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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
funny
medium-paced
https://therudielibrarian.wordpress.com/2020/06/13/hot-comb/
Comic books, whether traditional 22 page issues, or full books, require a creative team to pull together:
Writing (story)
Scripting (putting the story into comic book form for the artist to work from)
Pencils (the basic art)
Inks (finished B&W art)
Coloring
Lettering
Some creators do more than one part (most artists do both pencils and inks, for example, and most writers do story and script) and sometimes items are left out (like coloring). But each element is a professional task that requires experience and ability.
I admit that, as I've learned more about the structure and making of comics, I never quite understood what it took to be a letterer. Because, how hard could it be?
Pretty hard, it turns out. And Hot Comb is the book that made me realize it.
Flowers has collected a variety of short stories, all with a theme of Black hair. They appear to have been finished over a period of years, as the styles are not the same. The stories are mostly interesting and well thought out. The problem is the art.
The inks are good and tell the story well. Flowers knows how to lay out panels and how to choose the proper illustration for each one. She chose not to color any of the stories though, which certainly makes the creation a lot easier, but it made the art difficult to follow. A lot of the stories hinge on what are sometimes fairly subtle differences in how characters wear/process their hair, but it's very hard to see those differences in the art. Superb inks could have solved that but that's a level few artists attain. The easier way would have been through coloring. Shading, highlights, and of course the actual colors all convey information.
The real problem with this book though was the lettering. Sometimes it's neat and easy to read and much of the time it's a strain to read but it's doable. But a fair bit of the time, it was almost impossible (or completely impossible) to decipher. Also, the lines used to make the characters (especially their hair) and the lines used to letter were mostly the same. So they ran into each other. Sometimes the lettering was in cursive and these circular motions were pretty much identical to those of the characters' hair. Perhaps this was intentional, but it just doesn't work on the small scale of a comic book panel.
Had they been different colors, then that would have helped but so many panels were one big mess of black squiggly lines. It took real effort to tell what was lettering and what was art. I had to strain (even with reading glasses) to figure out what the tiny overcrowded drawings were conveying. And I couldn't always read the words.
I actually put the book down and abandoned 2-3 stories in. A couple days later I forced myself to pick it up again and finish. I'm glad I did because the stories are good and the author has something important to say. But she needs a team.
It's actually quite hard (and rare) to do everything yourself and Flowers shouldn't feel like she needs to. I would love to see something else by her where she does the story/script and the pencils but has team members who do the inks, coloring, and lettering.
Writing (story)
Scripting (putting the story into comic book form for the artist to work from)
Pencils (the basic art)
Inks (finished B&W art)
Coloring
Lettering
Some creators do more than one part (most artists do both pencils and inks, for example, and most writers do story and script) and sometimes items are left out (like coloring). But each element is a professional task that requires experience and ability.
I admit that, as I've learned more about the structure and making of comics, I never quite understood what it took to be a letterer. Because, how hard could it be?
Pretty hard, it turns out. And Hot Comb is the book that made me realize it.
Flowers has collected a variety of short stories, all with a theme of Black hair. They appear to have been finished over a period of years, as the styles are not the same. The stories are mostly interesting and well thought out. The problem is the art.
The inks are good and tell the story well. Flowers knows how to lay out panels and how to choose the proper illustration for each one. She chose not to color any of the stories though, which certainly makes the creation a lot easier, but it made the art difficult to follow. A lot of the stories hinge on what are sometimes fairly subtle differences in how characters wear/process their hair, but it's very hard to see those differences in the art. Superb inks could have solved that but that's a level few artists attain. The easier way would have been through coloring. Shading, highlights, and of course the actual colors all convey information.
The real problem with this book though was the lettering. Sometimes it's neat and easy to read and much of the time it's a strain to read but it's doable. But a fair bit of the time, it was almost impossible (or completely impossible) to decipher. Also, the lines used to make the characters (especially their hair) and the lines used to letter were mostly the same. So they ran into each other. Sometimes the lettering was in cursive and these circular motions were pretty much identical to those of the characters' hair. Perhaps this was intentional, but it just doesn't work on the small scale of a comic book panel.
Had they been different colors, then that would have helped but so many panels were one big mess of black squiggly lines. It took real effort to tell what was lettering and what was art. I had to strain (even with reading glasses) to figure out what the tiny overcrowded drawings were conveying. And I couldn't always read the words.
I actually put the book down and abandoned 2-3 stories in. A couple days later I forced myself to pick it up again and finish. I'm glad I did because the stories are good and the author has something important to say. But she needs a team.
It's actually quite hard (and rare) to do everything yourself and Flowers shouldn't feel like she needs to. I would love to see something else by her where she does the story/script and the pencils but has team members who do the inks, coloring, and lettering.
Hot Comb evokes memories of girlhood spent sitting still while my mother pressed my hair. That was my first test of patience and I passed most of the time (no singed earlobes lol). Another memory is the insecurity of early teenage years-wanting to fit in with an accepted hairstyle, yet not really wanting to repeat the process after being on the receiving end of negative attention. The title story of this collection reflects these memories and the following stories attempt to present hair as a liberating force, as a crown we wear that does not have to look a specific way to be splendid. Hair can also be a source of pain as shown in My Lil Sister Lena & The Lady On The Train when people disrespect what should be a clear boundary. Some stories involve hair, but the connection isn't clear to the story's premise (Big Ma, Sisters and Daughters, Last Angolan Saturday).
This is my first time reading a graphic novel and it wasn't a disappointment. I think the drawings that represent hair ads are a nice complement. Advertising has a history of displaying stereotypes but these drawings have a celebratory tone of self confidence. Hot Comb is a book that examines hair from different perspectives, ultimately reminding the reader of the importance of loving self. What's tricky is realizing that individual people don't express this love the same way. Wearing hair in its natural state is not automatically loving self nor should it be assumed that wearing a weave or straightened hair is an expression of self- hatred.
This is my first time reading a graphic novel and it wasn't a disappointment. I think the drawings that represent hair ads are a nice complement. Advertising has a history of displaying stereotypes but these drawings have a celebratory tone of self confidence. Hot Comb is a book that examines hair from different perspectives, ultimately reminding the reader of the importance of loving self. What's tricky is realizing that individual people don't express this love the same way. Wearing hair in its natural state is not automatically loving self nor should it be assumed that wearing a weave or straightened hair is an expression of self- hatred.
Collection of short graphic stories on the Black experience, mostly focused on women's hair. Worth reading for the heartbreaking story of her sister's softball career only.
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Hot Comb, by Ebony Flowers, is a collection of short stories centered on the shared experience women of color have around hair. In some of the stories, hair forms a central plot presence, while in others, it serves as a mere backdrop to explore other themes, such as friendship, mental health, and loss. "Hot Comb," for example, tells a semi-autobiographical tale about a young girl named Ebony who is peer pressured by her friends to "do something" with her hair. Meaning, straighten it, and thereby conform to the Eurocentric beauty ideals in US society. In "Sisters and Daughters," two sisters, Latrice and Gina, reminisce about their childhood while Latrice does Gina's hair. Some stories are more successful than others, and the collection could have used some tighter editing, especially concerning the commercial-like interludes which felt out of place somehow. Overall, the panel-to-panel choices worked nicely to tell the stories, especially in "My Lil Sister Lena," where Flowers presents a series of panels each with a single hair strand to show how Lena has resorted to hair-pulling (trichotillomania). I liked this collection but at times felt distracted by the freehand style of the artwork and text.
I got this on a whim to see what it was about and found it hard to follow at times due to the illustrations. Some of the stories that I did get into were interesting and I would have liked a little more. It's worth a look, it's just not a graphic style that I would normally gravitate towards. I guess I like more cutesy artwork.
I never knew that white people wanting to touch black people's hair was a thing. I guess in my 45 years it's just not something I have ever thought to ask or do and would find kind of strange. I don't go around trying to touch ANYONE's hair! LOL
This book does make me appreciate how much work goes into some of the fabulous hair styles I see, natural or not.
I never knew that white people wanting to touch black people's hair was a thing. I guess in my 45 years it's just not something I have ever thought to ask or do and would find kind of strange. I don't go around trying to touch ANYONE's hair! LOL
This book does make me appreciate how much work goes into some of the fabulous hair styles I see, natural or not.