Forward

by Lisa Maas

Forward is a life-affirming LGBTQ graphic novel about two women, both of whom are unable to move "forward" and put the pieces of their lives back together.Still smarting years after a horrible breakup, Rayanne diligently buries herself in her work. Aside from work, she has her cat. And other than her cat, she has her crushes that she prides herself on being able to resist. Then unexpectedly, one of her crushes beings to affect her more than the others, and threatens to upset the delicate balance of her carefully controlled life. Ali is still feeling lost and numb almost a year after the death of her wife. Then one ordinary day something extraordinary she is ambushed by her attraction to another woman that is both invigorating and fantastically inappropriate. Whether she’s ready for it or not, it stirs up feelings Ali didn’t think she was capable of having anymore.Funny, moving, and full of heart, Forward is a novel that explores the parameters of second chances and the tricky emotions of grief, fear, vulnerability, and desire.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, LGBT, Queer, Romance, Fiction, Lesbian

202 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 17, 2018

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ach, I reviewed this here and must have lost it. This is a first graphic novel by Canadian Lisa Maas telling two separate stories of middle-aged women, lesbians, one of whom had a bad break-up as many as eight years ago, and another whose wife died only last year. The colors are lovely, pastel, muted, as is in a sense the story itself, as both women are middle-class, working, not very "forward" with respect to beginning new relationships, so "muted," but at some point they do actually meet. They do seem to want to be with someone else, but are they forward enough to move "forward" with their lives? And do they want the same thing?

They both seem so hesitant, and shy, and in some sense really self-sufficient, not really weak/needy. They're likable! But this is what I think I might call a romance, so we need something to happen. They both have pretty mild fleeting fantasies (a key to this is that they are colored blue, get it?) when they see other women they are a bit attracted to, but this kind of fantasy they quickly dismiss as dumb, impractical, too much work to enact, and so on. So many obstacles to love as one ages, seems like!

One of the things I like about this is that it features almost only women. Oh, a couple women are straight, and so you briefly meet their husbands, but this reminds me of Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel or Tillie Walden's work where almost all the women are lgbtq. Is this weird as a straight guy to read this? Well, as you well know, the default literary expectation has been and maybe seems largely still is about straight people, with the primary focus on men. I just watched Captain America (which I did like seeing again), but there are hundreds of men in the movie and TWO women, both potential love interests of Cap. Does anyone (straight) complain and say, where are the lesbians? (I actually bet some people do, and they might be lesbians! And an increasing number of becoming-aware straight folks, hopefully). But this is a world I liked, slice of life, a (sort of) version of Miss Lonelyhearts for Lesbians? Is that fair? I liked it quite a bit.

[Julie Ehlers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very, very sweet and likable story of two women meeting and trying to decide whether they want to have a romantic relationship: One wants something serious; the other is a widow who doesn't feel ready for anything except casual dating. There's nothing too groundbreaking about the plot, but I'm sure there will be people who can relate to the characters, and it was most definitely a fun way to spend a few hours.

[CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great graphic novel! It felt very authentic to white west coast middle age lesbian culture in a way I think only an author representing their own culture can be. It's about two women both trying to move forward in their lives (one from the death of her wife, the other from a self-imposed exile from dating after a bad relationship). It was a bit sad, but also sexy and hopeful. It made me nostalgic for when I lived in Victoria (where it's set) and also for when I was a part of that culture (I guess except for the middle aged part).

I didn't love the art, unfortunately. It reminded me of Maggie Thrash, both in the actual style and also that I liked the story a lot and wished I liked the art more.

Full review on my blog!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5) A really sweet book; essentially a lesbian romance in graphic novel form. This reminded me a lot of Alison Bechdel’s Dykes to Watch Out For series: you sort of have to suspend your disbelief about almost every character (including the secretary, the barista, and so on) being lesbian. Two women in Victoria, BC are fresh out of long-term relationships, Rayanne after a bad breakup and Ali after her wife’s death from cancer (based on the author’s own story: her wife died in 2013). They think they want different things: Rayanne’s after something healthy and permanent, while Ali feels like she’s betraying Liv’s memory if she looks for anything more serious than casual hook-ups. Both of them are wanting to move forward, and at the same time not scare potential girlfriends off by being too forward. But maybe they can still make a relationship work? My one quibble is that a lot of the figures are drawn with very similar features, hairstyles, etc. so that it can be hard to tell secondary characters apart.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two middle-aged Canadian women are each dealing with heartbreak; one has had a bad breakup and the other is mourning her dead wife. Initially strangers in separate storylines where they are both stuck gazing into the past, things start to converge in this simple but pleasant tale of people finding their way, um, forward.

The art, writing and lettering aren't exactly polished, but there is a lot of heart and earnestness in the storytelling.

Frequently my LGBTQ reading seems to focus on teenage coming out stories and/or the struggle against homophobia. It was refreshing to see a more mature perspective and characters who are surrounded with supportive friends and co-workers. O Canada!

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found this book quite difficult to judge, as so much of it relied upon quiet, introspective glimpses into the lives of two women, and I really, really didn’t like the drawing style. It did do a good job delving into their pasts and issues, but half the time I thought our MCs were in their 60s. I probably would have enjoyed their story more had it been a novel.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

The introduction tells us that the characters in this graphic novel, Forward, were drawn directly from author Maas and her friends. That authenticity means there is no melodrama, no gimmicks, and instead just a straight-forward story of two middle age women dealing with the end of their longer term relationships. The art is detailed but admittedly it did get to be difficult telling the characters apart. There are only so many ways you can draw different short haired women and still have some way to distinguish them.

Story: Rayanne is a busy executive who has not found the time to find a new serious partner - despite her friends' attempts to set her up. Ali, meanwhile, is recently widowed from the love of her life and recognizing that she is unwilling or unable to enter into a serious relationship. Through connections and friends, bad dates and frustrations with life, both women's worlds will eventually narrow to where they realize a mutual attraction. But with each wanting something very different in a relationship from the other, is there a mutual future for the pair?

The story is earnest, poignant, and layered. Maas' first graphic novel doesn't misstep anywhere and there is quite a bit to consider since the story is nicely spaced out, organic, and given time to develop. The two womens' tale is told in three parts, each third dealing with the theme of forward. From Ali's awkward dates to Rayanne's busy work life and lonely home. What starts as Rayanne watching Ali take a vigil walk daily outside her office will eventually lead to a date later in the second act.

The story has several side characters, each trying to help the women in their own way. From a married best friend to a gung-ho secretary looking out for her boss, there are a wide range of personalities and each does feel like a true person. Because this eschews the dramatics for straightforward storytelling, it's a story that you want to read to the end to discover what happens. Will the two women find each other - and if they do, will they find a way to stay together?

The art is similarly unique but unlike the story, a bit harder to follow. At one point, it felt like I was looking at the same character but with slightly different hairstyles. I think this might have been easier had we had more brunettes or even more characters of color - it was all white girls doing white girl blonde things. In that way, the transition between the characters was rough and I often had to go back and figure out who I was reading about. In a way, it felt like a disservice to make all Lesbians look like short haired white women, most with shaved sides.

In all, a beautifully told and subtle tale of two women finding each other later in life after their long term relationships had ended - one from cancer and one due a being dumped. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Maggie Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Forward is one of those books that I wasn't too enthralled by (I'm just not a romance reader), but I am so glad it exists. It's a love story about older lesbians, both learning to reach out and connect with others after a death and abuse respectively. It's a slow burn that's sweet and real about ladies who love ladies that are far past the young and hot club scene. Definitely one to read if you're into the more romantic side of slice-of-life and just craving graphic novels where the main characters aren't in their teens or early twenties.

[Jocelyn H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this! Graphic novel about two women, one feeling stuck years after getting out of a horrible relationship, the other, overcome by grief after the death of her wife. This book is sweet and sad and hopeful. Both women are complicated and a bit of a mess, and things happen between them very gradually. It feels real (and also kind of hot). Takes place in Victoria, BC.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forward is a graphic novel written and illustrated by Lisa Maas. It is a gentle and heartwarming graphic novel that explores finding love after loss in the lesbian scene of Victoria, Canada.

Rayanne hasn't dated since a bad breakup four years earlier. She claims to a friend that it's because she's too busy with work, only to slip into a sexy fantasy inspired by a women she spots on the street. Ali is still grieving the death of her wife, Liv, ten months prior. A supportive friend sets her up with a phone call to a psychic medium and Ali receives a message from the beyond: Liv wants her to find someone new.

Rayanne and Ali's paths inevitably cross at a local coffee shop. An immediate spark is struck between the two women, as they struggle to forge this new relationship with the ghost of the past still lingering.

Forward is written and constructed rather well. The large-size, traditionally inked pages are colored with soft watercolor washes. The character's faces are often warmed by the glow of sunrises or sunsets. From the hand lettering to the lingering glances, the carefully crafted art reflects the intimacy of the script.

All in all, Forward is an authentic, poignant love story offers a welcome depth of emotion to what might have otherwise been a simple romantic comedy.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Forward is a tender-hearted lesbian love story that unfortunately gets off on entirely the wrong foot. We're first introduced to Rayanne, a busy career-woman with a seemingly endless supply of friends who ceaselessly belittle her for not being in a relationship. It's awful! Just when you're thinking, "how could this possibly be an interesting character," Ali comes onto the scene. She's more complex - her wife recently passed away and she's just starting to consider dating again.

Rayanne and Ali's romance plays out in mostly expected ways from there. It's satisfyingly romantic most of the time, but it's also pretty dull. They go out to dinner, they watch a Canucks game, they have coffee. There's plenty of sexual tension, but not much comedy or action. Perhaps for a different reader Forward will seem like a compelling story. The characters, the lack of action, and, honestly, the off-putting art kept me from fully appreciating this love story.

[Adan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet and poignant look at just how friggin’ hard it is to start over. Rayanne had a terrible relationship four years ago, and now spends all her time working and resisting crushes. Ali’s wife died 10 months ago, and she’s not ready to move on, and she doesn’t think she should be. This book made me smile and laugh, but it also made me sad and tear up a bit. Ali’s grief and her attempts to navigate it are both empowering and heartbreaking, and were therefore more resonant. Maas’ watercolor art is fantastic, and helps to convey the emotion of its scenes.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quiet piece of comic awesomeness following two women as they seek to make romantic connections again even though they have every reason to never want to date again. It's delicate and funny and very real.

[Amanda [Novel Addiction] · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good, but it just felt like there was something missing.

[Ije the Devourer of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two women who need to move forward. Ali is grieving after her wife dies from cancer. She was the love of Ali's life and now it is over. Rayanne has been married to her work for years. She is still hiding after the demise of a really terrible relationship that lasted far too long. Rayanne wants something more, she wants a relationship but first she has to take those steps forward.

When both women eventually meet up, moving forward is just not as easy as it seems because each woman wants something different. Moving forward means different things to different people at different times and yet forward is the ultimate goal.

This is such a beautiful and realistic story. It is realistic because it shows that life cannot be reduced to a series of adages or mottos. Life, chance, love are all very real and they don't last for ever. Grief, loss and pain are part of the human experience too and sometimes the experiences don't play out in our lives the way we want them to.

And so two women move forward through pain, loss, grief, love, hope and life and the book shows us their journey and how each woman in her own way manages to move forward.

I loved the storytelling and the emotions. I wasn't a great fan of the artwork but the storytelling is first class and I enjoyed reading it.

Copy provided by Edelweiss in exchange for an unbiased review.

[Nat Hookway · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s more like 2.5 stars. I enjoyed it. It was a lesbian rom com in graphic novel form. As I’m not a huge fan of rom coms or romance It has to be incredible for me to rate it highly. But It entertained me on the subway and for my morning coffee this morning :-)

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

"So tell us . . . What's she like, this potential trainwreck victim of yours?"

Goodness. Everyone is such a disaster in this book. But even disasters deserve a shot at something good, something genuine, and something real. Right?

Then again, perhaps the exhausted, inarticulate, age-appropriate trainwreck conglomeration that lies ahead is more real than one should care to admit. FORWARD is the magnified profile of a half-dozen middle-aged lesbians and their assorted emotional tumult. The graphic novel's constant layering of personal anxiety and social obligation has a habit of nudging its characters to the precipice of self-determination, only to pull them back in the final moment. Crisis averted (?).

Rayanne is a business professional with a taste for complicated coffee (large, half-caf, no foam skim, mocha latte) because she's a "complicated case," in her own words. She's punctual, competitive, and assertive. Last relationship ended in catastrophe.

Ali is a woman adrift. Still weathering the physical and emotional strain of losing her wife to illness, Ali has many needs but none of them seem to be lining up at the moment. She tends to speak or act a whole lot faster than she dares think.

FORWARD relishes the odd and the in-between: stalled conversations, lonesome nights watching hockey, the changing of the seasons, life lessons via pet turtles, imagined romances on dreary days, and winding one's way past the rounded edges of a depression that can't possibly last much longer (or, can it?). Since humans are so often the source of their own listlessness and suffering, perhaps it's not all too surprising to find the sincere struggles of Rayanne and Ali as warm and endearing as they are sigh-inducing -- these women are coming to grips with their own inadequacies as well as one another's, all in one blush and at the same time.

The graphic novel's creator, Maas, applies loose lines and hand-written word balloons to lend the narrative a highly organic if somewhat imperfect aura of familiarity. It's charming. The corrective ink on a few panels is a bit unprofessional, but overall, the book's watercolor aesthetic is surprisingly consistent and the character art, though prone to casually off-model proportions (particularly hands), is pretty solid.

Even though FORWARD makes for a quick read its characters are far from the flippant type. The fact that this isn't the kind of story in which each character gets what they want in the end is perhaps the book's best attribute. People aren't perfect. Nobody is. So, why should we hold ourselves to such high standards? In the pantheon of serious-becoming-seriouser queer graphic literature, FORWARD is a wonderful entry.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, it's refreshing to see a love story (or a shot-at-love story) based in the LGBTQ community that plays it full on with all the "um"s and "oops"es and "maybe I shouldn't have"s. Life is messy and awkward, love is ill-timed and weird, sometimes worth the chance, sometimes better passed up.

FORWARD definitely gives a number of scenarios through the eyes of its two main characters who are in different places but equally stumped by how to fit their feelings into the right relationship box. Random hookups, chance encounters, longing glances, set ups, missed opportunities ... they all play out here and it all plays out pretty realistically. Also - it definitely does its best to topple the old "what does a lesbian bring to the second date?" joke. (A U-Haul).

No sign of fast moving gals here, and maybe that's one of my critiques. The pace is slow, but sometimes too slow to service the plot. A little too much repetition make some pages a quick read rather than a deep dive. The whole point of a graphic novel, for me, is to really sit with the dialogue, descend into the artwork, and let myself be pulled into each panel.

Second critique is to that point - the artwork wasn't enough to make me want to devour each panel. The characters were drawn in a style that's just not my cup of tea (a little crude and underdeveloped ... almost amateurish) and often it was hard to recognize one character from another ... particularly in a crowd scene when there were a lot of folx mingling about. I literally had to rely on clothing clues to identify who was who, and that's enough to take you right out of the story.

Overall it was good, though, so if you're looking for a realistic representation of what lesbian relationships can really look like, this would be a great book to pick up.

[Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here is yet another eBook I borrowed from my local library. I chose it based on the premise: two older lesbians making their way in the romantic world after a break-up and the ending of a relationship, respectively. What's my take on the work? Read on to find out.

What Worked For Me:
- I appreciate the LGBTQ representation, and the fact that the work delves deeply into difficult topics like aging, grief, and loss. So much of the LGBTQ media I've seen has to do with coming out and the start of relationships; this, by contrast, was a nice change of pace.
- Beyond representation, I enjoy the fact that homophobia was not at all a factor in the narrative. The MCs more or less lived in a world where being an out lesbian was accepted and normalized. In short, it's nice to read a story focused on LGBTQ people where homophobia isn't a diving part of the narrative.
- The story and characters felt real. Though the story does rely on some tropes with regards to lesbian relationships (e.g. that lesbians are slow to initiate a relationship), said tropes made sense in context (and felt "earned").

What Didn't Work For Me:
- I really didn't gel with the art style; I found it harder to relate to the characters and I was less invested in some of the "steamy" scenes as a result.
- I wasn't expecting this, especially given how the work sells itself, but if you were expecting a lot of steamy scenes, you are going to be better served elsewhere

Conclusion:
The work is as advertised: LGBTQ-focused and life-affirming. It's a heavy read, but it's also real. If you are not turned off by the art style and the premise interests you, this one is definitely worth a look.

See more reviews at Quinn's Curios.

[S · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the one hand, I really didn't like the artwork. (I appreciate the author doing this in watercolor, but several of the characters looked alike and it was a struggle for me to keep track of everyone. Also -- maybe this is just me -- I felt like because the characters are older, they weren't drawn to be attractive. To each their own, and maybe it's just the fault of the medium, but I really feel like if the art had been improved I would've been significantly more emotionally invested in this story.)
On the other hand, the story was pretty good. I liked the choice of alternating perspectives. I felt like the widow character was very whiny, and the relationship was already doomed, but I liked the manager pretty well and rooted for her -- even if I question the possibility of her getting a happy ending out of this. I realize that this book was trying to explore love after loss, and maybe this is the right book for someone, but it was just "ok" for me. Having said that, the snippets of flashbacks and fantasies were done really well (artistically and otherwise -- great use of monotone). I'm glad this book exists, even if it has several minor flaws. 3.4*

[Ziying · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I really loved about this book:
- Such a genuine and vulnerable story about two women both healing from heartbreak and both trying to move forward. It is so real and emotionally raw at times.
- The plot is great, the writing is beautiful, dialogues are smart and witty, and heartfelt at times. The ending felt like a perfect conclusion to the story. There is resolution, character development, and space open for imagination. The whole story read like a romantic movie and I'm a sucker for a good love story
- It depicts the emotional and romantics lives of middle aged queer women, which is something I don't see often in queer love stories.

What I didn't love about this book:
- the art style. I feel bad judging it based on the art, but I think if the art had been different, it might elevate the book more and leave a even deeper impression. I loved the cover, I love the colour contrast and the framing in a way it shows both characters. But in the book, the art wasn't really polished enough to capture the nuances in characters' faces and the environment.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a story this was wonderful. It was realistic and a reflection of real thoughts, emotions, and desires. The only minor issue I had with it was that many of characters all looked alike with the same facial expressions and similar short hair so at times I couldn't immediately figure out who was who. But I got over it.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sort of a sweet rom-angst (as opposed to a rom-com). Enjoyable, but thought the romance happened too fast for me (or the characters) to be really invested in the relationship. Also, drawing a bunch of short-haired lesbians in a similar style makes then a little tough to differentiate. But sweet portrait of grief and moving forward. Good double entendre with moving forward/being forward.

[Levi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly loved this. The art was a little weird to get used to, but the story was really sweet and the lesbians felt really Real. Like the way they talk to their cats, and interact on dates, and have to “re-wet” their hair before going out— it was all very sweet and honest. I felt seen! Very much enjoyed. But the art was a lil weird tho, not my fav style.

[Asia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really sweet story, about two women meeting and the complications of grief. These women meet at very different points in their lives, one is looking for something serious and the other is not quite ready. I enjoyed the story and the characters, the artwork didn't do much for me personally but I still gave it 4 stars.
Bonus points for being about LGBT+ characters.

[Maia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gentle and emotional romance of three parts. Rayanne hasn't dated for many years since a bad breakup. Ali is still healing after the death of her wife. Both women have too much baggage, but meet just as each of them is yearning for a second chance.

[Theo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really sweet story about picking your love life back up in your late 30s/early 40s between a workaholic with a broken heart and a young widow. Very white Canadian lesbian culture. Art left me a little meh, but the watercolor-style colors were nice.

[ｅｌｌｉｅ · Rating 4 out of 5]

okay so out of ALL of the LGBT+ graphic novels i've read this year so far this has been one of the most real and the one easiest for people to relate with? the fact the author lives on the same island as me but the town just a couple of hours away ??? thats just ??? i love ???

[Dax · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more. Most of the characters look exactly the same so I found myself getting bored. The story is important and beautiful, but I just didn't connect with it. The day dreaming fantasies did nothing for me and made the rest of the book dissatisfying as well.

[Dragon Is In Her Book Cave · Rating 4 out of 5]

A character-driven, introspective comic with smart, lovely dialogue. Everything about it feels so honest and real. It's about grief and sadness, and love and possibility. There's also a scene where the two main characters compare the human heart to the Room of Requirement, so bonus points for that!