Reviews

Electrum by Der-shing Helmer

laurenthelas's review

5.0

What a beautiful anthology! So excited to share it with everyone!

smolhandsdan's review

adventurous emotional inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

rainpunk's review

5.0

This is a beautiful, personal collection of stories about what it means to be mixed-race. The physical book itself is gorgeously realized. Each story is a different author, so they'll speak to different readers in different ways. Some are straight-forward autobiographical tales, some are rich in metaphor, some are even science fiction.

I liked things about every story, but personally my favorites were:
Captain's Log - About the kid waiting for their mothership to come retrieve them from Earth. I thought this was a touching universal coming-of-age work. Really, really sweet.
Misirlou - Of the extended metaphor works, this one executed it most elegantly, and with the most nuance. This one most perfectly captured the idea that mixing cultures makes an all new unique thing, and the world is better off for it (but also that its origins shouldn't be forgotten).
U is for Uva - Too cute! About a little girl bringing something to show-and-tell based on the Spanish word for her item, even though the class speaks English. Not the deepest, but it made me very happy!
Lepidoptera - My favorite fantasy one of the book. A simple story about a butterfly/moth telling her sister a fairy tale, but the world was just a really charming, and the myth felt so authentic.

quetzelish's review

5.0

A stunning collection of comics that can go from the far reaches of space, to a fantasy world unlike our own, to the very real, the very sad and the very life affirming. A collection of creators whose identities have often found boxes to be limiting and reductive to who they are, "Electrum" is a must read for anyone looking for fresh voices in comics as well as for voices that are too often glossed over. Every story in this collection has something to offer and I cannot wait for the next installment in the alloy series.

easofia's review

emotional informative inspiring

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

jeremy_bearimy's review

adventurous emotional informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.0

Eclectic collection that spans genres and art styles, united by the theme of feeling split between two (or more) racial identities. Like any collection, some comics resonated more and went a little bit deeper. 

krayfish1's review

4.0

This book is beautiful, and a great collection of artists. I am intending to go look up all of these artists' other work. Many of the stories are quite similar because they are all saying, it's okay to be mixed, it's okay to be mixed, it's okay to be mixed. This book would have been a revelation to me in high school, middle school, or even college, but now, I am simply pleased that it is here, and I am pleased to be introduced to so many mixed race creators.

nex3's review

5.0

a few stories were a bit repetitive, but on the whole they are stellar

themoon's review

5.0

This collection of stories on the experiences of mixed race individuals was so hopeful and wholesome. It was a pleasure to read each of the stories, and the art for each one was GORGEOUS. I definitely gasped 'wow' a few times when I saw the first page of a new story. This book deserves a lot more attention

depleti's review

5.0

Probably every story in here made me weepy! Such a great collection of stories and artists.