Shortcomings

Tomin, Adrian. Shortcomings. London: Faber and Faber, 2007. [Published in Canada and the US by Drawn & Quarterly, 2007.]

Hey. Adult reading treat alert. And by “adult” I don’t mean that it’s too graphic or sexual for teens, but that the grad school humour probably just isn’t all that funny if you’re seventeen. It’s the first graphic novel I’ve read by Adrian Tomine, but I’ll probably look for more. His writing is great and his clean black-and-white illustrations are impressive – both in their technical ability and their able to convey a wide but subtly nuanced emotional range.

Shortcomings is the story of Ben Tanaka, a neurotic 30 year old theatre manager secretly obsessed with white girls. It seems, however, that Ben's secret isn't much of a secret to the people around him, especially not to his more politically-minded girlfriend Miko who organizes the Asian-American film festival in town. And Ben’s best friend Alice - tough, mouthy, plans to sleep with all the young women in her department by the time she finishes her PhD - seems to find it endlessly amusing. But when currents of identity collide, nothing is as simple as it seems. While Alice might be tough and tirelessly promiscuous, she also drags Ben along to a wedding as her pretend boyfriend in an attempt to placate her Korean parents. When Ben’s girlfriend leaves Berkeley for a mysterious internship in at the Asian American Independent Film Institute in New York, Ben has a chance to wallow, obsess, and let his neuroses flourish. But he also has a chance to do a little exploring of his own.

The content is interesting both in its examination of the intersections of race, sexuality, and gender politics and also in its ability to find humour in all of it. But although the issues are interesting, the human story always takes centre stage. The writing seems breathtakingly honest without ever feeling confessional, and the characters are entirely believable (I think I know a few of them). If you’ve ever done most of a women studies degree, and almost drowned in the minutia of identity politics but somehow you still care about the issues even if some of the conversations make you want to barf because you’ve had them so many times... this is a book for you. And even if this isn’t you, you might really enjoy this book because, well, it’s just kind of brilliant.

Shortcomings manages to be both bleak and funny – though I wouldn’t say it’s laugh-out-loud funny, it’s more of the ‘oh, yes, ouch! I know that’ kind of funny. And occasionally it’s snort and choke when you weren’t expecting it kind of funny. There’s no happy ending, but I don’t need that here – a little bit of brilliance will do just fine thank you.

Persepolis - the movie!

If you loved Marjane Satrapi's two autobiograhical graphic novels about growing up in Iran during the time of the Islamic Revolution, you won't be disappointed by this movie. It's been a long time since I saw a movie that so faithfully brought a book to life, while going beyond the original to add new bits of brilliance. It was so fabulously good that it seemed almost as if Satrapi herself helped create it.... oh, right - she did. While the movie was created using a mostly black-and-white graphic style similar to the original drawings, the addition of sound and motion serve both to make the heartbreak more devestating and the funny even funnier. This film combines seamless high-tech mastery with the appeal and immediacy of the low-tech aesthetic. And although the story takes place in the face of war, hardship, seperation, depression, and social limitations - when this film is funny, it is funny funny funny. The "Eye of the Tiger" dance scene has got to be one of my favorite musical scenes of all time. This is one of the few instances where reading a book will not ruin the movie, and seeing the movie will not ruin the book. If you haven't already - go out and enjoy!

Blankets

Thompson, Craig. Blankets. Marietta, Georgia: Top Shelf Productions, 2003.

Drawing on his own experience, Craig Thompson gives us the story of a teenager navigating his own relationship with faith in a rigidly fundamental Christian family, the push-and-pull of brothers growing up together, and, most poignantly, the all-encompassing arc of first love.

This graphic novel is one of the most beautiful things I've read in a long time. The story is moving, poignant, angsty, and portrayed with a surprising depth of emotion. By turns subtle and explosive, the ink illustrations are consistently expressive, nuanced, story-driven, exquisite. They make playful use of space but are always easy to navigate. The story is bittersweet, more tender than gritty, but saved from sentimentality by the power and emotional honesty of the illustrations.

At 582 pages, Blankets might look intimidating to those unused to the pace of graphic novels, but the length seems perfect: just long enough to read like a novel, satisfyingly substantial without requiring epic effort. I would probably have read it at a single sitting if I hadn't started so damn late at night.

This is the graphic novel the comic-ravaged twenty-five year old recommends to his (or her) girlfriend to get her hooked. A book that sparks conversation when you try to find it in a bookstore. It is the kind of book you find equally on the lists of avid comic book readers and of literature snobs just skirting the edges of graphic novel land. Several of my friends have been telling me to read it for ages. I'm glad I finally did. It's a beautiful story. One of the best graphic novels I've read. Great for teens and adults alike.

Persepolis!

Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis: The story of a childhood. New York: Pantheon, 2003. Satrapi, Marjane.

A break from classes has done wonders for my reading life... After hearing only high praise for this graphic novel for years, I finally had the opportunity to read it and I was not disappointed.

With equal attention to the big-picture of political landscape and the intimate details of personal narrative, Satrapi weaves a compelling and readable story of growing up in Iran in the 70s and 80s. Against a backdrop of the overthrow of the Shah's regime, the Islamic revolution and the war with Iraq, the first of the two autobiographical novels tells the story of a girl coming of age and discovering her own individuality and identity in the face of social and political pressure. It is hard not to find this spunky, intellectually curious, courageous and sometimes reckless girl absolutely engaging as she defies school rules, talks to god in secret and .

Marjane's Marxist parents are politically active but also aware of the very real risks of their choices. They may risk arrest to smuggle Iron Maiden posters and Nikes home from Europe for their daughter, but they worry when she bgins to openly defy authority at school.

These stories are told with what feels like a remarkable level off honesty, both in the text and the illustrations. The deceptively simple high contrast black-and-white drawings are by turns whimsical, funnny, descriptive, horrifying, and deeply moving - but they are always expressive and convey a sense of immediacy that comes partly from the child's perspective. This is a book that will appeal to children and adults alike. The young narrator's perspective and the accessibility provided by the format make it an excellent choice for younger readers, but the emotional and political complexity of the story are combined with a tone that is never condescending and, as such, the the appeal is not limited by the age of the narrator.

A must must must read. I can't wait to see what they make of the movie...