CW: Depression, Burn Out, some Alcohol Usage 

This manga is a dark comedy that plays upon pun after pun with quick quips and commentary on the entertainment business, adulthood and expectations and personalities. As elaborated in the afterword, in Japan it is commonplace for children’s television programing to have hosts to be young adults and thus be referred to as Oniisan and Oneesan--older brother and older sister. For readers in the Western World, specifically American, think ‘Blue’s Clues’ versus ‘Mister Rogers’. 

The skits and shenanigans that Uramichi and co-workers: Utano and Iketeru, the female and male counterparts who handle the singing portions of the show and two costumed mascots/sidekicks (bear and rabbit) make for hilarious reading and a great way to wave away second hand embarrassment. The characters are the heart of this book and with volume two already out as of February 2021, you have time to trip over the jokes through and cringe at some of the situations that these working adults find themselves in. From failed female idols who are stuck in relationship with comedian boyfriend who just are NOT funny to  the eccentric one at work who can’t keep a straight face and will laugh when told pervy limericks and puns, this manga works best when you find yourself caught off guard with the bizarre and quirky--which this book has much of.

I’d suggest for fans for Skull Faced Honda and maybe, Gintama. 

Stella’s Stellar Hair opens to one young Stella waking up with the biggest, poofiest, untamed hair. It’s not at all what she wanted, especially on such a big day–today is the Big Star Little Gala!

A fun, colorful tale for the 4-8 age group, Stella’s Stellar Hair will capture the imaginations and the hearts of little ones and parents everywhere with its ode to self-love, self-empowerment, and flair for color. Illustrating a variety of hairstyles and types of hair worn by Black and Brown folks everywhere, it leans towards celebratory with kind, helpful adults present on nearly every page to guide a little girl towards having an attitude of loving how she is and taking everything she’s learned from the kinfolk in her life.

The narrative of this adorable children’s book has layers: Stella travels from planet to planet to Auntie to Auntie to be loved on and have her head tended to. It is a ritual that continues with adults that are loving and reassuring. These threads of the story touch on the importance of family, celebrating them, and acknowledging the work of all the women/femme/female presenting persons in our family circles do that, in turn celebrate us.


Read the rest of my review here:  
https://blacknerdproblems.com/stellas-stellar-hair-shows-kids-the-beauty-of-their-unique-crowns-of-hair/

Published in August, Kuku’s Hughes’ Displacement caught my eyes: “A teenager is pulled back in time to witness her grandmother’s experiences in World War II-era Japanese internment camps.” I was intrigued and wanted to read more. Soon, I found myself immersed into a narrative about family ties, the stories that don’t always get shared, and the immense power that both memory and trauma can hold in life–over generations.

As one of the best graphic novels published this year, Hughes’ debut carries so much depth, so much weight. I cannot wait to start seeing this work in classrooms and on syllabi across the country. What I know for sure is that Hughes’ Displacement is a deeply personal, thoughtful, and careful work that has been in the works for a long time. In the afterword, the author writes that this book is a work of fact, fiction, history, and memory…so there were people and events she wrote and illustrated to flesh out the pages of this powerful read. 

What was on the minds of the youth in these camps? How did people respond to democracy and having a say in how they were treated? Where there queer people existing in these places? How did the people make life just a little more bearable during these times? Hughes’ artwork fills the pages recreating this time period and there are scenes that could light up the night sky with the depth of emotion she places on the page.

Scenes like when receiving a small and unexpected gift that inspires a well of gratitude and connection to the people around her to scenes of being conflicted about a “loyalty questionnaire” passed across the camps that terrified and split whole generations and communities because of the uncertainty of the times were brilliantly places for bookmarks and, sometimes, tears on my end.

Read my full review here: https://blacknerdproblems.com/displacement-is-the-timely-and-necessary-graphic-novel-you-needed-to-read-yesterday/