Khaos Komix by Tab Kimpton

Khaos Komix by Tab Kimpton
Stars: 4/5*
*Because they’re free, I’d probably bump them up to 5 stars

Length: 8 stories at 51-97 comic book pages each
Blurb
This is a comic about gender and sexuality. It follows the lives of 8 main characters: Steve, Mark, Amber, Nay, Tom, Alex, Charlie and Jamie. It’s about them finding themselves, falling in love, lust and like and how hard they fight to get there.

This comic contains so many issues I can’t even really list them. Some of the things you may find here include: Gays, lesbians, those weird bisexuals everyone is talking about, faggotry, homophobia, transgender issues, dubious consent, body issues, abuse, hate and most important of all, a big old helping of LOVE. There’s a reason I called it Khaos.

Overall
I read five of the eight stories and I loved every one of them. (The only reason I didn’t read all was I was reading them all in one night and it was getting late. And they had female protags. I know, I have my preferences in romantic settings.)

Review
All the stories cover around the same period of time, with some going longer than others. Each story takes place from the protagonist’s perspective, so even when certain events are repeated, we’re given a new look at what was going on. Not only that, but the artist is obviously aware of the repeated events and doesn’t drag them out.

In many ways this is a standard high school/college romance story. But that’s sort of what makes it amazing. You know what you’re getting. And yet you get so much more. All of the stories tell the same general time period, but they also delve into the childhoods of the main cast, so we get so much more than if we just saw the events unfold as told.

The other great thing about these stories is that we have a variety of cast members. Yes, most are gay, but there are also heterosexual couples, MTF, FTM, gay, and ambivalent. They have good pasts and bad pasts. They have shitty parents and understanding parents. They have confused families and broken families. We get a little bit of everything.

Also, if you read the tales in order, they start off pretty light and slowly venture into darker and darker territory, but because you see where things are heading, you can avoid reading the darker tales if you want. I skipped over a few of the stories (Nay, Amber, and Charlie’s) but read through Jamie’s to get the full story on almost all the characters. It was pretty intense.

So these are fun, sometimes dark, often angsty stories that are definitely worth reading. Especially as they’re free and well done (with only a few typos in the text...but it’s a comic, so I’m more forgiving).

Be sure to check out my other reviews on my blog.

A+E 4Ever by ilike merey

A+E 4Ever by ilike merey
Stars: 3/5

Length: 214 pages
Blurb
Asher Machnik is a teenage boy cursed with a beautiful androgynous face. Guys punch him, girls slag him and by high school he's developed an intense fear of being touched. Art remains his only escape from an otherwise emotionally empty life. Eulalie Mason is the lonely, tough-talking dyke from school who befriends Ash. The only one to see and accept all of his sides as a loner, a fellow artist and a best friend, she's starting to wonder if ash is ever going to see all of her.... a + e 4EVER is a graphic novel set in that ambiguous crossroads where love and friendship, boy and girl, straight and gay meet. It goes where few books have ventured, into genderqueer life, where affections aren't black and white.

Overall
A touching story of high school romance that involves character growth, thoughts on sexuality and gender, and bullying. Aside from an overall enjoyment, the story had some gaping holes that left me blinking in surprise, wondering where the rest was.

Strengths
The art style won't be to everyone's liking, but the rawness felt appropriate for the characters who are edgy and fringe. The construction of the pages was sometimes hard to follow, but never confusing enough to disrupt the story or confuse the reader about what was happening. The writing and dialogue both fit well with the artistic style, unifying the elements of the book.

Some thing about the stye reminded me of Jhonen Vasquez, despite the very different topic matter.

There are strengths and weaknesses of the content of this story. Looking at it from Eu's perspective, the story feels pretty self contained and satisfying and, although I didn't really want their relationship to happen, the story and its ending pleased me. Ash's growth from the boy who won't talk into Eu's equal is interesting and dynamic. The story as a whole touches upon issues of sexuality and gender without dragging it into the main focus.

Weaknesses
Ash, who is my favorite character in the book, is too much of an enigma. The narration is mainly from Eu's perspective, but not solely, which created a sense that too much information about Ash was brought up and pushed aside. Very important information is mentioned (repeatedly) but never resolved, including potential incest, potential eating disorders, and the almost blasé way rape/pseudo-rape is handled. Ash has huge issues with being touched but after one encounter it seems to fade to the point where he can get a girlfriend.

I think my biggest issue with these gaping holes is that those elements are what made Ash so interesting and I wanted to know more about them, how they came about, and how they get resolved. Instead the story focuses more on Eu, who is okay, but not nearly as interesting. Some readers may not have a problem with the focus being on her, but most readers will probably be confused--and feel a bit cheated--by the shocking content that is brought up and never really dealt with.

Tokyo Babylon vol 1-7 by CLAMP

Tokyo Babylon vol 1-7 by CLAMP
Stars: 4/5

Overall
Originally I saw the anime that is based on this, and was amused, but not really impressed. However, my friends promised the manga was better and they loaned it to me. They were putting it lightly! Although the majority of the volumes are about Subaru's job putting restless spirits to peace, within the stories is the development of the relationship between Subaru, his sister, and their friend Seishiro.

Each volume only took about 45 minutes to read, as they were fast paced and interesting, not rambling on and on and on about something that the reader quickly didn't care about. While the story takes place toward what is soon to be the apocalypse, none of that is really mentioned in the series, although it does lend a darker theme to the stories.

Strengths
Aside from some of my frustrations at the end of the series (see below), I really enjoyed the storyline. Although there are plenty of Japanese cultural references, the authors do an excellent job of explaining everything as the events unfold. The individual “one shots” are interesting enough to keep the reader's attention while still progressing toward the over arching story, which unfurls rather quickly in the last one and a half volumes. The beginning works to build the characters so that the reader cares for them, making the ending all the more poignant.

Speaking of characters, I really fell in love with Subaru and Seishiro, and although Hokuto annoyed me at the beginning, even she redeemed herself. The development happens over five or six volumes mainly, although many revealing facts aren't told until the final volume. These are fun characters, and even with designs that aren't really to my liking, they were enjoyable to follow.

Weaknesses
This isn't a complete weakness, but the end frustrates me. It is concluded in some aspects, but I also know that there is more to the story, as seen in the X anime, which I will be seeing.