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A review by saidtheraina
Stuck Rubber Baby by Howard Cruse
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]