Short in length but expansive in subject, Gender is Really Strange is a great informative, accessible introduction to a discussion of gender. 

This graphic novel tackles various aspects of gender: how it is different from sex, how colonization  led to erasing native cultural expressions of gender (or lack of it), how hormones work, and how and why people question their gender, among other topics.

It is a surface introduction to these topics, so don't expect something super in-depth if you already know these topics; the audience for this is people who know little to nothing about how gender really is just a social construct, and provides tools to help people take their first steps in deconstructing the gender binary on a personal level.

Though I was aware of many topics in here, I still found this very informative; I especially enjoyed the section on various native presentations of gender (or lack thereof) that colonization's enforcement of the gender binary eventually eclipsed.

We can always stand to learn something new, and Gender is Really Strange is a fantastic way to do so. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the opportunity to read this. Gender is Really Strange will be released on October 19th. 

This is an absolutely lovely retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, but with an interesting difference and a play on the way stories can change depending on who tells them. 

As we follow our little red wolf as he frolics through the forest and gets himself into trouble, the art lays out a beautiful landscape. Truly, every page is stylized and stunning, a feast for the eyes. The character designs are beautiful and haunting, and the muted color palette really works for the story being told. 

A great picture book for children, but maybe for older children; the topics are a bit deep and can lead to some great conversation about grief and right vs wrong if taken seriously. 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for the opportunity to read this!

I really enjoyed Unfamiliar Volume 1, and Volume 2 continues in the same cute, cozy vein. 

The strength in this story continues to be the friendships and romances between our main cast, and this volume is strong as it focuses on Sun's curse and her growing relationship with Babs. I enjoyed seeing Sun's journey unfold, though the meandering into the fairy realm felt a little disjointed. 

There's also the ongoing mystery/side quest of figuring out why so many ghosts are haunting Planchette's home. The story helping one ghost was super cute, though the reveal of where the ghosts were coming from felt a bit too rushed. 

At times it did feel like this volume was juggling a bit too much; the jumps from storyline to storyline made things feel a little too chaotic. It could have been a bit more streamlined. 

The art continues to be super cute and stylized, I really enjoy it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this! Unfamiliar, Volume 2 will be released on October 17th.

I guess this is cute, but overall it just feels...juvenile? 

None of the two main characters seem like they're older teens. Every other panel, they're blushing and trembling and stuttering in shyness. It's wild. Honda was hard to keep liking after a while. Even the art felt kind of rushed and juvenile - character proportions seemed awkward, and not in a purposeful way. It all felt like someone's first attempt at drawing a BL manga. Just not for me, unfortunately.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha comics for the opportunity to read this ARC. Super Morning Star 1 will be avilable on October 10th. 

This is such a wonderful, informative, interesting piece of cultural exploration that means so much. 

Black Panther: A Cultural Exploration does a lot of heavy lifting, spanning the decades between the creation of Black Panther as a character and the character we know from today's Marvel movies. Tied in with the history of T'Challa as a character is a history of Black America, and how various cultural movements and moments helped inform the writing of T'Challa and the path that the Black Panther comics would eventually take.

I've always enjoyed Marvel Comics - first via cartoons as a child, and then via the actual comics as an adult - and how they reflect modern culture in their own way. I never actually read older Black Panther comics, but this book has inspired me to start doing so. 

As a non-fiction book, this is a very easy read, and it looks beautiful. I can't wait to see what the physical version will look like, it could make for a gorgeous coffee table read. 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC. Black Panther: A Cultural Exploration will be released on October 3rd, and is a perfect gift for any Marvel fan.

Hmm I feel like this would have had more of an impact on me if I was better acquainted with the history of gothic horror and early speculative fiction that other reviewers and cover blurbs mention. 
As it is, Helpmeet is a very strange journey following a wife taking care of her husband as he wastes away from an unknown disease. The body horror in this is A+ top tier madness.

This is a surprisingly cute manga that focuses on a budding friendship (and future romance?) between two high school girls. Saki is intrigued by new student Kanon, who is very hard of hearing and seems icy at school, pushing everyone away at first meeting. Saki pushes through eventually, and strikes up a friendship with Kanon. 

The way this volume approaches Saki and Kanon's growing friendship is really sweet, though the road is bumpy as Saki learns more about Kanon's disability, and Kanon figures out how to thaw out and let Saki closer. There are lots of lovely moments where they grow close and learn more about each other. 

The romantic tension is very light, though it's not invisible; at this point it seems their friendship is the main point of the story, and I appreciate that. Saki seems to be struggling with her identity (though it's not outright stated that she, the story and art implies as much), and Kanon is a big question mark so far (but again, a scene provides possible subtext that implies she is also into girls). I like that the focus is on them learning how to be friends instead of immediately jumping into a romance. 

I'll definitely be checking out more, I really enjoyed this first volume. 

Thanks to Kodansha Comics and NetGalley for a review copy!

An absolutely wonderful story for its target age group, Tidesong tackles anxiety, feelings of inadequacy, and what it feels like to live up to larger than life ideas and expectations of who you're supposed to be. 

Really sweet and simple story telling, with a great message and cute art to back it up. Highly recommended for young readers.

Look, I understand what Tchaikovsky was doing here, I understand the themes he was exploring. I understand the context of this entire novella. <b>I understand</b>.

But was MONKEY the word he had to pick for the Ogres to use as a pejorative for the "lesser" humans whom they use as a lower working/slave caste? Really? REALLY??

High discomfort aside, I found the forced distance between the reader and the main character hard to overcome. The reveal of why the second person voice was used made sense, but I didn't really like it. The narrative choice was interesting, but I think I would have liked this written from a different approach. There was just such a wide space between reader and character that I didn't really feel anything for the characters or their plight or the overall story.