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Self-Obsessed
For fans of his gothic-tinged retail hell graphic novel NOT MY BAG, SINA GRACE (LI'L DEPRESSED BOY, BURN THE ORPHANAGE) presents a collection of rare and never-before-seen autobiographical strips! Packed with new stories for this edition, SELF-OBSESSED is packed with quirky and humorous insights about comics, love, dreams, and, of course, frenemies.
Unknown Binding
First published April 2, 2014
5 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
About the author
Sina Grace
227 books145 followersSina Grace’s parents had big plans for their son: Ivy League schooling, professional credentials, a 6-figure income as a doctor– the works! Fortunately for us, he found the wonderful world of comics instead. It was in this world of contradictions that he “matured,” one foot teetering on the edge of academia, the other drawn to the inescapable grasp of an ink-bound fantasy underworld.
At 14, Grace seemingly appeased his parents by interning at Top Cow Productions, under the guidance of Editor-in-Chief Renae Geerlings (his single mother figured at least he was collecting college credit). However the only thing he was collecting (other than comics), was the compulsive habit of drawing unrealistically proportioned, scantily clad women.
At 16, he got a perpetual summer-time job at the Santa Monica landmark: Hi De Ho Comics, where he would be inspired to create Books with Pictures. By 17 he wrote, drew, and self-published his first comic, The Roller-Derby Robo-Dykes versus the Cannibals. His knowledge of disproportionate harlots with weapons came in handy when depicting a story about Robo-Dykes bent on taking over the world. His mother was happy that he was taking interest in girls. The book went into a second printing, and received the praise of Lying in the Gutters critic, Rich Johnston.
Weeks after graduating high school, he was asked by Rilo Kiley front-woman Jenny Lewis to illustrate a limited edition comic book adaptation of their 2004 record, More Adventurous. In the spring of 2006 he was asked to apprentice under comics genius, Howard Chaykin (even though it may not be apparent in Books with Pictures, Grace did learn the function of a ruler and the meaning of a vanishing point).
Between the summers of 2005 and 06, Grace’s partially-biographical indie dramedy, Books with Pictures, went from hand-xeroxed zines to full-fledged, full-sized comic books. Shortly after its debut at San Diego Comic-Con, Diamond Distributors accepted the series into their ordering catalogue, Previews. Grace’s work on the series was met with admiration from bloggers and reviewers alike, and has since taken on several projects for multiple anthologies due in late 2008.
To his parents’ delight, he graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz, receiving an undergraduate degree in Literature, with an emphasis on Creative Writing.
Sina Grace recently self-published an illustrated novel about a sorcerer sleuth in Orange County, aptly named Cedric Hollows in Dial M for Magic, his next project will be providing illustrations for Amber Benson’s novel, Among the Ghosts, through Aladdin Books.
At 14, Grace seemingly appeased his parents by interning at Top Cow Productions, under the guidance of Editor-in-Chief Renae Geerlings (his single mother figured at least he was collecting college credit). However the only thing he was collecting (other than comics), was the compulsive habit of drawing unrealistically proportioned, scantily clad women.
At 16, he got a perpetual summer-time job at the Santa Monica landmark: Hi De Ho Comics, where he would be inspired to create Books with Pictures. By 17 he wrote, drew, and self-published his first comic, The Roller-Derby Robo-Dykes versus the Cannibals. His knowledge of disproportionate harlots with weapons came in handy when depicting a story about Robo-Dykes bent on taking over the world. His mother was happy that he was taking interest in girls. The book went into a second printing, and received the praise of Lying in the Gutters critic, Rich Johnston.
Weeks after graduating high school, he was asked by Rilo Kiley front-woman Jenny Lewis to illustrate a limited edition comic book adaptation of their 2004 record, More Adventurous. In the spring of 2006 he was asked to apprentice under comics genius, Howard Chaykin (even though it may not be apparent in Books with Pictures, Grace did learn the function of a ruler and the meaning of a vanishing point).
Between the summers of 2005 and 06, Grace’s partially-biographical indie dramedy, Books with Pictures, went from hand-xeroxed zines to full-fledged, full-sized comic books. Shortly after its debut at San Diego Comic-Con, Diamond Distributors accepted the series into their ordering catalogue, Previews. Grace’s work on the series was met with admiration from bloggers and reviewers alike, and has since taken on several projects for multiple anthologies due in late 2008.
To his parents’ delight, he graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz, receiving an undergraduate degree in Literature, with an emphasis on Creative Writing.
Sina Grace recently self-published an illustrated novel about a sorcerer sleuth in Orange County, aptly named Cedric Hollows in Dial M for Magic, his next project will be providing illustrations for Amber Benson’s novel, Among the Ghosts, through Aladdin Books.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 15, 2015
I guess everyone thinks their life is fascinating enough to warrant a book or memoir even though they often aren’t; the same goes for Sina Grace whose new book, Self-Obsessed, is a collection of odds and ends about him, none of which are remotely interesting.
Jumping to his final essay, Grace rambles about/gives his excuses for how this book came about: his Image comic, Burn the Orphanage, got cancelled and his grandmother died which led him into a personal tailspin. Uh, ok. So what is Self-Obsessed? A chronological look at Grace’s comics from a young age to the present and how he, sort of, comes to like himself… I think. In actuality it’s a glob of nonsense!
There’s no rhyme or reason to the structure. There’s a comic about him wanting to be a comics artist followed by a review of a Shakira concert, followed by a comic about meeting his Li’l Depressed Boy collaborator, followed by black and white photos of him shopping, followed by an essay on why he likes the Lizzie McGuire movie, then a comic about the sort of men he’s attracted to (big hairy men aka “bears”), followed by a comic about why he hates Christmas (while experimenting with lettering his comics with a word processor – not a good idea).
The whole book is like that. Here’s another short comic about having daddy issues and being gay! Here are more black and white photos of the author looking emo! Here’s a random drawing of Lady Gaga! Here’s a random drawing of the author as Tinkerbell! Here’s another throwaway essay/interview with another hipster douche!
Those essays really are the worst. One essay gives advice to people who quit their jobs – his advice? Cut down on spending, work a lot, and, hey, you could always move back in with your mom. It may be obvious (as well as useless to anyone whose parents are dead or if you’re not on good terms with them) but not nearly as loathsome as another essay which is literally about congratulating himself for no longer buying expensive rewards whenever he completes a piece of work!
My question is: why publish this mess of miscellanea? If it was done to help him work through some issues, fine, but why foist it on the public – shouldn’t their very existence in supposedly helping him out be enough? What does he gain from publicising his inane “struggles”?
At the end of the day, Sina Grace’s life hasn’t been compelling in the least – so far anyway, he’s still very young. He dated girls in high school before realising he was gay – ordinary stuff. He put out a mediocre comic (Burn the Orphanage) and an utterly shite one (Li’l Depressed Boy) but neither are especially worth tracking down. And that’s it. 29 year-old Grace is indicative of the generation who grew up around social media who overshare and make far too much of too little. The difference is that Grace has the connections to publish his insubstantial fluff.
Autobiographical comics can be very good; Sina Grace’s Self-Obsessed isn’t. It’s full of dreary anecdotes and half-baked observations presented in a style of vapid, preening narcissism. Truly horrible reading – I’ll be avoiding anything with Sina Grace’s name on the cover from now on!
Jumping to his final essay, Grace rambles about/gives his excuses for how this book came about: his Image comic, Burn the Orphanage, got cancelled and his grandmother died which led him into a personal tailspin. Uh, ok. So what is Self-Obsessed? A chronological look at Grace’s comics from a young age to the present and how he, sort of, comes to like himself… I think. In actuality it’s a glob of nonsense!
There’s no rhyme or reason to the structure. There’s a comic about him wanting to be a comics artist followed by a review of a Shakira concert, followed by a comic about meeting his Li’l Depressed Boy collaborator, followed by black and white photos of him shopping, followed by an essay on why he likes the Lizzie McGuire movie, then a comic about the sort of men he’s attracted to (big hairy men aka “bears”), followed by a comic about why he hates Christmas (while experimenting with lettering his comics with a word processor – not a good idea).
The whole book is like that. Here’s another short comic about having daddy issues and being gay! Here are more black and white photos of the author looking emo! Here’s a random drawing of Lady Gaga! Here’s a random drawing of the author as Tinkerbell! Here’s another throwaway essay/interview with another hipster douche!
Those essays really are the worst. One essay gives advice to people who quit their jobs – his advice? Cut down on spending, work a lot, and, hey, you could always move back in with your mom. It may be obvious (as well as useless to anyone whose parents are dead or if you’re not on good terms with them) but not nearly as loathsome as another essay which is literally about congratulating himself for no longer buying expensive rewards whenever he completes a piece of work!
My question is: why publish this mess of miscellanea? If it was done to help him work through some issues, fine, but why foist it on the public – shouldn’t their very existence in supposedly helping him out be enough? What does he gain from publicising his inane “struggles”?
At the end of the day, Sina Grace’s life hasn’t been compelling in the least – so far anyway, he’s still very young. He dated girls in high school before realising he was gay – ordinary stuff. He put out a mediocre comic (Burn the Orphanage) and an utterly shite one (Li’l Depressed Boy) but neither are especially worth tracking down. And that’s it. 29 year-old Grace is indicative of the generation who grew up around social media who overshare and make far too much of too little. The difference is that Grace has the connections to publish his insubstantial fluff.
Autobiographical comics can be very good; Sina Grace’s Self-Obsessed isn’t. It’s full of dreary anecdotes and half-baked observations presented in a style of vapid, preening narcissism. Truly horrible reading – I’ll be avoiding anything with Sina Grace’s name on the cover from now on!
June 12, 2020
3/5
So this graphic novel wasn't THAT BAD, but it wasn't good either. This collects pieces from a ten year period, including some of Grace's earliest works. The early stuff isn't the greatest and contains a lot of self-doubt from Grace. As a gay comics writer, he is in an unusual position.
The first half of the book took me a while to get through, but I felt like the second half made up for it. I saw a shift towards confidence in the work. What really made it interesting for me is when he begins to write about his experiences in the comic industry. There is some insight here that I haven't seen before and it was refreshing to see.
The art is all over the place. It's not unexpected considering the amount of time that the book covers. I think my enjoyment of the art built as I was able to see how it improved and how some elements stayed the same over time. This is a pleasant reflection on his life, how he got into comics, and the decisions he has made within the industry. I also liked the mini playlist he made when he was talking about sex and love. Some of the song i did not know!
So this graphic novel wasn't THAT BAD, but it wasn't good either. This collects pieces from a ten year period, including some of Grace's earliest works. The early stuff isn't the greatest and contains a lot of self-doubt from Grace. As a gay comics writer, he is in an unusual position.
The first half of the book took me a while to get through, but I felt like the second half made up for it. I saw a shift towards confidence in the work. What really made it interesting for me is when he begins to write about his experiences in the comic industry. There is some insight here that I haven't seen before and it was refreshing to see.
The art is all over the place. It's not unexpected considering the amount of time that the book covers. I think my enjoyment of the art built as I was able to see how it improved and how some elements stayed the same over time. This is a pleasant reflection on his life, how he got into comics, and the decisions he has made within the industry. I also liked the mini playlist he made when he was talking about sex and love. Some of the song i did not know!
August 19, 2019
This is messy as fuck, but not as bad as many people have made it out to be. It definitely reads like a collection of scrambled thoughts, memories, and sketches or musings, and it is, but it's also a peak into someone's life and world, which is always interesting, especially when they start with their childhood ambitions and dreams, at least to me. It's cool to see why people latch onto certain pursuits or life goals at such a young age and somehow manage to hold onto them for so many years.
I did wince and roll my eyes at how he described a trans man, so we're gonna ignore that gross tidbit. The bit about his family trip to Roswell was cool to me, and I actually liked the little interview/conversation with his essayist friend.
It's not much to write home about but I'm glad I read it. 3/5
I did wince and roll my eyes at how he described a trans man, so we're gonna ignore that gross tidbit. The bit about his family trip to Roswell was cool to me, and I actually liked the little interview/conversation with his essayist friend.
It's not much to write home about but I'm glad I read it. 3/5
August 9, 2016
After having finished Alison Bechdel's exquisite, nuanced graphic memoir "Fun Home," I got the itch to read some more autobiographical comics. I remembered that I had downloaded a digital copy of Sina Grace's "Self-Obsessed" that came packaged with one of Image Comics' latest Humble Bundles, so I gave it a shot with no prior knowledge of the author or its contents. Sadly, I wish I could rate it higher given Image Comics' usual pedigree for great projects these days, but Self-Obsessed is a true misfire, and I'm not really sure why they bothered to agree to publish it at all.
Don't get me wrong, Sina Grace seems like a nice guy overall, and he doesn't come across as having a obnoxiously huge ego (which you might think considering the title of the comic). I could totally see where he might have thought this graphic novel would be a good idea, following in the footsteps of other autobiographical cartoonists/writers like Harvey Pekar, Robert Crumb, or Alison Bechdel. But Self-Obsessed truly suffers from a real lack of focus or depth, some things those aforementioned artists really had going for them.
Early on, Grace describes this book's genesis as being a neat way to show friends and family his growth as an artist over the years. That's cool and all, but that's not really a good foundation for a solid graphic novel/memoir. As it stands, Self-Obsessed is just a weird mishmash of ideas and concepts, collecting various early drawings, essays, interviews, and one-shot stories about aspects of Grace's life that he finds interesting. I kept feeling that this book reminded me too much of the sort of random pieces one finds at the end of deluxe or special editions as bonuses for diehard fans but not really anybody else: rough sketches, interviews, that sort of thing.
Even with that in mind, this book would be a solid three-star endeavor if there was anything of much substance in the pieces featured, but the whole thing comes across as threadbare and not very well thought-out. Honestly, I'm writing much of this review from memory, and I'm struggling to remember anything of note, which is never a good sign for anything I've read. Let's see here: I recall that Grace has a thing for women's shoes and "Sex in the City's" Carrie Bradshaw is kind of his role model (I think); he has some problems with his dad being an irresponsible, absent lout; he has a penchant for picking selfish bastards for romantic entanglements; and he used to have some lousy friends who didn't support him very much. I think that's about it, really. Other reviewers have pointed out quite rightly that what Grace details in this book isn't very interesting or relatable. (I did, however, enjoy the bits about his high school friend who later became a famous rock star and became bitter, flaky, and drug-addled. I kept wondering who this person was and what their life is like now. Hmmm...)
If you are already a fan of Sina Grace and want to know a little more about him, this book is for you. Otherwise, unless you are one of his friends or family members, I seriously doubt that you will find all that much of substance here. Methinks Mr. Grace should spend some time reading works like "Fun Home," David Small's "Stitches," or Craig Thompson's "Blankets" for how to pull off a real autobiographical work of merit. Or maybe just stick to illustration -- he's pretty good at that.
Don't get me wrong, Sina Grace seems like a nice guy overall, and he doesn't come across as having a obnoxiously huge ego (which you might think considering the title of the comic). I could totally see where he might have thought this graphic novel would be a good idea, following in the footsteps of other autobiographical cartoonists/writers like Harvey Pekar, Robert Crumb, or Alison Bechdel. But Self-Obsessed truly suffers from a real lack of focus or depth, some things those aforementioned artists really had going for them.
Early on, Grace describes this book's genesis as being a neat way to show friends and family his growth as an artist over the years. That's cool and all, but that's not really a good foundation for a solid graphic novel/memoir. As it stands, Self-Obsessed is just a weird mishmash of ideas and concepts, collecting various early drawings, essays, interviews, and one-shot stories about aspects of Grace's life that he finds interesting. I kept feeling that this book reminded me too much of the sort of random pieces one finds at the end of deluxe or special editions as bonuses for diehard fans but not really anybody else: rough sketches, interviews, that sort of thing.
Even with that in mind, this book would be a solid three-star endeavor if there was anything of much substance in the pieces featured, but the whole thing comes across as threadbare and not very well thought-out. Honestly, I'm writing much of this review from memory, and I'm struggling to remember anything of note, which is never a good sign for anything I've read. Let's see here: I recall that Grace has a thing for women's shoes and "Sex in the City's" Carrie Bradshaw is kind of his role model (I think); he has some problems with his dad being an irresponsible, absent lout; he has a penchant for picking selfish bastards for romantic entanglements; and he used to have some lousy friends who didn't support him very much. I think that's about it, really. Other reviewers have pointed out quite rightly that what Grace details in this book isn't very interesting or relatable. (I did, however, enjoy the bits about his high school friend who later became a famous rock star and became bitter, flaky, and drug-addled. I kept wondering who this person was and what their life is like now. Hmmm...)
If you are already a fan of Sina Grace and want to know a little more about him, this book is for you. Otherwise, unless you are one of his friends or family members, I seriously doubt that you will find all that much of substance here. Methinks Mr. Grace should spend some time reading works like "Fun Home," David Small's "Stitches," or Craig Thompson's "Blankets" for how to pull off a real autobiographical work of merit. Or maybe just stick to illustration -- he's pretty good at that.
July 15, 2017
Decided to give this a try after falling in love with the LDB series.
But this book sucks. His life story isn't all that interesting.
But this book sucks. His life story isn't all that interesting.
July 22, 2016
An easy, fun read that was both light hearted, but grounded in a sense of personal discovery.
For anyone who looks at this and says "Oh, this guy's full of himself, why would I read that"- well it's literally in the title, it's going to be all about Sina Grace.
But the fascinating thing I found that Grace's problems, are my problems. As a gay man, I recognized a lot of myself through his self discovery (and, yes, occasional self wallowing). One of my favorite pages ends with the simple statement "I Can Only Be Me." This is not a book that sets out to impress anyone, per say, and this is not an autobiographical examination life "Fun Home." (But maybe one day, after Grace's hopefully long continued work through the medium, we will get to see something of the sort.)
This book tracks back from Grace's earliest drawings, through today (rather 2015) in attempts to understand himself, with some not-so-excellent drawings from his younger years, to his more self styled drawings. A few pages that are text-filled of interviews and essays by Grace, and some photography as well.
The whole thing amounts to very little plot, but very personal examination, that you can either choose to be put off by, or read for your own metaphorical associations.
In the end, despite living in an image-based society, you get the feeling that for those of us who aren't, sometimes it's a little healthy to be self-obsessed.
For anyone who looks at this and says "Oh, this guy's full of himself, why would I read that"- well it's literally in the title, it's going to be all about Sina Grace.
But the fascinating thing I found that Grace's problems, are my problems. As a gay man, I recognized a lot of myself through his self discovery (and, yes, occasional self wallowing). One of my favorite pages ends with the simple statement "I Can Only Be Me." This is not a book that sets out to impress anyone, per say, and this is not an autobiographical examination life "Fun Home." (But maybe one day, after Grace's hopefully long continued work through the medium, we will get to see something of the sort.)
This book tracks back from Grace's earliest drawings, through today (rather 2015) in attempts to understand himself, with some not-so-excellent drawings from his younger years, to his more self styled drawings. A few pages that are text-filled of interviews and essays by Grace, and some photography as well.
The whole thing amounts to very little plot, but very personal examination, that you can either choose to be put off by, or read for your own metaphorical associations.
In the end, despite living in an image-based society, you get the feeling that for those of us who aren't, sometimes it's a little healthy to be self-obsessed.
November 4, 2016
I wanted to like Self-Obsessed, I really did. While biographies aren't really my thing, I find that sometimes they can be entertaining. The fact that this graphic novel was all about the author/illustrator didn't deter me.
However, it wound up being more dry and lifeless than I expected. It's the printed equivalent of a supermarket conversation, when you're stuck in line and the person behind you begins telling you their life story because you happened to make eye contact. Only you never asked. And it's not interesting. And it's literally apropos of nothing. And it won't stop. Self-Obsessed is exactly like that kind of inane conversation.
I couldn't get through Self-Obsessed. I think I made it through about 10 pages. Which was 10 pages too many. I won't be giving this another try later on. I don't recommend this graphic novel to anyone, unless maybe you're trying to become an artist or writer and you are interested in seeing how someone else carved their path.
However, it wound up being more dry and lifeless than I expected. It's the printed equivalent of a supermarket conversation, when you're stuck in line and the person behind you begins telling you their life story because you happened to make eye contact. Only you never asked. And it's not interesting. And it's literally apropos of nothing. And it won't stop. Self-Obsessed is exactly like that kind of inane conversation.
I couldn't get through Self-Obsessed. I think I made it through about 10 pages. Which was 10 pages too many. I won't be giving this another try later on. I don't recommend this graphic novel to anyone, unless maybe you're trying to become an artist or writer and you are interested in seeing how someone else carved their path.
April 19, 2016
Reading this is a lot like reading the diary of a teenage girl -- except Grace is a grown man. Eventually it got to the point where I was skimming it and only reading what wasn't retread ground.
I would actually recommend this to teenagers. I think it's important to see that someone feels the same way you do during that time. But I would not recommend this to anyone else.
Also kudos for picking my favorite Metric track for the drawing of Emily Haines.
I would actually recommend this to teenagers. I think it's important to see that someone feels the same way you do during that time. But I would not recommend this to anyone else.
Also kudos for picking my favorite Metric track for the drawing of Emily Haines.
April 29, 2016
Picked this up at the library, thinking it couldn't actually be worse than it looked like. It was worse: Sina Grace is not just a stereotypical narcissist gay dude, he's not just annoyingly self-centered (which was expected, that the premise, right?) but he's also incredibly boring, not having a single interesting thought or idea or interest that doesn't revolve around his family life or lame friendships.
Also, the art varies between less than average to real bad.
Also, the art varies between less than average to real bad.
August 2, 2023
There’s a lot this book has to offer. I think the premise is brilliant and I really loved the layout of the book. It’s strange because I feel this book should have resonated way more with me. If someone were to explain to me the topics of self worth, anxieties about following your dream, feelings in relationships, etc etc, I would think this book was made for me. In reality I just don’t connect with the creator, Sina Grace. I think he has a lot of interesting ideas floating in his head, and maybe it’s because of how similar a lot of ideas I have floating in my head, but I just personally disagree with so much about how he goes about processing and talking about these ideas.
This is all obviously subjective and I do encourage people to at least give this book a try but it’s strange seeing someone deal with such similar emotions and output them in such a different way (this is a very personal reason for me to give this book 3 stars ik)
This is all obviously subjective and I do encourage people to at least give this book a try but it’s strange seeing someone deal with such similar emotions and output them in such a different way (this is a very personal reason for me to give this book 3 stars ik)
November 12, 2016
Transphobic, uses the t slur. While I understand these comics may not represent the author's current views, at least self edit
February 8, 2018
Podle hodnocení to vypadá, že Self-obsessed se mi líbilo výrazně víc než ostatním. Jasně - Sinův život není ani brutálně tragický, ani komický, ale ta jeho vcelku normálnost mi sedla.
February 26, 2017
Gets more interesting as it goes along, especially the development of the artwork. There are some clever ideas here but overall the work is a bit disappointing.
February 20, 2017
This is a fabulous comic and zine amalgamation, bringing together the two most personal media (I know the author argues for comics as the most personal, but zines are easily #2 on the list, okay?) in a way that turns into kind of a genius perzine / autobiographical comic with great art and great insights.
February 6, 2016
'Self-Obsessed' by Sina Grace should have warned me off with the title. As someone who doesn't like this self-obsessed age we're in, I should have known I wouldn't like it.
It's a collection of work from the artist's early days to the present. It's highly possible that much of it was just personal journaling and was never meant to see the light of day, but I found the tone of it all not to be to my liking. The art starts a bit rough with the early work and you can see the progression through the pages. There are articles from school newspapers and rants about breakups. Strange family cartoons and dreams about his someday wedding, where he seems more concerned about the shoes and feathered headdress he will wear than the potential groom.
The tone moves from self-deprecation to egotistical and back and forth. I wasn't sure whether I should feel sympathy or distaste or humor. It's a scrapbook approach to an artist's work. While I've enjoyed them in the past, this one just left me cold.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Image Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
It's a collection of work from the artist's early days to the present. It's highly possible that much of it was just personal journaling and was never meant to see the light of day, but I found the tone of it all not to be to my liking. The art starts a bit rough with the early work and you can see the progression through the pages. There are articles from school newspapers and rants about breakups. Strange family cartoons and dreams about his someday wedding, where he seems more concerned about the shoes and feathered headdress he will wear than the potential groom.
The tone moves from self-deprecation to egotistical and back and forth. I wasn't sure whether I should feel sympathy or distaste or humor. It's a scrapbook approach to an artist's work. While I've enjoyed them in the past, this one just left me cold.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Image Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
February 6, 2017
Sina Grace provides a unique glimpse into an artist's history. This collects pieces from a ten year period, including some of Grace's earliest works. The early stuff isn't the greatest and contains a lot of self doubt from Grace. As a gay comics writer, he is in an unusual position.
The first half of the book took me a while to get through, but I felt like the second half made up for it. I saw a shift towards confidence in the work. What really made it interesting for me is when he begins to write about his experiences in the comic industry. There is some insight here that I haven't seen before and it was refreshing to see.
The art is all over the place. It's not unexpected considering the amount of time that the book covers. I think my enjoyment of the art built as I was able to see how it improved and how some elements that stayed the same over time. This is a pleasant reflection on his life, how he got into comics, and the decisions he has made within the industry. Someone that identifies more with his personal life would probably get more out of it, but it is worth checking out.
The first half of the book took me a while to get through, but I felt like the second half made up for it. I saw a shift towards confidence in the work. What really made it interesting for me is when he begins to write about his experiences in the comic industry. There is some insight here that I haven't seen before and it was refreshing to see.
The art is all over the place. It's not unexpected considering the amount of time that the book covers. I think my enjoyment of the art built as I was able to see how it improved and how some elements that stayed the same over time. This is a pleasant reflection on his life, how he got into comics, and the decisions he has made within the industry. Someone that identifies more with his personal life would probably get more out of it, but it is worth checking out.
April 30, 2016
Sina Grace beautifully articulates his human experience through old and new comics, essays and photos from his life. I felt a connection to this work because we all have hard conversations and things that we are going through. There are things we need to put on the table and be honest about to ourselves and others. Grace shows that while we might have a hard time doing it, being true to ourselves and the lens we see the world through will help keep us grounded and can be a huge help to others.
September 7, 2016
Not the type of graphic novel I'd go for, but I enjoyed it for what it is.
August 25, 2016
A must-have for fans of autobio comics! Funny, raw, thoughtful, bittersweet... I never wanted it to end!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews