Betty's Pick
Minor Arcana by Jeff Lemire
Ready to read a mystery comic with fun Tarot elements by a trust master? A creator who can write, draw, watercolor, and panel like an expert at the top of his game? You need to check out Minor Arcana by Jeff Lemire.
I read a lot of comics– for all ages and across all genres. That’s my job! It’s fun! However, there are some comics that just feel a little off– the pacing, the art is gorgeous but the narrative is bland, the art is bland, but the narrative is intriguing, the panel layout is banal, etc. Sometimes master creators who have been at it a long time decide to get highly experimental or very literary. These types of comics are great, but they tend to really be “head” books rather than “heart” books, and what I really like is when a book is both.
In this, his first solo authored ongoing series since Sweet Tooth, Jeff Lemire is really doing it all. He is cradling my mind and my heart in his competent, responsible comics creating hands as he tells the story of Theresa,a young woman who couldn’t wait to move away from her small town ASAP, but is now begrudgingly back to help take care of her ailing mother. Theresa always thought her mom, who works as a Psychic, was a fraud, but as events unfold, she starts to wonder if she’s been the one who has been in the dark.
Other compelling elements of the storytelling include each issue being linked to a Tarot card – they are actually Major Arcana cards, but I’ll accept it. I also loved that the characters– although down on their luck, and anti-heroic at times– were rendered with compassion and care by Lemire. Nothing makes me want to stop reading (or watching) faster than a creator being gratuitously “mean” to their characters–especially female, Queer, or BIPOC characters. Bad things can and probably should happen to characters in interesting stories, but the way it’s rendered matters to me. Ok, rant over (for now).
I can’t wait to read volume 2 when it comes out! The mysteries are just starting to bloom at the end of this trade. If you read this book, let me know what you think. Also, if you’ve read other Jeff Lemire books you would recommend, let me know that too.
Minor Arcana Vol. 1
Title
Minor Arcana Vol. 1
Theresa's mother has fallen ill, and as a young bitter misanthrope, returning to her hometown to take care of her phony psychic of a mom is the last thing on Theresa's bucket list. But when Theresa finds out these abilities might be real after all, it will up to her to reconcile with her ailing mother, confront the failures of her past, and help the townsfolk she'd spent her life running from not so long ago... New York Times bestselling author Jeff Lemire (Descender, Black Hammer), garnering Eisner, Harvey, and Ignatz Awards and nominations for both written and illustrated works, as well as working with top talent like Andrea Sorrentino, Gabriel H. Walta, and Dustin Nguyen, debuts his first project at BOOM! Studios with this heart-gripping supernatural story about life, family, community, grief, mortality, and the power of human connection. Collects Minor Arcana #1-5.
Minor Arcana Vol. 1
Description
Theresa's mother has fallen ill, and as a young bitter misanthrope, returning to her hometown to take care of her phony psychic of a mom is the last thing on Theresa's bucket list. But when Theresa finds out these abilities might be real after all, it will up to her to reconcile with her ailing mother, confront the failures of her past, and help the townsfolk she'd spent her life running from not so long ago... New York Times bestselling author Jeff Lemire (Descender, Black Hammer), garnering Eisner, Harvey, and Ignatz Awards and nominations for both written and illustrated works, as well as working with top talent like Andrea Sorrentino, Gabriel H. Walta, and Dustin Nguyen, debuts his first project at BOOM! Studios with this heart-gripping supernatural story about life, family, community, grief, mortality, and the power of human connection. Collects Minor Arcana #1-5.
Description
Theresa's mother has fallen ill, and as a young bitter misanthrope, returning to her hometown to take care of her phony psychic of a mom is the last thing on Theresa's bucket list. But when Theresa finds out these abilities might be real after all, it will up to her to reconcile with her ailing mother, confront the failures of her past, and help the townsfolk she'd spent her life running from not so long ago... New York Times bestselling author Jeff Lemire (Descender, Black Hammer), garnering Eisner, Harvey, and Ignatz Awards and nominations for both written and illustrated works, as well as working with top talent like Andrea Sorrentino, Gabriel H. Walta, and Dustin Nguyen, debuts his first project at BOOM! Studios with this heart-gripping supernatural story about life, family, community, grief, mortality, and the power of human connection. Collects Minor Arcana #1-5.
Keywords
Comics & Graphic Novels | Fantasy | General; Comics & Graphic Novels | Occult & Supernatural; Comics & Graphic Novels | Contemporary Women
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