• Julie Murphy’s Faith: Taking Flight
• TJ Klune’s The Extraordinaries

All cards on the table, the only thing I knew about Teen Titans before going into this book could be summarised in less than a sentence. That being said, I feel like I enjoyed I Am Not Starfire almost more because of it since I didn’t have any expectations for the story. And really, I don’t know what it is about this graphic novel, but the vibes were just impeccable. Mandy struggles to connect with people because of her superhero mother Starfire, who everyone wants to talk about instead of about Mandy herself. Mandy’s seen as little more than an extension of her mother at school, and people either flock to her to find out whether she also has superpowers or to get in with her mother. Thus, Mandy spends most of her school days isolating from everyone except for her best friend Lincoln. That is, until a school project forces her into close proximity with Claire, a beautiful, popular girl who Mandy might just be crushing on. And who might just like Mandy back.

Yoshi Yoshitani’s artwork in this is stunning. Mandy has such distinct looks and I adored that we got some body diversity in this graphic novel. Not to mention that the black lipstick, sharp makeup, and overall badass vibes that Mandy has throughout this novel made me nostalgic for my youth.

This graphic novel also picked up on generational differences and especially the struggle of Mandy connecting to her mother and vice versa. Both of them love the other, but they don’t really know how to express that without starting a fight so they often tiptoe around the other or placate each other to keep the peace. It’s such a relatable take on the whole “How do I communicate with my parents/my teenage daughter” discussion that it will for sure make readers cringe with secondhand embarrassment (because hello, we’ve all been there, superhero parent or not) and want to hug their parents extra firmly just for the heck of it.

There’s also a queer romance at the heart of it all which was just so cute. Claire and Mandy are so cute and even though Mandy tries her hardest to be seen as abrasive, you could get a feel for who she would be if she let someone else in.

There’s of course also an epic showdown which I will not spoil at the end of the graphic novel but wow, oh wow, was I here for it. Mandy comes into her own in ways I could have never imagined and I loved how the resolution tied in with her relationship with her mother and while things definitely change for Mandy, she still stays true to herself. All in all, if you’re in need of a good time, this graphic novel’s for you!

A fun, queer take on the “not the chosen one” trope, I Am Not Starfire is a quick read perfect for fans of The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune!

I Am Not Starfire is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.

Will you be picking up I Am Not Starfire? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

From New York Times bestselling author Mariko Tamaki (Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass) and artist Yoshi Yoshitani (Zatanna and the House of Secrets) comes a story about Mandy, the daughter of super-famous superhero Starfire, and her desperate attempts to get out from under her shadow.

Seventeen-year-old Mandy Koriand’r is not her mother. Daughter of Starfire and high school outcast, Mandy is constantly trying to get out from under the shadow of her bright, bubbly, scantily clad, and famous mother. Dyeing her bright orange hair black and sticking close to her best friend, Lincoln, Mandy spends her days at school avoiding Teen Titans superfans and trying to hide her feelings for the gorgeous, popular, and perfect Claire. And while Mandy usually avoids spending too much time with her alien mother, she’s been particularly quiet as she’s keeping one major secret from her: Mandy walked out of her S.A.T.

While Mandy continues to tell Lincoln her plans of moving to France to escape the family spotlight and not go to college, she secretly hides a fear of not knowing her identity outside of just being the daughter of a superhero and who she will become. But when she is partnered with Claire to work on a school project, their friendship develops into something more and a self-confidence unknown to Mandy begins to bloom. Claire seems to like Mandy for being Mandy, not the daughter of Starfire.

But when someone from Starfire’s past comes to disrupt Mandy’s future, Mandy must finally make a choice: give up before the battle has even begun, or step into the unknown and risk everything. I Am Not Starfire is a story about mother-daughter relationships, embracing where you come from while finding your own identity, and learning to be unafraid of failing, if it was even failing in the first place.

The post #ReadWithPride: I Am Not Starfire by Mariko Tamaki appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

If you’re worrying about being behind schedule too, you’re in the right place! Below there are ten graphic novels that can get you out of the reading slump and push your reading challenge. All of them are fun, quick reads and all feature LGBT characters in prominent roles.

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki (writer) & Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (artist)

This is not only a great, engaging young adult graphic novel, it’s also very important. While seemingly being just a romance, it actually tackles issues which often seem to be overlooked in stories for and about teens. The major arc is about Freddy – who mentions multiple times that she’s a lesbian and that alone is groundbreaking – and the titular Laura Dean who breaks up with her, only to try and get back together days after. The book isn’t shy in admitting that it’s a toxic kind of relationship and really, it’s all about Freddy learning that she deserves better.

Apart from the two girls, there’s a whole array of other LGBT characters with enough page-time to become actual people for the readers: an interracial gay couple Freddy is friends with and the lesbians working at the restaurant Freddy works at, just to name a few.

Taproot by Keezy Young

Taproot is one of those slow, calm stories that you fall in love with easily. But it also offers a plot twist that involves an actual death ripper, so really, it’s not just roses and lovely smiles. Hamal, the main character, can see ghosts and his whole life seems to be about chatting with them and tending to plants at the flower shop he works at. And as we learned from every necromancy novel out there, at some point the balance in the world must be restored.

But this is a story for LGBT readers first of all, so there’s no ‘bury your gays’ trope, even if it might look like it for a moment. That softness of the plot also works perfectly well with the art, which is all round edges and pastel colours. Truly the thing to read right about now, when we’re all a little bit more stressed than usually. 

Midnighter and Apollo by Steve Orlando (writer) & Fernando Blanco (artist)

Midnighter and Apollo also deals with death but in a completely different way than Taproot. Some of it comes from this being a superhero comic, some from it being an adult book. There’s a lot of blood and people dying. But in the true superhero fashion, only the bad guys perish.

The plot is actually a retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, but a happy one where Orpheus doesn’t turn back and instead gets what he wished for. It’s a great idea on its own, but especially groundbreaking when it’s about two gay superheros.

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker (writer) & Wendy Xu (artist)

Mooncakes is a sweet, lovely story with werewolves and witches, and it comes with a message about the importance of nature and how we should all play our part in protecting it. And maybe here the world mainly needs protection from demons and their worshippers, but the lesson still stands that Mother Nature will be kind to us, if we’re kind to her.

The novelty here is that this magical but also pretty normal world is completely void of homophobia. The love interest to Nova is her non-binary childhood friend and both of them are Chinese-American. It’s just an incredibly heartwarming story.

Goldie Vance by Hope Larson (writer), Brittney Williams & Sarah Stern (artists)

Goldie Vance is a super fun middle grade graphic novel, and if you’ll read the first volume, you will definitely want to read all the rest! It perfectly blends the aesthetic of the 50’s with absolutely outrageous mysteries, and gives us a protagonist that’s impossible not to love from the very first page. Goldie lives at a hotel with her dad, who’s the manager, and what she likes to do in her free time is help the private detective hired by the hotel. She also has a burning passion for sports cars. Truly, Sherlock Holmes could learn so much from her… As the story progresses, she also finds a girlfriend with those ‘John Travolta in Grease’ vibes.

On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden

On a Sunbeam offers a special kind of respite for LGBT readers and one that’s not usually easy to find. Pretty much all the characters, not just the main cast but even the side ones who are only there for a few pages, are sapphic. It’s a revolutionary concept!

The story works in two different timelines: Mia’s journey to find peace & love and flashbacks of Mia at school falling in love for the first time. In the present, Mia works with a team that’s tasked with restoring old places all over the galaxy, and they travel from one to another on fish-like space ships. It’s here among the crew that she found true family and learned how to be herself. Probably one of the most wholesome books you will ever read.

Joyride by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly (writers), Marcus To & Irma Kniivila (artists)

The biggest strength of Joyride are its characters. If you’re a fan of the found family trope, this is definitely a book for you. They’re all very well fleshed out, with their own agendas, and most importantly: they’re allowed to make mistakes and to learn from them. This truly is a story of growth.

Joyride feels very fresh, mainly thanks to the fact that the authors really nailed down teens’ voices. But also the plot itself, with how action-pact it is, while always remembering it’s about teens. Their first stop in the journey through the galaxy is a shopping mall…

The sapphic relationship is only hinted at in the first volume but it grows so much in the next two! It also progresses very naturally and the girls actually depend on each other and face some difficulties together.

Cosmoknights by Hannah Templer

If you want a book that will make you want to smash the patriarchy and eat the rich, this is it. The whole thing is just about women, including trans women, and their love for each other. This is a world where royals give away their daughters to a person whose gladiator will win in battle. Of course, instead of on a Roman arena, the battles take place in space & the gladiators have help of absolutely outrageous technology. But don’t be fooled, this story is not going in the direction that simple premise sounds like – after all, it is a story about women.

Heartwood: Non-binary Tales of Sylvan Fantasy by Joamette Gil (editor)

Heartwood being an anthology (of only ownvoices stories!) means that everyone will find something here. The comics all use forest imagery in one way or another, but they’re very different in style and it’s impossible to mix them up. There are cute teenage romances, stories about what it means to be lonely, funny stories, a little bit scary stories… The range that this anthology has!

Bloom by Kevin Panetta (writer) & Savanna Ganucheau (artist)

Bloom is a delicate coming-of-age story of a Greek gay boy. It’s kind of messy, in a way that life is: there are many bumps and detours, many unfortunate accidents and people making mistakes. It leaves the reader with a feeling that all their emotions are valid.

The relationship between Ari and Hector is treated as something precious, something that is worth all the work they both put in. It’s also a catalyst for change and growth for Ari, but it’s never portrayed as just Ari changing for his boyfriend. Rather, the boyfriend is a good, calming influence on him. It’s a very tender (love) story and the art in all shades of blue only amplifies that.

Do you have any other recommendations? Tell us in the comments below!

The post LGBT Graphic Novels To Boost Your Reading Challenge appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Laura Dean keeps breaking up with her girlfriend, Freddie Riley. Currently, they are back together, however Freddie is more and more confused about their relationship and about Laura Dean. Freddie enlists the help of Anna Vice, an advice columnist, a mystic, and of course her friends to help solve the riddle of Laura Dean. Meanwhile, Freddie tries not to lose her friends as Laura Dean puts a wedge between them. Entwined in the story is Freddie’s friends who also need to deal with problems of their own.

When I picked up Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me from the bookstore I didn’t know anything about it. I’d seen people recommend it, but I’d not read any reviews. I’m glad to say that despite all of that I was not disappointed, but rather, pleasantly surprised by this book.

Written by a well established and New York Times Bestselling LGBT+ author Mariko Tamaki, along side younger, but still acclaimed author, Rosemary Valero-O’Connell. Laura Dean is more than just another LGBT+ novel. It’s a beautiful tale that is relevant to (and should be read by) all young adults. It’s a book of the highest quality filled with heart and heartbreak.

The graphics in this novel, like most graphic novels, are in black and white. Except that Laura Dean also has the occasional pink in its graphics. The pink is used to draw attention and accentuate certain items, people, or frames in the story. The pink is a very well used feature that really draws your eyes to the important elements of the frame and really makes Laura Dean stand out as a novel. The graphics are also simple and consistent.

Freddie’s internal dialogue is another identifiable element in Laura Dean, these internal thoughts are crucial to the plot and Freddie’s character development. Freddie’s thoughts are shown through her emails to the advice columnist, Anna Vice. Freddie’s emails highlights her confusion and hesitancy towards her relationship with Laura Dean. They also bring up important questions about what it means to be with someone and the ways you can be with someone. I found Freddie’s philosophical musings to be quiet intriguing, while also advancing the story.

The characters in Laura Dean are very real and very flawed, even Eric and Buddy who are secondary characters with very minuscule roles, but have profound depth to their characters that make them as interesting and flawed as the main characters.

Though this is a graphic novel and can be read very quickly, Laura Dean is slow paced. Unlike most books, this is not a bad thing, but a necessary ploy to show how hesitant and confused Freddie is by her relationship with Laura. Highlighted by Freddie consulting many different people about their relationship (the advice columnist, the mystic and her friends both new and old), and the amount of time Freddie spends procrastinating instead of dealing with Laura Dean and their relationship.

Something that really stood out to me and that was very unexpected is the fact that ‘Laura Dean’ didn’t mention homophobia. Which is unlike most LGBT+ novels that rely on homophobia and troubles coming out as their main conflict. Laura Dean uses issues relevant to all young adults as the main conflict.

Laura Dean is a unique graphic novel that tackles issues of toxic relationships, love, ways to be with people, and the desire of young adults to be in a relationship and to be wanted by someone. In summary,  Laura Dean is a charming story of love and heartbreak that I would recommend to all young adults.

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.

Have you read Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

A graphic novel that asks us to consider what happens when we ditch the toxic relationships we crave to embrace the healthy ones we need.

Laura Dean, the most popular girl in high school, was Frederica Riley’s dream girl: charming, confident, and SO cute. There’s just one problem: Laura Dean is maybe not the greatest girlfriend.

Reeling from her latest break up, Freddy’s best friend, Doodle, introduces her to the Seek-Her, a mysterious medium, who leaves Freddy some cryptic parting words: break up with her. But Laura Dean keeps coming back, and as their relationship spirals further out of her control, Freddy has to wonder if it’s really Laura Dean that’s the problem. Maybe it’s Freddy, who is rapidly losing her friends, including Doodle, who needs her now more than ever.

Fortunately for Freddy, there are new friends, and the insight of advice columnists like Anna Vice to help her through being a teenager in love.

The post Review: Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki appeared first on The Nerd Daily.