By Martha Cornog Content advisory: This book/review discusses suicide and sexual violence. The crisis Lifeline number in the U.S. and Canada is 988, in the U.K. it’s 999; and for elsewhere go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_suicide_crisis_lines. Trans History aims to explain the nature of “trans” (also referred to as “transsexual” or “transgender”) by telling the stories of notable likely-trans individuals throughout history, following a sequence from earliest documented times to the present. These brief biographies are intercut with anecdotes about laws and customs that have been applied to such people over the centuries, and commentary about how these individuals fit—or… Read More
Stuck Rubber Baby (25th Anniversary Edition)
by Matt Peters Content advisory: Strong language (including homophobic and racist slurs) and brief depictions of nudity, hate crimes, and police violence In Howard Cruse’s classic graphic novel Stuck Rubber Baby, a character’s journey to self-acceptance is one of constant barriers and unexpected turns. Set in the early 1960s in the American South, Stuck Rubber Baby is the story of Toland Polk, a young adult living at a pivotal time in his life—and a pivotal time in history. As a gay white man, he’s faced with finding his place in a homophobic culture—and his place within a multiracial… Read More
Joe the Barbarian
by Matt Peters Content Advisory: Brief depictions of bullying and homophobia and extensive depictions of insulin shock In Joe the Barbarian, a pre-teen named Joe Manson finds himself uprooted from his familiar reality and cast into a strange realm where ancient magic coexists with exotic technology. What sets Joe on his surreal journey is something strikingly ordinary by comparison—in fact, a daily part of his existence. Joe has type 1 diabetes, the autoimmune disorder that disrupts blood sugar regulation by attacking insulin-producing cells. One day, while Joe is alone at home, he slips away from reality when his… Read More
Everything is Fine, I’ll Just Work Harder – Confessions of a Former Badass
by Karol Kovalovich Weaver Content advisory: rape victim Cara Gormally’s Everything is Fine, I’ll Just Work Harder: Confessions of a Former Badass is a complex graphic memoir that confronts difficult topics including sexual assault, trauma, and homophobia. The layout, color choice, and imagery are rich with meaning, The chapters chart the setbacks and successes of Gormally’s healing journey. Ultimately, Gormally offers messages of care, acceptance, and slowing down to individuals exhausted by a society that praises productivity, the grind, and hustle culture. As the subtitle shows, Gormally formerly identified as a “badass,” or someone who had many interests and did… Read More
Mothballs
by Soph Myers-Kelley Mothballs may be one of the best graphic medicine novels I’ve ever read. Mothballs’ visual storytelling, bold and varied color usage, unique drawing style, portrayal of relatable characters, and full-bodied representation of the beauty and ugliness of the world feeds the raw hunger that I have for stories written with substance. Mothballs, by Sole Otero, was originally published in Spain in 2020 and entitled Naftalina. It was translated three years later in 2023 by Andrea Rosenberg. This book won the FNAC-Salamandra Graphic Novel Award in 2019, the Audience Award from the Angoulême International Comics Festival in 2023,… Read More
Liebestrasse (“love street”)
awaiting review