caracabe reviewed Be Gay, Do Comics by Kendra Wells
Don’t read this book if you don’t want to feel things
With my old eyes, I had to resort to aids to my vision (cell phone camera zoom, magnifying glass) to read parts of this book, either because the lettering was too small or because there wasn’t enough contrast between the text and the background. That’s not a criticism, except perhaps of time itself. The book repaid the effort.
These comics generally fall into three categories: personal, informative, and satirical. The satire is hit or miss, as satire tends to be, sometimes too on-the-nose. The informative pieces are all interesting, whether about history, biography, culture, or medicine. Among the personal narratives, some speak to me directly, making me feel seen and affirmed, and making me cry or laugh or do both at once. Those that don’t affect me with such immediacy, I appreciate for offering me a start at understanding the experiences of people who aren’t like me. They are …
With my old eyes, I had to resort to aids to my vision (cell phone camera zoom, magnifying glass) to read parts of this book, either because the lettering was too small or because there wasn’t enough contrast between the text and the background. That’s not a criticism, except perhaps of time itself. The book repaid the effort.
These comics generally fall into three categories: personal, informative, and satirical. The satire is hit or miss, as satire tends to be, sometimes too on-the-nose. The informative pieces are all interesting, whether about history, biography, culture, or medicine. Among the personal narratives, some speak to me directly, making me feel seen and affirmed, and making me cry or laugh or do both at once. Those that don’t affect me with such immediacy, I appreciate for offering me a start at understanding the experiences of people who aren’t like me. They are also moving.