Literally Graphic reviewed Friends with boys by Faith Erin Hicks
Review of 'Friends with boys' on 'Goodreads'
1 star
Surprisingly disappointing for a book from an author and a publisher which I have enjoyed previously. I spent most of the book thinking maybe it just wasn't my taste, but when the end rolled around and I realized nothing had really happened... I'm not sure how this counts as a book?
Not to say that the art was seriously sub par or something, but literally nothing progresses in this book at all. About the only thing that happens is that Maggie's brothers suddenly inexpicably decide to become friendly with Maggie and her friends. Who are friends with Maggie for no apparent reason. They can all see a ghost, for no apparent reason. The ghost exists for no apparent reasons. Maggie's mother has disappeared for no apparent reason. Maggie and all her brothers were home schooled for no apparent reason. Maggie's family doesn't home school through high school for no apparent …
Surprisingly disappointing for a book from an author and a publisher which I have enjoyed previously. I spent most of the book thinking maybe it just wasn't my taste, but when the end rolled around and I realized nothing had really happened... I'm not sure how this counts as a book?
Not to say that the art was seriously sub par or something, but literally nothing progresses in this book at all. About the only thing that happens is that Maggie's brothers suddenly inexpicably decide to become friendly with Maggie and her friends. Who are friends with Maggie for no apparent reason. They can all see a ghost, for no apparent reason. The ghost exists for no apparent reasons. Maggie's mother has disappeared for no apparent reason. Maggie and all her brothers were home schooled for no apparent reason. Maggie's family doesn't home school through high school for no apparent reason.
Maggie's cop dad lets her off scot free for stealing a historical artifact and gets her friends in trouble instead because apparently he's an asshole. For no apparent reason, and despite the fact that he had friendly hair at the start of the comic. Which he cuts off. I guess that's a reason. If the book was about police corruption, this could make sense. It isn't.
Faith Erin Hicks seemed to want to say something about girls being friends with other girls. Maggie talks about it for all of one page and it is sort of insinuated in the title I guess. But nothing really comes of that. A couple of those other things I listed previously did get some level of explanation in the book, but nothing to really explain the depths of drama that this book wallowed in. I had been assuming that the boy were all cursed or at least warewolves or something... But no such luck.
On a completely personal level I didn't really appreciate' Hick's depiction of homeschooling. But I can't really complain because she apparently was homeschooled. That didn't stop it from being a rather unnecessary plot point that only serves to reinforce stereotypes about isolation.
But perhaps I missed something important, I haven't gotten much sleep this week. Feel free to let me know in the comments...