Scan barcode
geekwayne's review against another edition
4.0
'Will I See?' by David Alexander Robertson with art by GMB Chomichuk was a surreal read, and I liked it. I'm still not entirely sure what the title means though.
A young girl named May wanders the streets. She finds odd bits of things and takes them home to her grandmother, along with a stray cat that follows her home. Her grandmother makes the items into a kind of necklace. It seems that the items May has found are soemtimes born out of violence, and when May next travels out into the world, she will have to call on primal forces for protection. There is danger and May is prey. Can she find safety?
The art is mostly black and white and grey with distinct areas of red. The pictures are mostly silhouette and shadow and the panels have interesting writng and runes on them. The story feels a bit fragmented, but it works really well. Included at the end are explanations of the spirit animals that show up to help May. I'm not sure I would have read this if I'd seen it on the shelf, but I gave it a chance since I got a review copy and I'm glad I got to read it.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Portage & Main Press, HighWater Press, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
A young girl named May wanders the streets. She finds odd bits of things and takes them home to her grandmother, along with a stray cat that follows her home. Her grandmother makes the items into a kind of necklace. It seems that the items May has found are soemtimes born out of violence, and when May next travels out into the world, she will have to call on primal forces for protection. There is danger and May is prey. Can she find safety?
The art is mostly black and white and grey with distinct areas of red. The pictures are mostly silhouette and shadow and the panels have interesting writng and runes on them. The story feels a bit fragmented, but it works really well. Included at the end are explanations of the spirit animals that show up to help May. I'm not sure I would have read this if I'd seen it on the shelf, but I gave it a chance since I got a review copy and I'm glad I got to read it.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Portage & Main Press, HighWater Press, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
lsparrow's review against another edition
4.0
i love the graphics in this book - as well as such an important story.
fallingletters's review against another edition
5.0
Review originally published 12 April 2017 at Falling Letters.
How many graphic novels have been written about missing and murdered Indigenous woman (MMIW)? I am aware of two, both written by local Cree author [a: David A. Robertson|425186|David A. Robertson|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]. Highwater Press published [b: Betty: The Helen Betty Osborne Story|25800893|Betty The Helen Betty Osborne Story|David Alexander Robertson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1435344987s/25800893.jpg|45654363] in 2015. Helen was 19 years old when she was violently abducted and murdered in the 1970s. Robertson has commented, “Her story is one of the first times that, as a country and as a province of Manitoba, we became aware of things that were happening with our Indigenous women” (HuffPost). Now Robertson has collaborated with one of my favourite local comic illustrators, [a: GMB Chomichuk|3526112|G.M.B. Chomichuk|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1374465225p2/3526112.jpg], to create a graphic novel based on a story by IsKwé (a singer with Cree, Dené and Irish roots).
I attended the book’s Winnipeg launch last month, where I learnt a lot about the book’s collaborative creation. IsKwé contacted Robertson because she was interested in an illustrated video for one of her songs, and the collaboration eventually grew to a graphic novel. Two songs by IsKwé inspired Will I See?. She wrote the songs in response to the 2015 murder of Tina Fontaine, a young Indigenous girl. I had the privilege of hearing IsKwé perform “Nobody Knows” at the launch. You know when a friend goes on and on about how some song is so great, they loved it, it’s the best, and you say “Sure, I’m sure it’s nice”, but you think to yourself it’s probably just the same as any other good song? That’s how I felt listening to Robertson and Chomichuk discuss “Nobody Knows”. But then I heard IsKwé perform it and whoa. I was blown away. The power and emotion that came out of her was incredible. I don’t think I’d ever heard another song like it.
Chomichuk’s gritty black and white images suit the story’s mood. He is known for more fantastical illustrations, often featuring monsters you’re glad don’t exist in real life. There are still monsters to illustrate in Will I See?, ones that are more terrifying because they do exist. Chomichuk touched on this in discussion at the launch. How do you illustrate real life monsters? Those monsters, the men, are never depicted too clearly. Red is used sparingly to great impact throughout the gray scale pages. Will I See?'s images pack a punch and though they can be disturbing, I think/hope most readers will not find them too graphic.
I don’t have much to say about the story itself that the description above doesn’t cover. This is a short story, and I don’t want to spoil it with too many words. The story is naturally dark because of its subject matter. The narration style and panel layouts meant it took me a few reads to feel like I really understood what the story was about. It doesn’t offer false hope (the tragedy of MMIW will not be resolved over night), but there is positivity in the relationship between May and her kookum (grandmother). Notes in the back provide details on spirit animals, the seven teachings, and medicine bags. For readers who may just be beginning to learn about MMIW, a more detailed afterword may have been helpful.
The Bottom Line: A graphic novel about missing and murdered Indigenous women is not going to be your easiest read. But Will I See? offers a vivid story and a strong way to open up discussion of a topic that should not be ignored.
How many graphic novels have been written about missing and murdered Indigenous woman (MMIW)? I am aware of two, both written by local Cree author [a: David A. Robertson|425186|David A. Robertson|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]. Highwater Press published [b: Betty: The Helen Betty Osborne Story|25800893|Betty The Helen Betty Osborne Story|David Alexander Robertson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1435344987s/25800893.jpg|45654363] in 2015. Helen was 19 years old when she was violently abducted and murdered in the 1970s. Robertson has commented, “Her story is one of the first times that, as a country and as a province of Manitoba, we became aware of things that were happening with our Indigenous women” (HuffPost). Now Robertson has collaborated with one of my favourite local comic illustrators, [a: GMB Chomichuk|3526112|G.M.B. Chomichuk|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1374465225p2/3526112.jpg], to create a graphic novel based on a story by IsKwé (a singer with Cree, Dené and Irish roots).
I attended the book’s Winnipeg launch last month, where I learnt a lot about the book’s collaborative creation. IsKwé contacted Robertson because she was interested in an illustrated video for one of her songs, and the collaboration eventually grew to a graphic novel. Two songs by IsKwé inspired Will I See?. She wrote the songs in response to the 2015 murder of Tina Fontaine, a young Indigenous girl. I had the privilege of hearing IsKwé perform “Nobody Knows” at the launch. You know when a friend goes on and on about how some song is so great, they loved it, it’s the best, and you say “Sure, I’m sure it’s nice”, but you think to yourself it’s probably just the same as any other good song? That’s how I felt listening to Robertson and Chomichuk discuss “Nobody Knows”. But then I heard IsKwé perform it and whoa. I was blown away. The power and emotion that came out of her was incredible. I don’t think I’d ever heard another song like it.
Chomichuk’s gritty black and white images suit the story’s mood. He is known for more fantastical illustrations, often featuring monsters you’re glad don’t exist in real life. There are still monsters to illustrate in Will I See?, ones that are more terrifying because they do exist. Chomichuk touched on this in discussion at the launch. How do you illustrate real life monsters? Those monsters, the men, are never depicted too clearly. Red is used sparingly to great impact throughout the gray scale pages. Will I See?'s images pack a punch and though they can be disturbing, I think/hope most readers will not find them too graphic.
I don’t have much to say about the story itself that the description above doesn’t cover. This is a short story, and I don’t want to spoil it with too many words. The story is naturally dark because of its subject matter. The narration style and panel layouts meant it took me a few reads to feel like I really understood what the story was about. It doesn’t offer false hope (the tragedy of MMIW will not be resolved over night), but there is positivity in the relationship between May and her kookum (grandmother). Notes in the back provide details on spirit animals, the seven teachings, and medicine bags. For readers who may just be beginning to learn about MMIW, a more detailed afterword may have been helpful.
The Bottom Line: A graphic novel about missing and murdered Indigenous women is not going to be your easiest read. But Will I See? offers a vivid story and a strong way to open up discussion of a topic that should not be ignored.
alexpoling's review against another edition
4.0
This book introduced me to an issue I never knew existed: the frequent murder of native women, and I am forever grateful for that. Will I see? is dark and suspenseful, though any real connection to the characters is impossible with such a short story. Still, I found the artwork beautiful and perfect for this kind of story. It is a short and easy way to introduce people to these issues, while still leaving them with questions for further research. I highly recommend for people that have no prior knowledge on these murders, or for people that want to get a more humanistic perspective, that is, not just statistics.
I was given a free review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I was given a free review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
spoko's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Powerful, stunning artwork by GMB Chomichuk. I'm less impressed with the writing, sadly.
chrisyakimov's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! I wish more people realized just how well graphic novels can invite us into relational space so we can feel again.
belles_bookishlife's review against another edition
3.0
Had to read this for uni
Loved the overall message and the art.
My big problem is this: homegirl gets abducted and almost sexually assaulted, kills the guy and just doesn’t tell anyone? Doesn’t tell anybody that she was taken? Or that she had the dead girls tokens? Or that there’s now a body at the base of a cliff? Nah two points off for that
Other than that good little story and great way to discuss the issues of indigenous woman and the treatment against them
Loved the overall message and the art.
My big problem is this: homegirl gets abducted and almost sexually assaulted, kills the guy and just doesn’t tell anyone? Doesn’t tell anybody that she was taken? Or that she had the dead girls tokens? Or that there’s now a body at the base of a cliff? Nah two points off for that
Other than that good little story and great way to discuss the issues of indigenous woman and the treatment against them
amycarreira's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
ljrinaldi's review against another edition
4.0
What happens to the spirits that are killed violently? Indigenous women in Canada are being killed, or vanishing at an alarming rate. I feel that the author is trying to address this issue, but in a way that shows that spirits live on.
This is a dark, yet up lifting tale of one such young Cree woman who finds things left by those who have vanished, and tries to make sense of it.
It is a quick read, almost the length of a short story, and is probably hovering between a three and a half and a four star.
It is a sad state of affairs that First Nation women are being "taken" at such an alarming rate. This graphic novel/comic book, of course, is not the solution, but more a calling out of the situation.
The publisher specializes in books about First Nation peoples, and I would recommend this, as well as their other books to those who want to know more, and even to those who don't know that they should know more.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
This is a dark, yet up lifting tale of one such young Cree woman who finds things left by those who have vanished, and tries to make sense of it.
It is a quick read, almost the length of a short story, and is probably hovering between a three and a half and a four star.
It is a sad state of affairs that First Nation women are being "taken" at such an alarming rate. This graphic novel/comic book, of course, is not the solution, but more a calling out of the situation.
The publisher specializes in books about First Nation peoples, and I would recommend this, as well as their other books to those who want to know more, and even to those who don't know that they should know more.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.