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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
I'm British and not at all familiar with Tom Hart's work. I sought out this book after reading a Twitter thread in which about half the contributors listed it as the one graphic novel they thought everyone should read. That had me hooked but it’s out of print in the UK, though there are still used copies available from various online booksellers.
I’m so glad I found a copy and read it. Perhaps it has more resonance if you're either a parent and/or have experienced the loss of a child or a sibling when young. I’m a parent of a now adult daughter and my baby brother died when I was small and that death cast a huge shadow over my own childhood so this book resonated hugely with me. I’m in awe of the talent and skill that it took to convey such a complex story, such intense emotions and so much pain, in pictures and words in a way that is immensely readable but still incredibly powerful.
I read the book in one sitting because by the time I was halfway through I really could not put it down. And yes, I cried while reading most of the second half. But what’s most astonishing for me is that Tom, Leela and most of all, Rosalie, jump off the page as real people here. There's no questioning the honesty and integrity of their portrayal; they are absolutely not cartoon characters. Unputdownable, unforgettable, brutally beautiful.
I’m so glad I found a copy and read it. Perhaps it has more resonance if you're either a parent and/or have experienced the loss of a child or a sibling when young. I’m a parent of a now adult daughter and my baby brother died when I was small and that death cast a huge shadow over my own childhood so this book resonated hugely with me. I’m in awe of the talent and skill that it took to convey such a complex story, such intense emotions and so much pain, in pictures and words in a way that is immensely readable but still incredibly powerful.
I read the book in one sitting because by the time I was halfway through I really could not put it down. And yes, I cried while reading most of the second half. But what’s most astonishing for me is that Tom, Leela and most of all, Rosalie, jump off the page as real people here. There's no questioning the honesty and integrity of their portrayal; they are absolutely not cartoon characters. Unputdownable, unforgettable, brutally beautiful.
I can't recommend this book enough. A deep breath, a slow opening of the soul, a gift of love. The final sequence is one of the most beautiful things I've ever read. I could feel my heart unfolding, unclenching.
Tom Hart's been quietly making a mark in comics for more than twenty years: from his beautiful, poetic mini-comics in the 1990s to the smart, funny and deeply political Hutch Owen; The Sands; Daddy Lightning; Banks/Eubanks, etc etc. And for many years he's also been teaching - supporting and inspiring another generation of cartoonists to "cartoon like you mean it." Tom's one of the most interesting cartoonists around. He's slowly built a body of work that's innovative and experimental in a way that's maybe less obvious to casual readers, but rewards countless re-reads. There's an aesthetic sensibility at work in his comics that's unique and powerful, and it's been consistent from the very beginning. His work is like no-one else's. I think his importance and influence have been under-recognised - something I hope is about to change with this extraordinary, unforgettable book.
Rosalie Lightning is a landmark book: the culmination of Tom's craft and his whole approach to cartooning as a potent, personal, intimate artform. It's viscerally powerful, deceptively simple and direct, honest and heartfelt and generous. There are layers of complexity and depth in this book, and a raw intensity that won't be denied. It's a book about why we live and why we make art. I know the subject will frighten some people away, but there's really no need. It's the most loving, joyful, real comic I've read in a long time.
A masterpiece. It deserves to be read, discussed, and studied for years to come.
Tom Hart's been quietly making a mark in comics for more than twenty years: from his beautiful, poetic mini-comics in the 1990s to the smart, funny and deeply political Hutch Owen; The Sands; Daddy Lightning; Banks/Eubanks, etc etc. And for many years he's also been teaching - supporting and inspiring another generation of cartoonists to "cartoon like you mean it." Tom's one of the most interesting cartoonists around. He's slowly built a body of work that's innovative and experimental in a way that's maybe less obvious to casual readers, but rewards countless re-reads. There's an aesthetic sensibility at work in his comics that's unique and powerful, and it's been consistent from the very beginning. His work is like no-one else's. I think his importance and influence have been under-recognised - something I hope is about to change with this extraordinary, unforgettable book.
Rosalie Lightning is a landmark book: the culmination of Tom's craft and his whole approach to cartooning as a potent, personal, intimate artform. It's viscerally powerful, deceptively simple and direct, honest and heartfelt and generous. There are layers of complexity and depth in this book, and a raw intensity that won't be denied. It's a book about why we live and why we make art. I know the subject will frighten some people away, but there's really no need. It's the most loving, joyful, real comic I've read in a long time.
A masterpiece. It deserves to be read, discussed, and studied for years to come.
Perder um filho deve ser das situações mais desesperantes que um ser humano pode atravessar. É simplesmente contra-natura, temos filhos, de um ponto de vista biológico, para nos suceder, e quando isso não acontece, o corte é profundo, a dor surge por todos os poros, psicológicos e físicos. Acredito ainda que isto é tanto mais intenso, numa sociedade que elegeu ter apenas um, ou dois filhos no máximo. “Rosalie Lightning: A Graphic Memoir” fala-nos da dor, da vida após a perda, do luto.
Não esperava mais, mas esperava diferente, talvez mais pungente, quando na verdade o período de luto, que acaba por ficar imensamente bem retratado, apesar de intenso, acaba por sair algo desfocado, um conjunto de tentativas erráticas com sentido de fuga, abandono, liberação. Mas não será assim mesmo, sei bem que procuramos chegar perto, sentir a emoção à superfície da pele dos atingidos, mas o luto não é só emoção, é antes pelo contrário, na maior parte do tempo, anti-emoção.
Na verdade, o facto de não ter passado pela provação, e que dói apenas imaginar, torna difícil compreender como seria connosco. A empatia não é fácil, porque estamos muito longe de poder compreender o que seria de nós naquela situação. Comparo com o videojogo recente, “That Dragon, Cancer” (2016), e vejo muitas pontes, mas também vejo muitas distâncias, mas também sei que o sofrimento, sendo humano, é particular, específico de cada um.
Estas obras são fundamentais para os seus criadores, contributos para um luto mais efetivo, não apenas pelo que se expressa, verbaliza, externaliza, mas essencialmente pelo que se cria. O processo criativo pelo seu efeito sobre a realização pessoal e autoestima, é um dos processos mais relevantes na terapia dos modos depressivos. Por outro lado, serve ao mesmo tempo um outro processo, comunitário, de partilha de experiências que é também fundamental na manutenção de sanidade, para quem passa por situações similares. Dito isto, “Rosalie Lightning”, sendo arte, é talvez ante disso, terapia.
Publicado em: http://virtual-illusion.blogspot.pt/2016/11/rosalie-lightning-graphic-memoir-2016-o.html
Não esperava mais, mas esperava diferente, talvez mais pungente, quando na verdade o período de luto, que acaba por ficar imensamente bem retratado, apesar de intenso, acaba por sair algo desfocado, um conjunto de tentativas erráticas com sentido de fuga, abandono, liberação. Mas não será assim mesmo, sei bem que procuramos chegar perto, sentir a emoção à superfície da pele dos atingidos, mas o luto não é só emoção, é antes pelo contrário, na maior parte do tempo, anti-emoção.
Na verdade, o facto de não ter passado pela provação, e que dói apenas imaginar, torna difícil compreender como seria connosco. A empatia não é fácil, porque estamos muito longe de poder compreender o que seria de nós naquela situação. Comparo com o videojogo recente, “That Dragon, Cancer” (2016), e vejo muitas pontes, mas também vejo muitas distâncias, mas também sei que o sofrimento, sendo humano, é particular, específico de cada um.
Estas obras são fundamentais para os seus criadores, contributos para um luto mais efetivo, não apenas pelo que se expressa, verbaliza, externaliza, mas essencialmente pelo que se cria. O processo criativo pelo seu efeito sobre a realização pessoal e autoestima, é um dos processos mais relevantes na terapia dos modos depressivos. Por outro lado, serve ao mesmo tempo um outro processo, comunitário, de partilha de experiências que é também fundamental na manutenção de sanidade, para quem passa por situações similares. Dito isto, “Rosalie Lightning”, sendo arte, é talvez ante disso, terapia.
Publicado em: http://virtual-illusion.blogspot.pt/2016/11/rosalie-lightning-graphic-memoir-2016-o.html
I need more stars to give this book, it gets all the stars. It breaks my heart wide open.
Oh gosh. What a tough, moving and emotional read/experience. To draw and write this book after the death of his young daughter is extraordinary. It's so personal and raw and human. I never like dream sequences in books and this was no exception. I don't read many graphic novels but whenever I do I vow to read more.
