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trevoryan's review
5.0
Great stuff. Truly a graphic NOVEL. Homosexuality and race-relations in the civil rights era. I'm kind of amazed I hadn't heard of this before. Highly recommended for anyone who likes some real substance in their comic books.
getittogethertrish's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is my go-to book recommendation! This is one of the few books, and the ONLY graphic novel, that actually made me cry.
The setting is a southern college town, in the middle of the civil rights movement. It’s funny, tense, heart breaking. Read it!!
The setting is a southern college town, in the middle of the civil rights movement. It’s funny, tense, heart breaking. Read it!!
alyssabookrecs's review
3.0
This was a lot thicker than I thought it was in terms of page length and also the amount of columns fit onto one page. Stuck Rubber Baby definitely kept my interest as I read it. It wasn’t my favorite thing, but I can see why others really like it. That said, I do have some criticism of using the civil rights movement as a back drop for a cis white gay man’s life journey, though it was clear it was very meaningful for the character (and the author’s loosely based experiences of his own).
tjr_ohio's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. This was an incredibly personal book. The central characters all had depth, including many flaws. All are aware of their limitations and some grow to recognize their power to drive change. Moving and beautiful from cover to cover.
loonyboi's review against another edition
5.0
I decided to re-read this on its 20th anniversary...and you know what? It's still amazing. One of the best graphic novels ever written. Its messages are clear, but not preachy. The characters feel real and flawed and human.
Can't recommend this highly enough.
Can't recommend this highly enough.
saidtheraina's review against another edition
5.0
A classic graphic novel ahead of its time.
Originally published in 1995, in this GN, Cruse draws heavily on his early years in the south. He depicts the coming-of-age, journey, coming-out process of a fictional gay white guy in the era of segregation, civil rights marches, and illegal homosexuality. And he shows how intertwined the queer community and the black community became at the time. It's a fantastic example of how being a cultural Other can bring people together. As this guy gets more involved with the civil rights movement, we get an insider perspective of what that time was like on a day-to-day basis. Private clubs, being afraid to drive across town with a person of a different race, church politics... it's all here.
Cruse's illustrations are dense and pull you into the page. He uses a wide variety of evocative page layouts, and the black&whiteness feels symbolic and meaningful. His crosshatching is ridiculous.
Toland struggles with coming out, and questions the dichotomy of totally straight vs. totally gay in a way that totally fits the time. It makes me slightly uncomfortable, makes me think, helps me consider the issues and how personal they are.
Heart-breaking, ground-breaking, and ahead of its time. [a: Alison Bechdel|21982|Alison Bechdel|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1245100306p2/21982.jpg] writes the introduction, and addresses his influence on her. Cruse was a pioneer in queer comics, and this is a master work. He pushes boundaries and totally deserves to be rediscovered.
Might need to own this one.
Read with:
[b: No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics|11871319|No Straight Lines Four Decades of Queer Comics|Justin Hall|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1343083032s/11871319.jpg|16828870]
[b: Darkroom: A Memoir in Black and White|13231279|Darkroom A Memoir in Black and White|Lila Quintero Weaver|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1344681071s/13231279.jpg|18424206]
[b: Incognegro|2331616|Incognegro|Mat Johnson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1309399607s/2331616.jpg|2338190]
Originally published in 1995, in this GN, Cruse draws heavily on his early years in the south. He depicts the coming-of-age, journey, coming-out process of a fictional gay white guy in the era of segregation, civil rights marches, and illegal homosexuality. And he shows how intertwined the queer community and the black community became at the time. It's a fantastic example of how being a cultural Other can bring people together. As this guy gets more involved with the civil rights movement, we get an insider perspective of what that time was like on a day-to-day basis. Private clubs, being afraid to drive across town with a person of a different race, church politics... it's all here.
Cruse's illustrations are dense and pull you into the page. He uses a wide variety of evocative page layouts, and the black&whiteness feels symbolic and meaningful. His crosshatching is ridiculous.
Toland struggles with coming out, and questions the dichotomy of totally straight vs. totally gay in a way that totally fits the time. It makes me slightly uncomfortable, makes me think, helps me consider the issues and how personal they are.
Heart-breaking, ground-breaking, and ahead of its time. [a: Alison Bechdel|21982|Alison Bechdel|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1245100306p2/21982.jpg] writes the introduction, and addresses his influence on her. Cruse was a pioneer in queer comics, and this is a master work. He pushes boundaries and totally deserves to be rediscovered.
Might need to own this one.
Read with:
[b: No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics|11871319|No Straight Lines Four Decades of Queer Comics|Justin Hall|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1343083032s/11871319.jpg|16828870]
[b: Darkroom: A Memoir in Black and White|13231279|Darkroom A Memoir in Black and White|Lila Quintero Weaver|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1344681071s/13231279.jpg|18424206]
[b: Incognegro|2331616|Incognegro|Mat Johnson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1309399607s/2331616.jpg|2338190]
helpfulsnowman's review
3.0
I'm guessing this'd be extremely progressive for 1995, but in 2020/1, it's not so much a big deal, so it loses some punch.
The art is amazing, though. The style is very "comix" and right up there with Crumb or others of his ilk.
Ilk. That sounds awful, doesn't it? Like a slime? A slidge? That slug and his ilk.
Anyway, solid book, but could've used a talking dog or robot butler.
The art is amazing, though. The style is very "comix" and right up there with Crumb or others of his ilk.
Ilk. That sounds awful, doesn't it? Like a slime? A slidge? That slug and his ilk.
Anyway, solid book, but could've used a talking dog or robot butler.
ajluedke91's review
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Intense but great book about the intersectionalities of the civil rights movement. Focused on a white closeted gay man’s perspective and experience having hesitancies of actively and openly supporting racial justice. It does a fair job addressing white guilt and fragility and figuring out how to do and be better
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Violence, Racial slurs, Racism, and Police brutality
Moderate: Abortion