Josephine Baker and Orlando

 Josephine Baker by José-Louis Bocquet with art by Catel (2017) 568 pages

I like that this writer/artist pair make hefty graphic bios. I previously read their graphic biography about Alice Guy. They are able to include so many details and episodes from Josephine's life. I've previously read the biography about Josephine's espionage work for the British and French Resistance during WWII. This graphic book provides a lot more depth about her early life and her work as an entertainer. The WWII period, by contrast, is quite brief. Her later life related to her raising the "Rainbow Tribe" of orphans was fascinating too. The biographical notes at the end on secondary historical figures that crossed paths with Josephine are extensive. In fact, I thought some did not need to be included, since they barely played a role in her story.

Orlando adapted by Susanne Kuhlendahl (2026) 224 pages

I really enjoyed Sally Potter's movie version of Orlando. And this is one of two graphic novel adaptations of Virginia Woolf's queer story coming out this year. I had not read any Woolf novels in school, so it is only through recent Wiki research that I learned Woolf is part of the Modernist literary movement with "stream of consciousness" passages. Kuhlendahl's adaptation definitely keeps this style front and center. However, instead of Orlando breaking the fourth wall like in the movie, Woolf, the "biographer," is present on the page and comments on being a biographer of this character. There is no scientific or magical explanation for how Orlando is able to live more than 300 years, nor for how Orlando transforms from a man into a woman. We are simply asked to ponder "what if" this is true. The story is episodic with changing art styles. It is full of commentary on gender, poetry, love and life, and changing fashions. I thought the chapter set in the Victorian 19th century was the weakest part and the finale set in the early 20th century (Woolf's era), while things truly move at a faster pace, still felt rushed after the depth of the earlier historical periods.

Change of Plans

Change of Plans by Dylan Newton (2023) 352 pages

Bryce was chosen by her brother and his wife to be the guardian of their children if the unthinkable happened. And then the unthinkable did happen. Bryce, who was a chef in Florida, immediately uprooted and came to the small town in New York where the children and their mother's parents live. She's finding that parenting three girls, aged 5, 8, and 11 is not easy, but she's determined to raise the girls, even though it means opposing the children's grandparents, who have more financial resources and who also want custody.

Meanwhile, Ryker is finding it hard to adjust to life outside the military, along with his prosthetic leg, even though it's been some years. His PTSD flares at times and his leg is causing him pain. He's running an auto shop while trying to avoid his extended family, not wanting them to worry about him.

When Bryce and Ryker meet, the attraction is immediate. Ryker likes the fact that Bryce asks about his missing leg, rather than ignores it. Bryce likes the fact that Ryker came to her rescue when one of her nieces got caught under a grocery store shelf in a bizarre mishap. But as is often the case, this romance is a "Will they get together or not?" kind of plot, where we wish that Ryker could just communicate better, but we understand that his wartime experience has put him in a tough place.