Drawing Power

August 26, 2019
#MeToo is elaborated as a movement, not just a moment, in this diverse, unblinkingly honest anthology of autobiographical comics. “There are no easy stories to be found here,” as Roxane Gay writes in the foreword. Each short piece, ranging from a few panels to a few pages, explores the specific cartoonist’s experiences of sexual harassment, abuse, and violence in varying art styles and approaches. Some, such as Sabba Khan, use deceptively soft colors and linework to portray the isolation and despair assault imposes upon women. Others, such as Carol Lay, contrast jaunty colors and caricature with the blunt horror of assault. Most don’t come to a clear resolution; the focus is on exposure rather than neatly sewing up a raw experience. Some, such as Roberta Gregory, serve up memories of being a young woman in the male-dominated world of underground comics, end in a place of gratitude for sisterhood and healing. Others simply lay rage, pain, and intractable frustration utterly bare, as Siobhán Gallagher does in her one-page account of realizing she isn’t “one of the boys” after all. But whether they are optimistic or nihilistic, abstract or exactingly inked, each entry presents its own startling truth. These creators don’t just draw power from the force of the community of fellow artists speaking out, together, in this excellent and powerful volume—they impart it to the reader, who may either be emboldened to tell their own stories or to listen to those who have too often been silenced.

December 13, 2019

More than 60 female cartoonists, representing a range of ages, races, and sexual orientations, reveal their experiences with sexual violence and harassment in this powerful anthology curated and edited by underground comix stalwart Noomin (Glitz-2-Go). In "Mr. Stevenson," Ebony Flowers (Hot Comb) is shocked when a coworker attempts to force herself upon her. Mary Fleener's (Life of the Party) unique blend of underground cartooning and cubism brings jittery energy to her story, "Consensual Rape," in which a bandmate she'd previously slept with blithely admits to raping her while she was passed out. Sarah Allen Reed (Monolith: The Collected Literary Works of Sarah Allen Reed. Vol. 1) evokes an anguished immediacy with her use of thick black lines and black panels that overflow with white text in "Blame," which reveals how having been raped, treated harshly as a member of the transgender community, and repeatedly harassed by men and women in the comic book industry have resulted in anxiety that her audience might find her culpable for the abuse she's survived. VERDICT A stunning collection that viscerally highlights the pervasiveness of sexual violence and the multitude of ways survivors process trauma.--Tom Batten, Grafton, VA

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2019
Since the #MeToo movement, many celebrities have shared their experiences of sexual harassment and violence at the hands of men in power. This anthology features comics written by women who have suffered everything from cat calls to domestic violence and rape. Like many anthologies, each comic varies in the amount of humor and type of illustration, but all of the comics display how each woman felt during the abuse and the gravity of the situation. ?Blackie' from the Deuce, by J. Gonzalez-Blitz, depicts her rape in a surreal black-and-white style, with a very straightforward textual retelling of her experience. My Ally, by MariNaomi, shows a job she accepted in which her manager would become overly familiar; her story is drawn mostly in reds, pinks, grays, and blacks in a smooth, refined style. The comics collected in this volume are written by and show culturally, sexually, and gender-diverse women. Give this volume to patrons who want to be aware of the abuses that happen daily in our society, what constitutes as abuse, and that no one is exempt.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)