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3.25 AVERAGE
3.25 AVERAGE
This comic tells the story of Naima, a young multiracial woman who wants to fight gentrification, starting by building a website called MyDiaspora.com. To raise money, she recruits friends and family for a block party. This comic was so funny. I loved it. It took me until Volume 2 before I realized who is pictured on Naima's "Ally" T-shirt. LOL.
I picked his book up based only on the cover. I really thought I was going to like this but i didn’t. I thought it was dull.
I mostly enjoyed it. I knocked it out on an hour plane ride. I think it did a fair job in a super short graphic novel of portraying what gentrification looks like. I definitely wish it had unpacked El’s character some more. He kept getting ignored by Naima despite being the one of the group impacted the most immediately by gentrification, and no one seemed to have any interest in his comments regarding Azatlan. I’m not exactly sure what the purpose for that was— like are we meant to see that Naima is blinded by her class privilege which makes her more interested in rallies and revolutionaries than direct assistance to people most impacted by modern day colonization? That poor old lady died of fright or whatever, yet it didn’t feel like the gang really learned anything about that. The art was cool, although I would have liked to see more diversity in body type.
There's some really fantastic points and quotes in this, but the organization of the comic seemed a little off with some odd time jumps and skips in conversation on top of many crowded pages in terms of dialogue (it was hard to follow which speech bubbles to read first).
This all made it hard to follow at times, which is a shame. If it flowed better, I probably would have liked it more. I also think it would have helped get the comic's main points across surrounding racism, and more, a lot better.
That being said, I enjoyed the humor and the fantastic points made along with the fantastic depiction of faces scrunched up in confusion, annoyance, and/or disgust.
This all made it hard to follow at times, which is a shame. If it flowed better, I probably would have liked it more. I also think it would have helped get the comic's main points across surrounding racism, and more, a lot better.
That being said, I enjoyed the humor and the fantastic points made along with the fantastic depiction of faces scrunched up in confusion, annoyance, and/or disgust.
A well drawn comic but a bit too Hotep for my tastes. I do not think I am the intended audience, however. This is really a millennium comic/graphic novel. It feels as though it takes up where Boondocks left off, except with less easy options and a narrower variety of ages. These are college students musing about how to shape their world. There is very little intergenerational interaction.
For me, it was meh, but I bet a younger person would love it.
For me, it was meh, but I bet a younger person would love it.
Gimme more.
There's just not enough here! But what there is is good. I love the art. I love the lettering. The story is interesting and compelling. This is also not conducive to digital so read it in the physical form !
There's just not enough here! But what there is is good. I love the art. I love the lettering. The story is interesting and compelling. This is also not conducive to digital so read it in the physical form !
adventurous
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
enjoyed this graphic novel - however I was not as into the drawing style and at times the narrative was hard to read.
A 2.5 rounded up because of the subtler parts of the comic. I was very entertained by the tongue-in-cheek signs/book covers/etc that were in the backgrounds of the comic panels ( Henry Louis Gates Jr: How I Survived a P0lice Encounter and How You Can Too! ). Those were Smith's time to shine, and shine she did. The Racial Translator storyline was intriguing too, but as others have said it was a much smaller portion compared to the obscureness that is the Block party. I wish there was more time spent on character development and refining that plot, but I also liked seeing a comic focused so clearly on these issues. Smith and her team also seem to be creating spaces for fans to engage, so that was a cool addition. Not my favorite, but I'm glad the artists/publishing house exists.
One of the best Black comics around!
Wow, I loved the message and intent behind the storylines. It’s very timely and relevant especially in today’s climate. Full review to come.
Wow, I loved the message and intent behind the storylines. It’s very timely and relevant especially in today’s climate. Full review to come.