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jonknightknighthunterbooks's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
It's a rare graphic novel that makes me cry, which this did.
While the art is gorgeous, the narrative structure is probqboy the most innovative thing about this work - though perhaps with 2023 being the year of multiverse films that is less true than it once was.
Brás, our protagonist, probably thinks of themselves as an everyman, despite being from a well off family, and getting a job almost certainly based on his connections. He is honestly generally pretty pathetic - but in a fairly normal way; unsure what he wants to do with his life, chasing after women he thinks will make him complete (and when he gets one, leaving all the childcare to her).
A recurring theme, is the chasing of dreams, and contrasting that with living a safe life. A willingness to explore his dreams generally works out well for Bràs, which makes it a little jarring that in one story strand, a black character who has the temerity to chase their dreams becomes a penniless killer. And as others have noted (here: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/ead0e25b-856f-45be-ab9d-a9884f2f7c94) the only other Black Brazilian is portrayed as wildly emotional and volatile.
Art and structure make this worth a read - but it's worth bearing in mind going in that Black Brazilian characters are treated poorly, both by the writers and the world they've created.
While the art is gorgeous, the narrative structure is probqboy the most innovative thing about this work - though perhaps with 2023 being the year of multiverse films that is less true than it once was.
Brás, our protagonist, probably thinks of themselves as an everyman, despite being from a well off family, and getting a job almost certainly based on his connections. He is honestly generally pretty pathetic - but in a fairly normal way; unsure what he wants to do with his life, chasing after women he thinks will make him complete (and when he gets one, leaving all the childcare to her).
A recurring theme, is the chasing of dreams, and contrasting that with living a safe life. A willingness to explore his dreams generally works out well for Bràs, which makes it a little jarring that in one story strand, a black character who has the temerity to chase their dreams becomes a penniless killer. And as others have noted (here: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/ead0e25b-856f-45be-ab9d-a9884f2f7c94) the only other Black Brazilian is portrayed as wildly emotional and volatile.
Art and structure make this worth a read - but it's worth bearing in mind going in that Black Brazilian characters are treated poorly, both by the writers and the world they've created.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Cancer, Suicide, and Death of parent
chaoticnostalgia's review
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Feeling like I will be thinking about this for a while, but can't figure out how much I liked it. I'm definitely feeling existential.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Death of parent, Violence, Gun violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Medical content, Cancer, Misogyny, and Sexual content
Minor: Pregnancy
jenniferthinks's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The storytelling in this graphic novel is lovely, but I gotta say, the thing that stood out to me the absolute most was the use of color. I have never been drawn to the color choices in graphic novel ever before, as much as I have in this one. It's truly art on every page. Pay attention to the sky. Notice how it changes with the mood. It's really, really well done.
And it's the only story of its kind that I've read before. I smiled, I cried. The story really worked.
The only thing I didn't much appreciate about the story is...
how underdeveloped the non-men characters are. I understand the choice, because it's from the main character's point of view, but I feel like there could have been more done there to make it feel like the women were really people, who have depth, and aren't just mysterious or surface level characters.
And it's the only story of its kind that I've read before. I smiled, I cried. The story really worked.
The only thing I didn't much appreciate about the story is...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Addiction, Blood, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Self harm, Murder, Grief, and Car accident
Moderate: Child death, Medical content, and Mental illness
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