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Media recs
Sep. 14th, 2020 02:56 pmMenopause: A comic treatment, edited by M.K. Czerwiec, Graphic Medicine series
An excellent anthology filled with super-talented comics creators (Lynda Barry, Ellen Forney, KC Councilor, many others). Some are fiction but most are non-fiction comics about people's experiences with aging, periods, menopause, and embodiment in general. Some comics are delightfully funny and whimsical, others speak of painful experiences. Features many queer creators and one trans writer-artist.
Content notes: cancer; one use of "blind" as a pejorative; one use of "dyke" in a way that was non-affirming (which was very strange since this book is very queer). One comic talks about weight loss and exercise.
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As an off-shoot of Old Guard fandom, I checked out some of the director's other films from the library. Gina Prince-Bythwood is amazing y'all.
"Beyond the Lights" is a romance and a story about self-discovery. Noni (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is a young pop star, starting her career and rising to the heights of fame. Her mother (Mimi Driver) is her manager and is very controlling. After winning an award, Noni gets drunk and attempts suicide, but is saved by a police officer named Kaz (Nate Parker). They have an immediate connection and gradually start dating.
Through this empowering relationship, Noni realizes that she is not living authentically: she is just doing what her mother wants. Kaz has a similar relevation, because he is being steered into politics by his father.
There are some upsetting moments and serious themes in this film, but it's still a romance, with the feeling that everything is going to work out in the end.
Content notes: sexual assault, suicide attempt. ETA: I forgot that Nate Parker is an abuser. Ugh.
"Love and Basketball" is another romance with Black lead actors (Sanaa Lathan, Omar Epps). This is a kind of wholesome story about two young people who love basketball, and love each other. They come together at different points of their lives.
Content note: One moment of homophobia (specifically against lesbians); the main character says she's a lesbian to rile up her mother.
An excellent anthology filled with super-talented comics creators (Lynda Barry, Ellen Forney, KC Councilor, many others). Some are fiction but most are non-fiction comics about people's experiences with aging, periods, menopause, and embodiment in general. Some comics are delightfully funny and whimsical, others speak of painful experiences. Features many queer creators and one trans writer-artist.
Content notes: cancer; one use of "blind" as a pejorative; one use of "dyke" in a way that was non-affirming (which was very strange since this book is very queer). One comic talks about weight loss and exercise.
---
As an off-shoot of Old Guard fandom, I checked out some of the director's other films from the library. Gina Prince-Bythwood is amazing y'all.
"Beyond the Lights" is a romance and a story about self-discovery. Noni (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is a young pop star, starting her career and rising to the heights of fame. Her mother (Mimi Driver) is her manager and is very controlling. After winning an award, Noni gets drunk and attempts suicide, but is saved by a police officer named Kaz (Nate Parker). They have an immediate connection and gradually start dating.
Through this empowering relationship, Noni realizes that she is not living authentically: she is just doing what her mother wants. Kaz has a similar relevation, because he is being steered into politics by his father.
There are some upsetting moments and serious themes in this film, but it's still a romance, with the feeling that everything is going to work out in the end.
Content notes: sexual assault, suicide attempt. ETA: I forgot that Nate Parker is an abuser. Ugh.
"Love and Basketball" is another romance with Black lead actors (Sanaa Lathan, Omar Epps). This is a kind of wholesome story about two young people who love basketball, and love each other. They come together at different points of their lives.
Content note: One moment of homophobia (specifically against lesbians); the main character says she's a lesbian to rile up her mother.
