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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
3 and 1/2 stars
Emily is a lonely geek, who discovered the Freak Factory, a dumpy, garbage strewn hangout, where people come to perform and let their weirdness shine. Enamored by the dancer Poppy, Emily finds courage to take the stage and become Emiko the superstar, even if only for a short while.
This is definitely a young adult comic/graphic novel with a simple, uplifting storyline. It's not deep and there is no sense of complexity. But it's a well put together story and Emily is likeable. And like Emily, I could fall in love with Poppy and her sense of freedom, too. The art style also supports it well and I like that a variety of body types are shown.
Emily is a lonely geek, who discovered the Freak Factory, a dumpy, garbage strewn hangout, where people come to perform and let their weirdness shine. Enamored by the dancer Poppy, Emily finds courage to take the stage and become Emiko the superstar, even if only for a short while.
This is definitely a young adult comic/graphic novel with a simple, uplifting storyline. It's not deep and there is no sense of complexity. But it's a well put together story and Emily is likeable. And like Emily, I could fall in love with Poppy and her sense of freedom, too. The art style also supports it well and I like that a variety of body types are shown.
Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Steve Rolston won the YA Graphic Novel category of the Cybils earlier this year.
Emiko is a geeky and awkward teenager who wants to find her place in the world. She's an Asian Canadian growing up in Toronto. The book covers her summer vacation where she is baby sitting for a dysfunctional family and spending her nights as a performance artist in a club that draws its influence from Andy Warhol's Factory.
Emiko Superstar drew me into the story with the very first scene where she arrives home dressed like an escape from the Factory. She's minus a shoe and completely disheveled. She stumbles home and passes out on her messy bed. The rest of novel explains how she got to this point.
The story is about taking risks and the consequences that come with taking the wrong ones. Emiko risks arrest from attending the late night events at the Factory where any number of illegal things are going on. She also risks her personal health from the lech who runs the place. She also risks grounding from her parents if they find out about her late nights.
What the book does well is show a teenager's view of how the world works and the mistakes she makes with her assumptions. She's caught up with the phenomena of being popular and famous but is afraid at first to take the necessary risks to hone her skills. She's also taken in with showy attitude, being swept away with the obnoxious husband's bragging about his toys and possessions instead of seeing how manipulative he's being.
Emiko though isn't a perfect angel in an imperfect world. She gets her moment of fame through lying and stealing. She gets her source material from a diary she had no business reading and certainly no business copying from. The diary though does give the novel the chance to introduce a more adult lesbian story than Skim (also by Mariko Tamaki and also a Cybils nominee). By making the lesbian side plot strictly between two adults, it gives more room to show the risks, consequences and rewards of coming out.
Emiko is a geeky and awkward teenager who wants to find her place in the world. She's an Asian Canadian growing up in Toronto. The book covers her summer vacation where she is baby sitting for a dysfunctional family and spending her nights as a performance artist in a club that draws its influence from Andy Warhol's Factory.
Emiko Superstar drew me into the story with the very first scene where she arrives home dressed like an escape from the Factory. She's minus a shoe and completely disheveled. She stumbles home and passes out on her messy bed. The rest of novel explains how she got to this point.
The story is about taking risks and the consequences that come with taking the wrong ones. Emiko risks arrest from attending the late night events at the Factory where any number of illegal things are going on. She also risks her personal health from the lech who runs the place. She also risks grounding from her parents if they find out about her late nights.
What the book does well is show a teenager's view of how the world works and the mistakes she makes with her assumptions. She's caught up with the phenomena of being popular and famous but is afraid at first to take the necessary risks to hone her skills. She's also taken in with showy attitude, being swept away with the obnoxious husband's bragging about his toys and possessions instead of seeing how manipulative he's being.
Emiko though isn't a perfect angel in an imperfect world. She gets her moment of fame through lying and stealing. She gets her source material from a diary she had no business reading and certainly no business copying from. The diary though does give the novel the chance to introduce a more adult lesbian story than Skim (also by Mariko Tamaki and also a Cybils nominee). By making the lesbian side plot strictly between two adults, it gives more room to show the risks, consequences and rewards of coming out.
Emiko is a little bored with being a nerd. She's not against nerd things, but she thinks there is more to her than just RPG and math contests. She gives in to an urge to go to the Freak Show, and artsy underground show held at The Factory, where she sees counter culture kids of all stripes performing on stage, and realizes that is something she desperately wants to do. She doesn't sing or dance or do puppets or any of the odd performance art popular at the Freak Show, and she's not sure what to do. A chance find inspires her during her regular babysitting job, the discovery of a diary hidden in the laundry room, detailing the quiet desperation of a young, suburban mother who wants out of her marriage but is afraid to go. Using clothing from her grandmother's go-go-girl days, Emi tries something she's never done, breaks out of her normal routine and studious mold, and learns a lot about love, friendship, the seedier side of art, and her own self-expression.
Good for teens wanting a nontraditional protagonist, interested in art, and some safe rebellion.
Good for teens wanting a nontraditional protagonist, interested in art, and some safe rebellion.
I wish the Minx imprint had lasted longer. This was a cute story and one that I would have absolutely adored when I was a teenager. Suburban adventures and misadventures, art and self-discovery, emerging friendships . . . everything you want in a good young adult story. Plus, the added bonus of several examples of weird performance art.
If I had read this BEFORE reading "Skim" and "This One Summer," I may have been more generous with the stars. Real rating 3.5. I really love Tamaki's characters and there is always something in them that I *get* (which makes me think maybe she and I had similar teen years. ;D) BUT this one is not as good as the others. It feels more childish, less poignant, which may be the point, I don't know. Twelve or thirteen year old me probably would have adored it.
It is also sadly lacking in Jillian Tamaki's beautiful art, which was a shame. The two together for "Skim" and "This One Summer" are definitely graphic novel magic. :)
It is also sadly lacking in Jillian Tamaki's beautiful art, which was a shame. The two together for "Skim" and "This One Summer" are definitely graphic novel magic. :)
This isn't quite as strong as Skim but it's still pretty good. Emiko sees herself as invisible until a flyer for the Factory floats into her hand. What comes next is entirely up to her...
Super cute and relatable, classic character journey. I loved this and can't wait to read more Mariko Tamaki.
Graphic novel about a teenage girl growing up and finding herself. Unusual, I know.