Articles Published the Week of 13 May 2019

A Meal with Blue Delliquanti. I’ve been a fan of the webcomic O Human Star for years now and the science fiction story has always been interesting, but I really loved Delliquanti’s graphic novel Meal, written with Soleil Ho, which was recently published by Iron Circus. The story of a chef who moved to Minneapolis to work at a restaurant that specializes in cooking bugs, it’s also the story of communities, of food, of of culture, gentrification, with a gentle love story at the center. A great work on so many levels.

Q&A with Marko Tamaki. I’ve been a fan of Tamaki’s writing since Skim, and in a series of books including This One Summer and a number of comics including Supergirl and Tomb Raider, Tamaki has really carved out a unique voice in comics. She has a gift for capturing teen and pre-teen voices in ways that are resonant and revelatory. Her new book Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me has at its center a young woman who has been dating the most popular girl in school, the titular Laura Dean. Tamaki described the book as in the vein of old eighties teen movies, but I also think of it as a critique of them, as the main character started dating the hot, popular girl – and it turns out that she’s a horrible girlfriend. I do dislike eighties teen comedies, but I loved this book.