes to fight crime in Gotham!
Piper Pajaro is an Hispanic middle school wannabe superhero - the Cheesy Chips-eating, happy-go-lucky Hummingbird - with super strength and amazing bouncing energy. She's more brawn and impulse than brains, thus her tendency to cause more property damage than the criminals she tries to catch. She lives with her grandmother and cop uncle, and her absent parents are away in Antarctica doing groundbreaking scientific projects, and she desperately wishes to see them. A school competition to go to Antarctica for an adventurous summer program is just what she is looking for (what a coinckidink!).
Sloane MacBrute, a child prodigy in the same classes as Piper, is a supervillain. Only not really, as she's just committing crimes as jobs for her grandfather, a Scottish crime boss in Gotham known as the Bear, to support her sick mother. Sloane is a tech genius with a wrist watch which has an AI inside it, named Minnie, and she has little bug drones to help her out on her breaking-in-and-stealing errands.
An accident involving a theft of a device causes the hero and the archnemesis of this story to switch bodies. See how they live out each other's polar opposite lives with their polar opposite personalities, while they plan out how they can fix the device, among their other mistakes, and switch back.
Both girls are adorable, sweet, complex and precious in their own way, but I have to say that Sloane is my favourite. I love her design - I guess I have a soft spot for pale, white haired girls who wear black and are morally gray antiheroines - and she has such an assortment of facial expressions that I did not expect - both when she's herself and when Piper is in her body. She isn't really grumpy or moody at all, and she's a special highlight for three-dimensional smart girls in the media. Her relationship with her struggling, jobless and then hospitalised mum is also super lovely.
'Anti/Hero' is fun and colourful - there isn't a dull panel nor a moment without especial care given to it - but I have to admit that it isn't perfect. Sloane's crime boss grandfather, the Bear, and his goons are very much stereotypically Scottish: kilts, red hair, beards, saying lingo like "ye" and "did nae" and "wee lass", and the Bear actually has a pet bear. There's a bagpipe hanging on his office wall as well; of course they couldn't resist adding in that little detail. It's like Pixar's 'Brave' snuck into a James Bond plot (hey, a positive and complicated Scottish mother-and-daughter relationship is in here, too!). But at least the pet bear does play a major key role in the comic's climactic fight.
Additionally, that summer program to Antarctica that both Piper and Sloane are competing for - doubling their motivation for getting back into their own bodies - did that get forgotten about in the last sixteen pages?
But what a great team they make! They are so cute. Even Batman praises them in his two-page cameo at the end! In daylight! I realise I don't see the Dark Knight in broad daylight often, in any media.
I strongly recommend 'Anti/Hero'. It's all fun, funny, sweet, clever, intriguing, touching, heartfelt, and action-packed girl power (oh and there's a third wheel to the girls' team, Ben the junior journalist; he's barely worth mentioning, except that he's a POC, too).
Some of these new and original DC books for middle schoolers are sure showing promise! What super great and progressive stuff they are starting to put out for a new generation!
Final Score: 4.5/5
Wednesday, 24 June 2020
To my dear, darling readers: Do any of you know what it's like to live in a country that's easing its lockdown, and on the hottest day of the year you have to go to work, inside a giant, warehouse-like store with no air conditioning and no opening for air, during a sale, and you have to wear a face mask and gloves? Do you? DO YOU!!!? DO YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????
Saturday, 20 June 2020
Happy Pride Month 2020
I apologise for the late message. But Happy Pride Month to everyone, seriously. That includes the trans community. Trans rights are human rights.
Let us celebrate the inclusive, LBGTQ representation in the media - mainstream, and in children's entertainment - in recent years. See it, love it, respect it, normalise it, be it.
Spread love, not hate. Care about each other, and we will survive. Love to you all, always and forever xxx 🌈🌈🌈
Let us celebrate the inclusive, LBGTQ representation in the media - mainstream, and in children's entertainment - in recent years. See it, love it, respect it, normalise it, be it.
Spread love, not hate. Care about each other, and we will survive. Love to you all, always and forever xxx 🌈🌈🌈
Sunday, 14 June 2020
Book Review - 'The Henna Wars' by Adiba Jaigirdar
2023 EDIT: Part of my 2023 clear-up, of books I no longer like, or am no longer interested in, or remember well as standing out, or find as special anymore, or I otherwise will not miss.
Final Score: 3.5/5
Original Review:
My word, I have such complicated thoughts and feelings about 'The Henna Wars'.
There are moments in it that make me hate the characters and want to yell and tear my hair out. It's a bit like a rom com, that stars queer brown Asian girls in love with each other - complete with stupid and thoughtless shenanigans from both sides, which comes with the genre package. There are friendship dynamics that appear to be like a much lighter version of those in 'The Hate U Give' (like with the unconsciously racist, and socially and culturally tone deaf, white friend, and another, Asian friend who is uncomfortable and silent through it all).
But...alongside the serious issues of racism, homophobia, culture clashes, and cultural approbation, 'The Henna Wars' is such a soft and warm book!
It's set in Ireland, and one of the main settings is an all girls Catholic school. The messy and complicated, developing romance between the teens Nishat, a Bangladeshi-Muslim lesbian who is losing the love of her family and friends fast just for coming out and being who she is, and Flávia, a Black Brazilian-Irish bisexual who is appropriating Nishat's culture with a henna business and doesn't realise that what she's doing is wrong, is adorable, despite everything. Their relationship, starting from being estranged childhood classmates, to bitter rivals in henna businesses for a class competition, to finally not-so-secret girlfriends (after Nishat is harassed and outed, without her consent and in the nastiest way possible, to their entire school) - it manages to be cute and melt-worthy.
Flávia has a white cousin, Chyna, who is a racist bully and the school's queen bee. She used to be Nishat's friend before she revealed her true colours. She's one of those girls, who are seemingly in every school ever, and one of those people, who take great pleasure in spreading malicious lies about marginalized people and in making the lives of their "underlings" a living hell. Chyna has had everyone believe that she can get away with murder (her ambition is to be a lawyer, gods help us all) - and with stealing and appropriating parts of other cultures that she knows nothing about. She and her class business partner Flávia, who is an artist and who only took up henna because she thinks it looks cool, make henna their business at the school. Chyna, a white girl, uses henna as her scheme to go further into the popularity gateway. It's also so she can get back at Nishat, whom she had spread racist rumours about for years (and about her family).
Nishat is absolutely furious at this - due to people appropriating her rich, complex culture, and them undermining her passion for henna - and not everyone understands her righteous anger. She can't get rid of her feelings for Flávia either, no matter what; no matter her attempts to "get back at them".
That is the plot of 'The Henna Wars' in a nutshell. I can also sum it all up as "It's slipshod, but hey, so is life." There is a familial beauty to the book, as well. The family and friends relationships are realistic, to an extent, and it's a look into the social hierarchy of schools - a microcosm into a much larger, broken system of abuse and bigotry, that lacks humanity and compassion.
And it's yet another large, brave step in the right direction in terms of diversity in YA novels. Not only because of the queer love between a Bangladeshi-Muslim girl and a Black Brazilian girl, which is as messy as any teen relationship - though of course that is a huge deal - but because 'The Henna Wars' also exudes a strong female presence about it. The beautiful brown girls are at an all girls school, with only women teachers. Mothers and sisters are prominent, important figures. Grandmothers, aunts and female cousins are also a big feature. Really, the only main male character is Nishat's father, and he is barely seen doing or saying anything. The book loves and celebrates being a girl - in the there-are-no-wrong-ways-to-be-a-girl way - and I love it for it. Additionally, I have not read a lot of YA books that are set in Dublin.
Nishat's relationship with her younger-by-one-year sister Priti is one of the strongest and most outstanding in the whole book. It's so loving, supportive, and funny, if rage-inducing at one particular moment in the second act climax. In reading everything that they go through, both united and individually, I never had any trouble believing that they are sisters who love each other. They're best friends, who stick together and always come around, and honestly it's one of the most positive, heartbreaking, heartwarming, complex, and realistic sibling bonds I've ever read about in fiction. Through blunder and chaos, these young and ruff and tumble allies will come through for each other.
Nishat's parents, on the other hand, are...not great. At the beginning of the story, after she comes out to them, feeling she needs them to know and that she shouldn't hide who she is from them, they give her the silent treatment. They occasionally bother to acknowledge her, but only to talk about her "bringing shame to the family"; that she needs to "make a choice", and she should just stop being a lesbian, or they won't love her anymore. They want to believe that their daughter's true self is a Western influence and is caused by "too much freedom" (where have I heard that before?). They hope this "sickness" will go away once she "comes to her senses", and will marry a man like they'd planned. In the meantime, they make her feel shameful, unwanted, unloved, and unworthy.
It's not until Nishat's parents realise that, whaddaya know, their lesbian daughter has feelings, and her ambitions for her future won't be negatively affected by her sexuality, that they finally, gradually, come out of their narrow world view, and try to accept her for who she is, in their way.
Nishat's parents are said to be quite liberal, and almost "outsider", Muslims, who break some traditions, but they are set on conservative heterosexual marriages. For their shortcomings, they are nowhere near as extreme as the parents in 'The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali', another queer Muslim YA book - they don't sink to THOSE depths of horrific abuse - and they are more forgivable (but the "If you're gay we won't love you" rhetoric, less so). At the end of 'The Henna Wars', they are shown to care enough to try to understand Nishat; the very people who are supposed to love her and be there for her are far from perfect, though it isn't exactly unrealistic.
Another aspect I have to comment on in 'The Henna Wars': What makes me forgive most of the characters for their meanspirited and thoughtless words and actions is something obvious but still somehow underused in a lot of stories, and it's this:
They apologise.
Eventually, they realise that what they did is wrong and they say so.
They own up to their mistakes.
They say sorry.
I've found that in some works of fiction, there are writers who for some reason seem to be deathly allergic to having their characters say "I'm sorry". Worse, they may have characters say they're sorry, but it's from the wronged party. I can't fathom it. It's against common sense, morality and ethics. Acknowledging and admitting character flaws, and making them take responsibility for their own mistakes, for words hurt and actions have consequences, is part of character growth. Characters do something that's clearly wrong and they face up to it, not ignore it and pretend it didn't happen. Apologising is the first step.
To my relief, 'The Henna Wars' fixes this common writing error. It makes a conscious effort to not make excuses for any of its characters, and there is no bias towards anyone, no favouritism, that I can decipher. A lot of people say "I'm sorry" in this novel, and they explain why what they said or did was wrong. It is quite refreshing and wonderful, though imperfect, to read about.
Ah, 'The Henna Wars' - I can't stay mad at you. You're an adorable, sunny, frustrating paradox, and your diversity rep is awesome. You're like a lighter version of 'The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali' (there's even a beloved grandmother character who's in Bangladesh), and similar to that, I learned a lot about Bangladeshi culture from you (as well as a little about other Asian cultures); including the food, the weddings, and henna. What gorgeous henna.
And I will forever love that cover. Brown girls love for the win.
Final Score: 3.5/5
Final Score: 3.5/5
Original Review:
My word, I have such complicated thoughts and feelings about 'The Henna Wars'.
There are moments in it that make me hate the characters and want to yell and tear my hair out. It's a bit like a rom com, that stars queer brown Asian girls in love with each other - complete with stupid and thoughtless shenanigans from both sides, which comes with the genre package. There are friendship dynamics that appear to be like a much lighter version of those in 'The Hate U Give' (like with the unconsciously racist, and socially and culturally tone deaf, white friend, and another, Asian friend who is uncomfortable and silent through it all).
But...alongside the serious issues of racism, homophobia, culture clashes, and cultural approbation, 'The Henna Wars' is such a soft and warm book!
It's set in Ireland, and one of the main settings is an all girls Catholic school. The messy and complicated, developing romance between the teens Nishat, a Bangladeshi-Muslim lesbian who is losing the love of her family and friends fast just for coming out and being who she is, and Flávia, a Black Brazilian-Irish bisexual who is appropriating Nishat's culture with a henna business and doesn't realise that what she's doing is wrong, is adorable, despite everything. Their relationship, starting from being estranged childhood classmates, to bitter rivals in henna businesses for a class competition, to finally not-so-secret girlfriends (after Nishat is harassed and outed, without her consent and in the nastiest way possible, to their entire school) - it manages to be cute and melt-worthy.
Flávia has a white cousin, Chyna, who is a racist bully and the school's queen bee. She used to be Nishat's friend before she revealed her true colours. She's one of those girls, who are seemingly in every school ever, and one of those people, who take great pleasure in spreading malicious lies about marginalized people and in making the lives of their "underlings" a living hell. Chyna has had everyone believe that she can get away with murder (her ambition is to be a lawyer, gods help us all) - and with stealing and appropriating parts of other cultures that she knows nothing about. She and her class business partner Flávia, who is an artist and who only took up henna because she thinks it looks cool, make henna their business at the school. Chyna, a white girl, uses henna as her scheme to go further into the popularity gateway. It's also so she can get back at Nishat, whom she had spread racist rumours about for years (and about her family).
Nishat is absolutely furious at this - due to people appropriating her rich, complex culture, and them undermining her passion for henna - and not everyone understands her righteous anger. She can't get rid of her feelings for Flávia either, no matter what; no matter her attempts to "get back at them".
That is the plot of 'The Henna Wars' in a nutshell. I can also sum it all up as "It's slipshod, but hey, so is life." There is a familial beauty to the book, as well. The family and friends relationships are realistic, to an extent, and it's a look into the social hierarchy of schools - a microcosm into a much larger, broken system of abuse and bigotry, that lacks humanity and compassion.
And it's yet another large, brave step in the right direction in terms of diversity in YA novels. Not only because of the queer love between a Bangladeshi-Muslim girl and a Black Brazilian girl, which is as messy as any teen relationship - though of course that is a huge deal - but because 'The Henna Wars' also exudes a strong female presence about it. The beautiful brown girls are at an all girls school, with only women teachers. Mothers and sisters are prominent, important figures. Grandmothers, aunts and female cousins are also a big feature. Really, the only main male character is Nishat's father, and he is barely seen doing or saying anything. The book loves and celebrates being a girl - in the there-are-no-wrong-ways-to-be-a-girl way - and I love it for it. Additionally, I have not read a lot of YA books that are set in Dublin.
Nishat's relationship with her younger-by-one-year sister Priti is one of the strongest and most outstanding in the whole book. It's so loving, supportive, and funny, if rage-inducing at one particular moment in the second act climax. In reading everything that they go through, both united and individually, I never had any trouble believing that they are sisters who love each other. They're best friends, who stick together and always come around, and honestly it's one of the most positive, heartbreaking, heartwarming, complex, and realistic sibling bonds I've ever read about in fiction. Through blunder and chaos, these young and ruff and tumble allies will come through for each other.
Nishat's parents, on the other hand, are...not great. At the beginning of the story, after she comes out to them, feeling she needs them to know and that she shouldn't hide who she is from them, they give her the silent treatment. They occasionally bother to acknowledge her, but only to talk about her "bringing shame to the family"; that she needs to "make a choice", and she should just stop being a lesbian, or they won't love her anymore. They want to believe that their daughter's true self is a Western influence and is caused by "too much freedom" (where have I heard that before?). They hope this "sickness" will go away once she "comes to her senses", and will marry a man like they'd planned. In the meantime, they make her feel shameful, unwanted, unloved, and unworthy.
It's not until Nishat's parents realise that, whaddaya know, their lesbian daughter has feelings, and her ambitions for her future won't be negatively affected by her sexuality, that they finally, gradually, come out of their narrow world view, and try to accept her for who she is, in their way.
Nishat's parents are said to be quite liberal, and almost "outsider", Muslims, who break some traditions, but they are set on conservative heterosexual marriages. For their shortcomings, they are nowhere near as extreme as the parents in 'The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali', another queer Muslim YA book - they don't sink to THOSE depths of horrific abuse - and they are more forgivable (but the "If you're gay we won't love you" rhetoric, less so). At the end of 'The Henna Wars', they are shown to care enough to try to understand Nishat; the very people who are supposed to love her and be there for her are far from perfect, though it isn't exactly unrealistic.
Another aspect I have to comment on in 'The Henna Wars': What makes me forgive most of the characters for their meanspirited and thoughtless words and actions is something obvious but still somehow underused in a lot of stories, and it's this:
They apologise.
Eventually, they realise that what they did is wrong and they say so.
They own up to their mistakes.
They say sorry.
I've found that in some works of fiction, there are writers who for some reason seem to be deathly allergic to having their characters say "I'm sorry". Worse, they may have characters say they're sorry, but it's from the wronged party. I can't fathom it. It's against common sense, morality and ethics. Acknowledging and admitting character flaws, and making them take responsibility for their own mistakes, for words hurt and actions have consequences, is part of character growth. Characters do something that's clearly wrong and they face up to it, not ignore it and pretend it didn't happen. Apologising is the first step.
To my relief, 'The Henna Wars' fixes this common writing error. It makes a conscious effort to not make excuses for any of its characters, and there is no bias towards anyone, no favouritism, that I can decipher. A lot of people say "I'm sorry" in this novel, and they explain why what they said or did was wrong. It is quite refreshing and wonderful, though imperfect, to read about.
Ah, 'The Henna Wars' - I can't stay mad at you. You're an adorable, sunny, frustrating paradox, and your diversity rep is awesome. You're like a lighter version of 'The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali' (there's even a beloved grandmother character who's in Bangladesh), and similar to that, I learned a lot about Bangladeshi culture from you (as well as a little about other Asian cultures); including the food, the weddings, and henna. What gorgeous henna.
And I will forever love that cover. Brown girls love for the win.
Final Score: 3.5/5
Friday, 12 June 2020
Graphic Novel Review - 'Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed' by Laurie Halse Anderson (Writer), Leila del Duca (Artist)
'Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed' is a rich, relevant, endearing and even a little funny contemporary retelling of Wondy's origin.
This DC young adult graphic novel, written by Laurie Halse Anderson, is less about superheroics (Diana is never actually called Wonder Woman here, nor does she sport a secret hero identity, though she hides her Amazonian background from everyone in mortal Man's World) and flashy comic book action, and more about tackling all kinds of social and political issues. Its primary focus is on what's ordinary and normalized today - an eyeopener on what's happening in real life that's controlled by men. It's about the ways in which the patriarchy hurts us all and makes no sense; it ignores basic humans rights and the legal justice system, and it is run through incompetence, ignorance, violence, and brutal cruelty, in keeping with the centuries-long status quo.
It's about exposing a corrupt, broken system.
It holds a mirror to bigotry; examples include racism, xenophobia, classism, sexism, and misogyny.
It reveals, in no small estimate, the suffering of children in this system. And make no mistake.
Poverty and homelessness are major points of discussion.
And Princess Diana - changeling (another word for a mood-swinging teenager), accidental refugee, and newcomer to the horrors of Man's World - is truly going to tell it as it is...
Of course it won't be easy. Despite the fact that seeing and knowing what is right and wrong is simple and not complicated at all, change is never easy. Change on a large scale in a corrupt world system that favours men is next to impossible, and it can take forever to achieve even a chink in the glass ceiling. But at least in Man's Messed Up World, Diana will have female friends to aid her in her day-to-day living as a "normal" human activist girl.
An activist with a voice, and language, listening, and understanding skills. And super strength.
On top of everything else, Diana is a lost girl wanting to find her way home to the island of Themyscira, after she had disobeyed her mother, Queen Hippolyta, and left the magically-protected-but-weakened island to swim and save drowning refugees. She got swept away in the currents, along with the refugees. She was tempest tossed, hence the meaning of the title.
In the meantime, she'll help in any way she can to make a difference - to make a small hope - in the outside world. A world that is nowhere near the paradise that is her beloved Themyscira. The lost and confused but smart teenage Amazon can only do so much, but she'll never give up.
'Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed' is brimming with social justice and commentary, so naturally the diversity in its cast of characters is exquisite. Nearly every person that Diana, a white girl, interacts with is a POC. All sorts of people are represented. And Steve Trevor has been split into two separate characters, Steve and Trevor - who are married to each other. Now THAT is creative licencing, and a creative liberty. Diana has no love interest in this version of her origin. Brilliant. No romance to undermine the strong feminist agenda.
Mainstream superhero comic book readers, however, may be put off by the lack of action in this book. It is strictly about Diana as a civilian - a refugee, an exchange student, an activist, a prisoner of the patriarchal system - who isn't Wonder Woman as we know her yet. While she does possess super strength, speed and endurance (which, since she's still growing and learning, she hasn't perfected yet), and her Lasso of Truth, her bracelets, and her tiara, she rarely uses them, and not to their full effect. There is not much creativity put into the Wonder Woman identity, when it comes to saving the day, as it were.
Some elements are a little underdeveloped, such as Diana's homesickness; she doesn't really attribute anything specific about home. Like, does she miss her mother? Her fellow Amazon friends, teachers, and healers? Her new horse she got on her Born Day (birthday)? It's just the vague notion of her peaceful, feminist home that she misses.
The ending, which involves a child trafficking ring, is also lacking in full potential and feels rushed. Its climatic battle is rather short, and some important details - building towards this climax - are skimmed over or forgotten about. Certain teen trafficking victims' fates aren't resolved, for instance.
In the beginning of the graphic novel, it is mentioned by Diana in narration that there's some great evil that the Greek goddesses (including my gal Artemis!) prophesied, and they created the Amazons so they could one day fight against it once it's revealed in the outside world. But this so-called darkness isn't mentioned again after Diana leaves Themyscira. Is there a sequel planned?
Also, there's no Etta Candy. Boo.
But all in all, 'Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed' is vital in its own right, and educational. It showcases how anyone can be a hero. No monikers or costumes are required. Heroes are ordinary people, who fight to make the world a better, fairer place for everyone to live in. Altruism is its own reward.
I've got to give Anderson extra credit for sticking to the born-from-clay origin story, as well. In 'Tempest Tossed', Diana was also created from Hippolyta's tears.
Even in the darkly prophetic abyss that is 2020, where any work published is made irrelevant and can instantly be considered "badly timed" and "dated", I still recommend this superhero YA comic that isn't really about superheroes. It's about people. Real people, in a story featuring a fantasy protagonist.
Final Score: 3.5/5
This DC young adult graphic novel, written by Laurie Halse Anderson, is less about superheroics (Diana is never actually called Wonder Woman here, nor does she sport a secret hero identity, though she hides her Amazonian background from everyone in mortal Man's World) and flashy comic book action, and more about tackling all kinds of social and political issues. Its primary focus is on what's ordinary and normalized today - an eyeopener on what's happening in real life that's controlled by men. It's about the ways in which the patriarchy hurts us all and makes no sense; it ignores basic humans rights and the legal justice system, and it is run through incompetence, ignorance, violence, and brutal cruelty, in keeping with the centuries-long status quo.
It's about exposing a corrupt, broken system.
It holds a mirror to bigotry; examples include racism, xenophobia, classism, sexism, and misogyny.
It reveals, in no small estimate, the suffering of children in this system. And make no mistake.
Poverty and homelessness are major points of discussion.
And Princess Diana - changeling (another word for a mood-swinging teenager), accidental refugee, and newcomer to the horrors of Man's World - is truly going to tell it as it is...
Of course it won't be easy. Despite the fact that seeing and knowing what is right and wrong is simple and not complicated at all, change is never easy. Change on a large scale in a corrupt world system that favours men is next to impossible, and it can take forever to achieve even a chink in the glass ceiling. But at least in Man's Messed Up World, Diana will have female friends to aid her in her day-to-day living as a "normal" human activist girl.
An activist with a voice, and language, listening, and understanding skills. And super strength.
On top of everything else, Diana is a lost girl wanting to find her way home to the island of Themyscira, after she had disobeyed her mother, Queen Hippolyta, and left the magically-protected-but-weakened island to swim and save drowning refugees. She got swept away in the currents, along with the refugees. She was tempest tossed, hence the meaning of the title.
In the meantime, she'll help in any way she can to make a difference - to make a small hope - in the outside world. A world that is nowhere near the paradise that is her beloved Themyscira. The lost and confused but smart teenage Amazon can only do so much, but she'll never give up.
'Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed' is brimming with social justice and commentary, so naturally the diversity in its cast of characters is exquisite. Nearly every person that Diana, a white girl, interacts with is a POC. All sorts of people are represented. And Steve Trevor has been split into two separate characters, Steve and Trevor - who are married to each other. Now THAT is creative licencing, and a creative liberty. Diana has no love interest in this version of her origin. Brilliant. No romance to undermine the strong feminist agenda.
Mainstream superhero comic book readers, however, may be put off by the lack of action in this book. It is strictly about Diana as a civilian - a refugee, an exchange student, an activist, a prisoner of the patriarchal system - who isn't Wonder Woman as we know her yet. While she does possess super strength, speed and endurance (which, since she's still growing and learning, she hasn't perfected yet), and her Lasso of Truth, her bracelets, and her tiara, she rarely uses them, and not to their full effect. There is not much creativity put into the Wonder Woman identity, when it comes to saving the day, as it were.
Some elements are a little underdeveloped, such as Diana's homesickness; she doesn't really attribute anything specific about home. Like, does she miss her mother? Her fellow Amazon friends, teachers, and healers? Her new horse she got on her Born Day (birthday)? It's just the vague notion of her peaceful, feminist home that she misses.
The ending, which involves a child trafficking ring, is also lacking in full potential and feels rushed. Its climatic battle is rather short, and some important details - building towards this climax - are skimmed over or forgotten about. Certain teen trafficking victims' fates aren't resolved, for instance.
In the beginning of the graphic novel, it is mentioned by Diana in narration that there's some great evil that the Greek goddesses (including my gal Artemis!) prophesied, and they created the Amazons so they could one day fight against it once it's revealed in the outside world. But this so-called darkness isn't mentioned again after Diana leaves Themyscira. Is there a sequel planned?
Also, there's no Etta Candy. Boo.
But all in all, 'Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed' is vital in its own right, and educational. It showcases how anyone can be a hero. No monikers or costumes are required. Heroes are ordinary people, who fight to make the world a better, fairer place for everyone to live in. Altruism is its own reward.
I've got to give Anderson extra credit for sticking to the born-from-clay origin story, as well. In 'Tempest Tossed', Diana was also created from Hippolyta's tears.
Even in the darkly prophetic abyss that is 2020, where any work published is made irrelevant and can instantly be considered "badly timed" and "dated", I still recommend this superhero YA comic that isn't really about superheroes. It's about people. Real people, in a story featuring a fantasy protagonist.
Final Score: 3.5/5
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