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lsparrow's review against another edition
3.0
enjoyed this graphic novel - however I was not as into the drawing style and at times the narrative was hard to read.
ari76's review against another edition
3.0
A 2.5 rounded up because of the subtler parts of the comic. I was very entertained by the tongue-in-cheek signs/book covers/etc that were in the backgrounds of the comic panels ( Henry Louis Gates Jr: How I Survived a P0lice Encounter and How You Can Too! ). Those were Smith's time to shine, and shine she did. The Racial Translator storyline was intriguing too, but as others have said it was a much smaller portion compared to the obscureness that is the Block party. I wish there was more time spent on character development and refining that plot, but I also liked seeing a comic focused so clearly on these issues. Smith and her team also seem to be creating spaces for fans to engage, so that was a cool addition. Not my favorite, but I'm glad the artists/publishing house exists.
booksenvogue's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best Black comics around!
Wow, I loved the message and intent behind the storylines. It’s very timely and relevant especially in today’s climate. Full review to come.
Wow, I loved the message and intent behind the storylines. It’s very timely and relevant especially in today’s climate. Full review to come.
mjtal's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
gigireadswithkiki's review against another edition
1.5
• heck ya strong leftist ideals
• kinda felt like reading a leftist pamphlet/brochure tho? Not necessarily bad but idk not rly what I expected
• plot isn’t really there
• kinda felt like reading a leftist pamphlet/brochure tho? Not necessarily bad but idk not rly what I expected
• plot isn’t really there
agentshellfish's review against another edition
2.0
I had high hopes for this grafic novel when I picked it up but was sorely disappointed. Rather than creating a world affected by systematic racism, gentrification, the housing crisis, etc., this gn spent 90% of it's time talking about these issues rather than showing. I feel like this gn is better suited for a high school class room as a way to define important terms and open a discussion about these topics.
meghan_is_reading's review against another edition
there were QR codes :/ I don't scan QR codes
nmcannon's review against another edition
5.0
When I picked up (H)afrocentric off the library shelf, I did not know I was picking up a bomb beyond language. Juliana "Jewels" Smith's writing, Ronald Nelson's art, and Mike Hampton's colors don't hold back, and together they're quite the knockout.
The plot is pretty simple, with typical comics silliness popping up as needed. Naima, her best friend Renee, her brother Miles, and his best friend El are some of the very few students of color at Ronald Regan University in Oakland, CA. A self-proclaimed black radical feminist and great admirer of the activists of by-gone days, Naima wants to do something to fight Oakland's gentrification problem. With her upbeat attitude and fiery ideals, she puts together a block party to save an older resident from being pushed out and to fund a new website idea, mydiaspora.com, as a social media meeting place for black and brown folks to get away from crushing, racism-riddled reality. In the second arc, RRU requires internships for its students to graduate, and Naima & co. struggle to find employment that is meaningful but doesn't compromise their ideals.
When I first read (H)afrocentric, I was a little lost. This comic is not introductory material. It references and assumes readers already know the basic overview of black history/activism, black feminism, and black queer thought. Elizondo “El” Ramirez is Chicano and brings Mexican nationalism into the story, while another character, Kwame, brings hotep tendencies to the page. I felt like I was back in undergrad again, where I knew I was in the presence of wisdom, but did not yet know how to understand it.
And so I went to the (H)afrocentric website. Came back to the comic. Went back to Google. Downloaded a QR reader so I could get the links embedded in the art. Listened to (H)afrocentric's soundcloud. Listened to this brain explosion of an interview with Dr. Frank Wilderson. Thought some more until something shifted, and now, I think, I know a fraction. Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn, this comic put me back in school. I loved every second.
Like other reviewers have noted, (H)afrocentric is not a light read: it's here to make the reader think about American society's current limits, visceral struggles, and betterment through grassroots activism. I definitely recommend it to everyone who has either already studied the aforementioned topics or is willing to put the effort in to educate themselves. This comic is full of power and change.
The plot is pretty simple, with typical comics silliness popping up as needed. Naima, her best friend Renee, her brother Miles, and his best friend El are some of the very few students of color at Ronald Regan University in Oakland, CA. A self-proclaimed black radical feminist and great admirer of the activists of by-gone days, Naima wants to do something to fight Oakland's gentrification problem. With her upbeat attitude and fiery ideals, she puts together a block party to save an older resident from being pushed out and to fund a new website idea, mydiaspora.com, as a social media meeting place for black and brown folks to get away from crushing, racism-riddled reality. In the second arc, RRU requires internships for its students to graduate, and Naima & co. struggle to find employment that is meaningful but doesn't compromise their ideals.
When I first read (H)afrocentric, I was a little lost. This comic is not introductory material. It references and assumes readers already know the basic overview of black history/activism, black feminism, and black queer thought. Elizondo “El” Ramirez is Chicano and brings Mexican nationalism into the story, while another character, Kwame, brings hotep tendencies to the page. I felt like I was back in undergrad again, where I knew I was in the presence of wisdom, but did not yet know how to understand it.
And so I went to the (H)afrocentric website. Came back to the comic. Went back to Google. Downloaded a QR reader so I could get the links embedded in the art. Listened to (H)afrocentric's soundcloud. Listened to this brain explosion of an interview with Dr. Frank Wilderson. Thought some more until something shifted, and now, I think, I know a fraction. Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn, this comic put me back in school. I loved every second.
Like other reviewers have noted, (H)afrocentric is not a light read: it's here to make the reader think about American society's current limits, visceral struggles, and betterment through grassroots activism. I definitely recommend it to everyone who has either already studied the aforementioned topics or is willing to put the effort in to educate themselves. This comic is full of power and change.
rah10's review against another edition
3.0
An important perspective in the world today, but I had a hard time reading text and following the conversation bubbles. I enjoyed the style and would love to see more of each characters background and origin story.