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A review by okollie
Kiss Number 8 by Colleen AF Venable
3.0
3.5 stars
In my opinion, Ellen Crenshaw's beautiful brushwork is the piece de resistance of this book. Colleen Venable's lyrical, complex, and nuanced writing adds to it to make the story
So, let me explain the stars. And start with the caveat, of course, that I know the decisions made in a graphic novel come from more than just one author or one illustrator.
This book is DENSE. There's a lot going on, and the pages, to me, reflect that. Especially at the beginning, a lot of text is jammed into one page, and at times feels like its overtaking the art. That's not to say the text isn't necessary - it's not that it was saying too much. I would argue it's actually saying perfectly enough for the story. Moreover, I feel that the choice for this to be a graphic novel necessitated some semblance of plot trimming or further editing. Not just to take some of the burden off of Ellen Crenshaw, but also because it can just feel overwhelming to look at the page. Comics are about consuming a text and art simultaneously, as one composite reading mode. But overbearing text sometimes made it feel like I was forced to perceive the text rather than the art.
That aside, Ellen Crenshaw really is a genius with a brush! There are so many small moments drawn, like Cat rolling up her school uniform skirt, pauses and emotions drawn in such specific ways, it makes you feel so viscerally like you're in high school again. That coupled with Venable's knack for taking what is a vastly different experience for everyone, and condensing it into words, mixing in queerness, coming out, exploration, sexuality, gender, and more, is truly genius. The navigation of religious trauma, and realizing not only can your parents be wrong, but they can be hurtful, and still you can love them and have wonderful memories. That's such a confusing, hurtful, and weirdly un-nameable time that taking it on was definitely a task I applaud Venable and Crenshaw for.
In my opinion, Ellen Crenshaw's beautiful brushwork is the piece de resistance of this book. Colleen Venable's lyrical, complex, and nuanced writing adds to it to make the story
So, let me explain the stars. And start with the caveat, of course, that I know the decisions made in a graphic novel come from more than just one author or one illustrator.
This book is DENSE. There's a lot going on, and the pages, to me, reflect that. Especially at the beginning, a lot of text is jammed into one page, and at times feels like its overtaking the art. That's not to say the text isn't necessary - it's not that it was saying too much. I would argue it's actually saying perfectly enough for the story. Moreover, I feel that the choice for this to be a graphic novel necessitated some semblance of plot trimming or further editing. Not just to take some of the burden off of Ellen Crenshaw, but also because it can just feel overwhelming to look at the page. Comics are about consuming a text and art simultaneously, as one composite reading mode. But overbearing text sometimes made it feel like I was forced to perceive the text rather than the art.
That aside, Ellen Crenshaw really is a genius with a brush! There are so many small moments drawn, like Cat rolling up her school uniform skirt, pauses and emotions drawn in such specific ways, it makes you feel so viscerally like you're in high school again. That coupled with Venable's knack for taking what is a vastly different experience for everyone, and condensing it into words, mixing in queerness, coming out, exploration, sexuality, gender, and more, is truly genius. The navigation of religious trauma, and realizing not only can your parents be wrong, but they can be hurtful, and still you can love them and have wonderful memories. That's such a confusing, hurtful, and weirdly un-nameable time that taking it on was definitely a task I applaud Venable and Crenshaw for.