I appreciate when coming-of-age stories show people continuing to learn and grow through college and beyond, and this month, I read three graphic novels in that vein: two college stories and one memoir. All of these stand-alone books feature adults but are appropriate for young adult readers, and all of them are lighthearted.
Bunt! Striking Out on Financial Aid by Ngozi Ukazu and Mad Rupert
The first graphic novel I read this month, and my favorite of the bunch, was Bunt! Striking Out on Financial Aid by Ngozi Ukazu and Mad Rupert. Molly Bauer has been offered a scholarship to her dream art school, just across from where her moms run an art supply store. Her dreams are dashed when she learns that the scholarship has been revoked without warning. The only way she can get financial aid on such short notice is to form a winning sports team, but her softball team of eccentric artists seems doomed to fail.
I had a lot of fun watching Molly, who is endlessly determined even as disillusionment begins to settle in. I enjoyed her developing relationship with her love interest, who became disillusioned with the art school long ago and provides a contrast to Molly’s ideals. The rest of the cast and their dynamics also charmed me, with the art school setting adding a fresh angle to the underdog team, as each character has their own quirks and specialties. This graphic novel’s expressive art tells the story effectively, and its distinct character designs made it easy to get acquainted with and root for a whole softball team in just one volume.
I did find myself wishing this story was longer, mainly because it tackles so much. Not only is Molly coming of age in college, trying to pull together a hopeless softball team, and having a budding romance, but she is also grappling with the consequences of her carefully planned life spiraling away from her after putting an exploitive institution on a pedestal, as well as dealing with her feelings about beloved local places being gutted for the sake of greed. If the story had a little more space to breathe, all of these ideas could have been developed even further. Regardless, I appreciate everything it was going for, and I recommend it if you’re looking for an inclusive sports comic with a side of romance.
If You’ll Have Me by Eunnie
If You’ll Have Me by Eunnie is a contemporary romance set in college. It follows Momo, a shy young woman who’s on the nerdy side and has never been in a relationship, as she gets involved with PG, a cool, aloof woman with a reputation for sleeping around. The two hit it off and develop a sweet friendship, but Momo feels little hope that her burgeoning crush could go anywhere. Meanwhile, PG has her own baggage about relationships, and they each need to resolve their insecurities if they ever want to take that leap.
The best word to describe this book is soft, and the art style supports that. Most of the conflict is internal. In most stories where the protagonist is warned someone might take advantage of her, one would expect the love interest to be more of a jerk, but PG comes across as simply a hurt young adult who hasn’t learned how to communicate her feelings. Both she and Momo are learning how they want to approach a relationship, and they become friends before they ever push for more. I found it refreshing to have an opposites attract story feature people who get along so well from the start. I also enjoyed the ensemble cast around the main pair.
Having read this shortly after Bunt! Striking Out on Financial Aid, I wished the lengths of each book could be swapped, as this story was a bit longer despite having fewer elements to resolve. That aside, I recommend it to anyone looking for a cute college romance.
Us by Sara Soler, translated by Silvia Perea Labayen
Us is a graphic memoir by Sara Soler and has been translated into English by Silvia Perea Labayen. Sara, who lives in Spain, tells the story of her girlfriend Diana’s transition, as well as the highs and lows in their relationship. Though Sara is bi and demisexual, she thought of herself as straight before Diana came out, and so both of them had to reckon with their identities and what it meant for their relationship. At first, Diana put herself back in the closet rather than risk losing Sara, but the couple eventually reached a place where Diana could embrace who she was. From there, they had to face others’ mixed reactions.
I appreciated how this memoir highlights trans joy while still acknowledging Diana’s struggles. Similarly, the two clearly have a loving and supportive relationship, which doesn’t mean there haven’t been hurdles. I think a lot of readers will benefit from reading about Sara and Diana’s experiences, especially people who are questioning their own identity or want help explaining what they’re going through to others in their lives.
This memoir is told with frequent exposition to the reader, explaining not only various concepts related to gender and sexuality, but social dynamics and the importance of being inclusive. While I appreciate that this comic makes all of these concepts accessible, as someone who’s already familiar with them, I personally would have connected with this memoir more if it were less didactic. Additionally, a few pages contained a gag based in cultural appropriation, and that sort of stereotyping jarred me in a narative about inclusivity.
The art in Us sticks with the color palette of the trans flag, which is a decision I liked. Purely subjectively, the style itself is not my favorite, but I still thought the art effectively conveyed the story and tone. Note that the style differs from the cover, so I recommend checking out the art inside if you’re previewing it.
Overall, I recommend this to people who want to learn about some of the struggles that trans and sapphic people experience in a way that’s entertaining and not too heavy, and people looking for some hope and guidance in their own lives.
Content warnings: transphobia, misogyny, biphobia, and dysphoria.
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