Demons
The pursuit of a Master’s Degree in comics takes the author to a school which will create a vortex. Ambition and goals get sucked into a swirling mess of plans and things to avoid which end up producing a future somewhat upside-down. Determined not to produce a memoir and concentrate on fiction, one of the first classes is in writing autobiography during which the instructor gives to students the task of writing down their “demons.” The imagery is a shock to the system of the author, recognizing that the demons are all about gender:
“- Girly clothes
- Getting my period
- Swimming
- Bathing suits
- Boobs”
No Kids
The author is adamant about two things. One is that there will never a memoir in graphic novel form in the forthcoming career. Of course, what this assertion appears in is a graphic novel memoir. So, perhaps one should not take as carved in stone the multiple assertions that no kids will ever appear in the future either. Though this confidence about the future does make for an especially effective bit of imagery. When writing “I remember when I first realized I never had to have children. It was like walking out of a narrow alley” the accompanying two panels of illustration of devoid of all color except a dull sort of greyish blue and white and is claustrophobically restricted. Upon completing the thought “into a wide open field” the imagery is suddenly dazzling with vivid colors in both wide panoramic views and close-ups of beautiful flowers.
Getting Banned
Two panels have gotten the book banned on account of visual imagery. Both are depictions of a sexual act involving a sex toy one person has strapped around the waist while the other sits in front of it. There is no room for any ambiguity about particular simulated sex act is taking place between these two characters who are both born with a vagina. As opposed to some of the text and the overall subject and thematic matter, it would be a difficult proposition to argue in favor of the book being appropriate for schools below the high school level. And even those with open minds might also be somewhat hesitant about the idea of a book with these two particular images being made available even in high school libraries.
Nerd Stuff
Another single panel does contain visual imagery which is far more open to ambiguity. The author describes the walls of the dorm room as being decorated with nerdy stuff (although it is another word beginning with “s” and not stuff that is used to describe it). It seems a kind of a strange description considering what the stuff is comprised of. In fact, it seems ambiguous enough that a statement is being subtly made about how “nerdy” is defined. Posters for the movie Hellboy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the musical group The Killers and the book The Fault in Our Stars don’t really seem to mesh as together as an explicit manifestation of nerdiness. Certainly not when so many other much more explicit affirmations of nerd culture exist and seamlessly integrate with each other. The visual imagery here seems purposely selected to make a statement about conformity and individualism on an almost subliminal level, especially considering that the whole point of the illustration is the addition of a One Direction poster which seems jarringly out of place.
