Literally Graphic reviewed Bitter Root 1 by David F. Walker
Review of 'Bitter Root 1' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
The art of Bitter Root is extremely expressive, but still very easy to parse, which is a very cool combination. Not trying to be realistic, both the use of line and color was very expressive. Fully utilizing the visual elements of the graphic novel to tell us about the characters and scenes. I feel like it reminded me of Paul Pope, but I have not read anything by them of late so this is through the fuzzy lens of memory. I certainly felt like this story was a bit easier to follow then some of Pope's stuff.
As far as sexuality and gender goes, it didn't appear to be something that the creators wanted to engage at all. There's a decent amount of what modern society tells me is an assumed cis woman and cis man, although one of these is more central to the action then the other, generally...
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The art of Bitter Root is extremely expressive, but still very easy to parse, which is a very cool combination. Not trying to be realistic, both the use of line and color was very expressive. Fully utilizing the visual elements of the graphic novel to tell us about the characters and scenes. I feel like it reminded me of Paul Pope, but I have not read anything by them of late so this is through the fuzzy lens of memory. I certainly felt like this story was a bit easier to follow then some of Pope's stuff.
As far as sexuality and gender goes, it didn't appear to be something that the creators wanted to engage at all. There's a decent amount of what modern society tells me is an assumed cis woman and cis man, although one of these is more central to the action then the other, generally...
Race is obviously a big focus of the book. Set during the Harlem Renaissance, I guess this is alternative history urban fantasy, urban alt. history fantasy? For interested parties there are, as I already mentioned, a number of essays at the end of the volume that talk about some of the different Afro cultural and spiritual traditions that inspired Bitter Root. We also have a white character who reminded me more then a little bit of Everett K. Ross of Christopher Priest's Black Panther fame. Thankfully he's not the view point character, but it did feel like Johnny-Ray Knox (cross my fingers I think that was his name) fulfilled some of the same roles.
As you might have guessed from my mentioning the attempted lynching in the warnings, racism is something covered in this volume. It does go beyond that however, and really weaves the effects of racism into the more fantastical elements of the story as well as the plot. Reading a lot of more nonfiction stuff about race recently it was nice change to read through not only a fictional work tackling race but doing so in a creative sideways sort of way overflowing with creativity.
As far as class goes, while (assuming I didn't miss anything) this volume doesn't really mention money at all the aesthetic read as fairly working class IMHO. Not much, but we get even less (aka nothing) for disability vs ability rep.