Another selection of graphic novels read in Feb.

 Queenie: Godmother of Harlem by Elizabeth Columba and Aurelie Levy (2023) 160 pages

I was very intrigued by this history. Art in black and white is very realistic. Very traditional and symmetrical panels. The flashbacks to Stephanie St. Clair's childhood all deepen who she was as a person. A shadowy death always waiting for her is a great dramatic device. Astericks appear multiple times leading to a glossary in the back with historical context or translations of French at the bottom of the page. I love when Queenie and Bumpy, her right hand man, are in a movie theater and an indigenous character on screen breaks the fourth wall to address one asterisk right away. He explains a quote by James Baldwin. Black history is violent and often terrifying.

Ms. Marvel by Saladin Ahmed Omnibus by Saladin Ahmed with various artists (2021) 403 pages

This combines volumes 1-3. I had previously read volume 1, which is issues #1-6. The rest of this run by Saladin Ahmed felt like a smooth transition from G. Willow Wilson's series for this superhero. I love the further development of Kamala's family and high school friends. #7-18 had pretty good villains/monsters and fun uses of Ms. Marvel's powers to overcome the obstacles.

Roaming by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki (2023) 443 pages

Second book I've read by Mariko Tamaki. This time she is working with her cousin Jillian Tamaki. Two friends and a new classmate, who are all in their first year of college, have different ways of being tourists in NYC. Over five days I love the way the story moves and how movement is illustrated across the page. The four tone color scheme works well. The relationship drama, the symbolic butterfly, the playfulness is all great and engaging.

Surrounded: America's First School for Black Girls, 1832 by Wilfred Lupano with art by Stephanie Fert (2025) 144 pages

Another great historical graphic novel for Black History Month! I'm not sure who is responsible for lettering, but it was tricky reading this font at times. Especially on my phone screen, but also on a desktop monitor, I had to really squint to make out some of the speech. I loved the way the story was told and the art. I could not find evidence that Stephanie Fert worked on the animated films Wolfwalkers or The Secret of Kells, but her art style reminded me of  those. The beauty of nature, the ugliness of racism, the promise of uplifting education are all explored. Crossing paths with Crandall's School for Girls is a young "feral" boy and a "witchy" woman who offer clever storytelling complications. There are pages with silent action, which work very well. And there are historical tidbits in an Afterword provided by the Crandall Museum.

Erased: A Black Actor's Journey Through the Glory Days of Hollywood by Loo Hui Phang with art by Hughues Micol (2024) 200 pages

This is a fascinating subject. Published in French first and translated. I just don't think the writer and artist were totally successful in delivering on the promise of the story. On one page director Josef von Sternberg, talking about exoticism, describes it as "a great big aesthetic shambles." I think that describes this graphic novel overall. It is trying to do so much tracing racism and politics in Hollywood. Maximus Wyld has Indigenous, African, and Chinese ancestry, so he is given many ethnic supporting roles. He is fictional, but he crosses paths with many real people who worked in Hollywood. He works on many real film projects. I didn't love the black and white art. Maybe the color scheme of the cover should have been used throughout. "Camera" angles change too abruptly and without the most logical flow. The likenesses of famous people aren't always recognizable. And sometimes the pages are too dark and cluttered. Writing-wise I wish there was more of a flow too. It is disjointed in attempting to cover so many faults in the way Hollywood operated. It is not always clear who is speaking, or what text bubbles are thoughts rather than speech. Purely non-fiction sketches of real people and films would probably have been more successful than this amalgamation of one guy linking all these different experiences.

A Song Below Water

 A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow, 288 pages.

Tavia and Effie aren't sisters, but they're like sisters in every way that matters. Except that because they aren't sisters Effie doesn't share the siren blood that Tavia has spent her whole life desperately trying to hide. It also means that nobody in Tavia's family (which is also has Effie's adopted family) has any idea what's going on with the strange magical changes Effie's going through. As the secrets they have to keep mount in a Portland that loves magical beings, just not ones that look like them, the pressure is getting unsustainable. 

I enjoyed this book, although I did find it a little slow. I really liked both Tavia and Effie, although I honestly wanted Morrow to go further with her world building. It felt like the development of the world hadn't been influenced at all by the fact that it's full of magical beings, which I felt was a missed opportunity. But there is a lot that it does very well, and there's definitely some cool things going on in here.

There You Are

There You Are (2019) by Mathea Morais; 304 pages

Spanning three decades, There You Are follows the lives of Octavian Monroe and Mina Rose as they navigate love, friendship, race, and music. They find solace with each other in grade school--Octavian, whose mother is dying of cancer and older brother whose behavior is becoming increasingly troubled, and Mina, a misfit who wishes she weren't white...experiences that inform much of their identities and the adults they become. Heartbreaking events bring them closer together, then tear them apart, until they must face one another again when they get the news that their beloved record store is closing.

The book centers mostly around University City and Rahsaan's Records, specifically--inspired by Vintage Vinyl in U. City's Loop district--and delves deep into the troubled race relations that have plagued St. Louis since its founding. This is certainly one of those books where you could call setting a character--anyone familiar with St. Louis will recognize much of the novel. That said, the characters themselves were vivid and charismatic, well-crafted by Morais to bring you right into the moment. A lot of big ideas are packed into these pages, but I was invested in the entire story arc and appreciated the closure at the end. I definitely look forward to more work by Mathea Morais.

Ghost Boys

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes, 214 pages.
Jerome is often bullied at school, but lives in a loving home where his parents try to keep him safe. An encounter with a racist, frightened police officer ends his life and begins his time as a ghost boy. African American children who had been killed out of fear or hatred of who they are. Jerome is tutored by Emmett Till, and in turn stays around to help Sarah, the daughter of the policeman who killed him learn to help her father.
An engaging book, not too raw to be suitable for middle-schoolers.
Includes an afterword, discussion questions, and further resources.

The hate u give

The hate u give / Angie Thomas, 444 pgs.

Star Carter is sixteen and living in two worlds.  Her family lives in Garden Heights aka, the ghetto, but she attends a high rent prep school.  She is aware of the dual nature of her existence and essentially becomes two people depending on her current location.  All is going well until she runs into her childhood friend Khalil at a party and they leave together.  They get pulled over by the cops and Khalil ends up dead.  Part of Star dies that night too.  She doesn't want her prep school friends to know about her status as "the witness" but doesn't want to betray her memory of Khalil.  She struggles mightily but finds her way.  I listened to the audio version of this book, loving every minute of the great Bhani Turpin's voice and inflection.  A compelling book that gives a needed perspective.

Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil:The Life, Legacy, and Love of My Son Michael Brown

Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil:The Life, Legacy, and Love of My Son Michael Brown by Lezley McSpadden and Lyah Beth LeFlore, 272 pages.

Michael Brown's mother tells her own story and the story of her son. She tells us about her background, how she met Mike's father and what Mike Brown was like as a child and a teen. She tells the dizzying, wrenching story of a mother who loses a child and then finds herself, and those she loves, at a cultural flashpoint. She recounts the events of August 2014 as she tries to find out what happened to her son, why it happened, and who, if anyone, will try to bring sense, order, and justice back into her shattered life.