Stuff I’ve read lately

Esther Pearl Watson, “Unlovable, Vol. 1″
I love Esther Pearl Watson’s gruesome tales of the life of ’80s teenager Tammy Pierce, and I think any girl who ever experienced high school will be able to identify—if only a little bit—with the unlovable protagonist. It’s a big, pink, sparkly square book full of cartoons. Get it!

Debra Gwartney, “Live Through This”
I’m not usually one for modern memoirs, but this one’s really good. It’s a mom’s account of losing control of her teen daughters in the grunge era. (Hence the title’s nod to Hole.) Gwartney weaves past and present into a circular story that’s honest and hopeful.

Brian Eule, “Match Day”
Awesome nonfiction book about the day med students find out where their residencies (and the next three-plus years of their lives) will take place. It focuses on three female med students and their individual challenges and relationship struggles during the year.

Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly, “The New York Four”

By the dude who did “DMZ” and from the DC imprint Minx. A shy girl starts college in Manhattan and balances having friends for the first time with a txt-based relationship.

THE LOWDOWN
Published: 2008, 176 pp.
Obtained via: Library
Date started: 12.29.08
Date finished: 12.29.08
What I liked: I am all about Minx. Good comics for real girls.
What I didn’t like: Wasn’t sure if this is to be continued or not.

PS: This was No. 50 for 2008!

Rutu Modan, “Exit Wounds”

Koby, a young man in Tel Aviv, hears from a soldier who believes his estranged father—her lover—may have been a victim in a suicide bombing. Together, they try to track down his whereabouts.

THE LOWDOWN
Published: 2007, 174 pp.
Obtained via: Library
Date started: 11.10.08
Date finished: 11.11.08
What I liked: The drawings are simple but beautiful, with a good sense of color. The story is straightforward and heartfelt.
What I didn’t like: No real dislikes, though I wish the story would have dug a little deeper.
What I learned: A little about life in Israel.

Brian Wood, Richard Burchielli and Nathan Fox, “DMZ: Public Works”

The latest installment of the series I’ve been reading that takes place in a demilitarized Manhattan in the midst of a new civil war.

THE LOWDOWN
Published: 2008, 128 pp.
Obtained via: Library
Date started: 7.16.08
Date finished: 7.18.08
What I liked: This comic comes off as so much more serious after reading “Transmetropolitan” for a while. Even more depressing.
What I didn’t like: Feeling like I’d forgotten everything that happened since the last volume.
What I learned: Maybe I should start reading the individual comics rather than wait for the compilations.

Warren Ellis and Derick Robertson, “Transmetropolitan” vols. 3 through 10

The final eight volumes of the series I started zipping through earlier.

THE LOWDOWN
Published: 1999 to 2004, about 144 pp each
Obtained via: Pat
Date started: 6.18.08
Date finished: 7.3.08
What I liked: The renegade journalist fighting for justice, the feisty assistants saving his ass.
What I didn’t like: The especially gory stuff.
What I learned: How it all ends.

Warren Ellis and Derick Robertson, “Transmetropolitan, Vols. 1 and 2″

“Transmetropolitan”’s been described as postcyberpunk, which is a new one on me but seems fitting. It’s a story about a journalist in search of truth in a grim future, in the same vein as “DMZ.”

THE LOWDOWN
Published: 1998, 72 pp., and 1999, 208 pp.
Obtained via: Pat
Date started: 6.12.08
Date finished: 6.15.08
What I liked: The out-of-control technology of the future and all of the advertisements for it. The gonzo-journalism-gone-amok ethos of Spider Jerusalem, the main character.
What I didn’t like: I don’t usually go for superhero aesthetics in comics, so my dislike of the lettering is nothing new. The comic’s pretty gruesome, so I don’t recommend it for the weak of stomach.
What I learned: I’ve got another eight volumes to go.

Lauren R. Weinstein, “Girl Stories”

Awesome collection of awkward-middle-school-girl vignettes in the same vein as Tammy Pierce is Unlovable, one of my all-time favorites.

THE LOWDOWN
Published: 2006, 240 pp.
Obtained via: Clifton Comics
Date started: 5.15.08
Date finished: 5.15.08
What I liked: Awkwardness level is off the charts!
What I didn’t like: Varying styles of drawing is a little confusing, but not bad!
What I learned: Everything will be OK.

Marjane Satrapi, “The Complete Persepolis”

Saw the movie first, and had to read the original graphic novel! This is a couple parts combined into one hefty volume.

THE LOWDOWN
Published: 2004, 344 pp.
Obtained via: Columbus, Ohio’s Book Loft
Date started: 5.10.08
Date finished: 5.10.08
What I liked: Satrapi’s stories of growing up a rebellious girl in Iran during the Islamic Revolution is mesmerizing, funny and eye-opening. Her high school years spent in Vienna were a vivid reminder of what it’s like to be out of place in a foreign land.
What I didn’t like: No complaints! I totally want to hang out with Marjane Satrapi.
What I learned: Where kids got rock cassettes during the revolution, how people get through war with their sense of humor intact.

Chris Ware, “Acme Novelty Library, Vol. 18″

I was disappointed that Ware discontinued the Rusty Brown story line he started in the 16th and 17th volumes, but it’s still good stuff. You might have read part of these Building Stories when they appeared in the New York Times Sunday Magazine a few years ago.

THE LOWDOWN
Published: 2007, 56 pp.
Obtained via: Comix Experience, San Francisco
Date started: 1.11.08
Date finished: 1.12.08
What I liked: Intricate, introspective, meticulous and depressing. The Building Stories focus on a young woman with a prosthetic leg and her loneliness, tied in with stories of the building she lives in.
What I didn’t like: I want more Rusty Brown.
What I learned: Chris Ware can’t draw fast enough for me to be satisfied.

Adrian Tomine, “Shortcomings”

More from Adrian Tomine.

THE LOWDOWN
Published: 2007, 104 pp.
Obtained via: Bookstore
Date started: 3.16.08
Date finished: 3.16.08
What I liked: It’s a realistic take on mid-20s relationships from the vantage point of a guy who can never say the right thing.
What I didn’t like: Said guy is infuriating.
What I learned: Got some insight into relationships among Asian-Americans.