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Is This How You See Me?: A Locas Story
Maggie and Hopey leave their significant others at home and take a weekend road trip to go to a punk scene reunion in their old neighborhood. Threaded throughout are flashbacks to 1979, during the formative stages in their lifelong relationship, as the perceived invincibility of youth is juxtaposed against all of the love, heartbreak, and self-awareness that comes with lives actually lived. Serialized over the past four years in Love and New Stories and the new comic book series, Is This How You See Me? collects Hernandez’s unsentimental, long-form masterpiece together for the first time.
92 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 2, 2019
12 people are currently reading
606 people want to read
About the author
Jaime Hernández
269 books456 followersJaime and his brother Gilbert Hernández mostly publish their separate storylines together in Love And Rockets and are often referred to as 'Los Bros Hernandez'.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
September 18, 2019
If you have to ask me to explain it, you aren't punk enough!
Well, I'm not punk enough, not at all, an old folkie, but this latest edition of the now forty years of storytelling of one LA punk scene with a focus clearly on women features an amazing story of Maggie and Hopey (Esperanza), who leave their significant others for a weekend to go to a punk reunion in their old Hoppers neighborhood. At first it is all wrong for them, they are too old, you can't go home again, then, sure enough, most of the old gang comes around, and the fun and sweet and crazy all come back. Sure, it's some stories of the old days (it's a reunion!) but those of us who know the history, we want to hear those good-old-days stories, too.
Could you just pick up this one volume and appreciate what is going on here? If you have no experience with punk or didn't live in LA in the eighties, can you relate? Yes, you could, surely, because the undying themes here are the themes of any community of friends over time, and these are good friends and the talk is great. Drawn by one of the masters, one of the best ever, with heart and. . . smart. I read it in one sitting, collecting the last four years of Jaime's comics in this world, with a couple of flashbacks to help you remember that the more things change, the more they stay the same for these two. But it is also a tale of a group of people aging, a realistic portrait of changes, as well. Getting older doesn't mean you can't have fun!
Well, I'm not punk enough, not at all, an old folkie, but this latest edition of the now forty years of storytelling of one LA punk scene with a focus clearly on women features an amazing story of Maggie and Hopey (Esperanza), who leave their significant others for a weekend to go to a punk reunion in their old Hoppers neighborhood. At first it is all wrong for them, they are too old, you can't go home again, then, sure enough, most of the old gang comes around, and the fun and sweet and crazy all come back. Sure, it's some stories of the old days (it's a reunion!) but those of us who know the history, we want to hear those good-old-days stories, too.
Could you just pick up this one volume and appreciate what is going on here? If you have no experience with punk or didn't live in LA in the eighties, can you relate? Yes, you could, surely, because the undying themes here are the themes of any community of friends over time, and these are good friends and the talk is great. Drawn by one of the masters, one of the best ever, with heart and. . . smart. I read it in one sitting, collecting the last four years of Jaime's comics in this world, with a couple of flashbacks to help you remember that the more things change, the more they stay the same for these two. But it is also a tale of a group of people aging, a realistic portrait of changes, as well. Getting older doesn't mean you can't have fun!
May 31, 2019
If you have to ask me to explain it, you aren't punk enough!
Well, I'm not punk enough, not at all, an old folkie, but this latest edition of the now forty years of storytelling of one LA punk scene with a focus clearly on women features an amazing story of Maggie and Hopey (Esperanza), who leave their significant others for a weekend to go to a punk reunion in their old Hoppers neighborhood. At first it is all wrong for them, they are too old, you can't go home again, then, sure enough, most of the old gang comes around, and the fun and sweet and crazy all come back. Sure it's some stories of the old days (it's a reunion!) but those of us who know the history, we want to hear those stories, too.
Could you just pick up this one volume and appreciate what is going on here? If you have no experience with punk or didn't live in LA in the eighties, can you relate? Yes, you could, surely, because the undying themes here are the themes of any community of friends over time, and these are good friends and the talk is great. Drawn by one of the masters, one of the best ever, with heart and. . . smart. I read it in one sitting, collecting the last four years of Jaime's comics in this world, with a couple of flashbacks to help you remember that the more things change, the more they stay the same for these two. But it is also a tale of a group of people aging, a realistic portrait of changes, as well. Getting older doesn't mean you can't have fun!
Well, I'm not punk enough, not at all, an old folkie, but this latest edition of the now forty years of storytelling of one LA punk scene with a focus clearly on women features an amazing story of Maggie and Hopey (Esperanza), who leave their significant others for a weekend to go to a punk reunion in their old Hoppers neighborhood. At first it is all wrong for them, they are too old, you can't go home again, then, sure enough, most of the old gang comes around, and the fun and sweet and crazy all come back. Sure it's some stories of the old days (it's a reunion!) but those of us who know the history, we want to hear those stories, too.
Could you just pick up this one volume and appreciate what is going on here? If you have no experience with punk or didn't live in LA in the eighties, can you relate? Yes, you could, surely, because the undying themes here are the themes of any community of friends over time, and these are good friends and the talk is great. Drawn by one of the masters, one of the best ever, with heart and. . . smart. I read it in one sitting, collecting the last four years of Jaime's comics in this world, with a couple of flashbacks to help you remember that the more things change, the more they stay the same for these two. But it is also a tale of a group of people aging, a realistic portrait of changes, as well. Getting older doesn't mean you can't have fun!
April 20, 2021
There's a punk reunion in Hoppers and Maggie and Hopey head back to their old stomping grounds...
I've been chewing through the Love and Rockets books like a ten foot party sub the last few months so I naturally picked this up when Fantagraphics was having their Fantabucks sale.
The story is told in two threads: one featuring teenage Maggie and Hopey around Del Chimney's house and the other featuring the Locas battling middle age and reuniting with their friends. Has the theme of Love and Rockets been getting older and growing as a person all along or has it just been that way in the most recent books? Anyway, it's good to finally know how things were at Del Chimney's house back in the day and how some of the early characters turned out. Rand Race should make an appearance before the series finally wraps.
I'm really running out of ways to heap praise on these books but they're great, both in story and art with some of the richest characters in comics. Jaime doesn't throw any softballs, either. It would have been easy for him to put Maggie and Hopey together volumes ago but the stories wouldn't have been as good as what we have now, with Maggie meandering through life and Hopey becoming responsible with a wife and kid.
What else can I say? Getting old sucks. I felt for Hopey and her swollen knee. Also for Maggie and her ripped pants, although not as strongly.
Is This How You See Me isn't my favorite Love and Rockets book but it's still damn good. Four out of five stars.
I've been chewing through the Love and Rockets books like a ten foot party sub the last few months so I naturally picked this up when Fantagraphics was having their Fantabucks sale.
The story is told in two threads: one featuring teenage Maggie and Hopey around Del Chimney's house and the other featuring the Locas battling middle age and reuniting with their friends. Has the theme of Love and Rockets been getting older and growing as a person all along or has it just been that way in the most recent books? Anyway, it's good to finally know how things were at Del Chimney's house back in the day and how some of the early characters turned out. Rand Race should make an appearance before the series finally wraps.
I'm really running out of ways to heap praise on these books but they're great, both in story and art with some of the richest characters in comics. Jaime doesn't throw any softballs, either. It would have been easy for him to put Maggie and Hopey together volumes ago but the stories wouldn't have been as good as what we have now, with Maggie meandering through life and Hopey becoming responsible with a wife and kid.
What else can I say? Getting old sucks. I felt for Hopey and her swollen knee. Also for Maggie and her ripped pants, although not as strongly.
Is This How You See Me isn't my favorite Love and Rockets book but it's still damn good. Four out of five stars.
August 3, 2020
"Poor Zero. Trapped in a band full o' dykes." pg. 45
This is more my style of fiction featuring lesbians. It's no The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For, but it does have those vibes. Although it is written by a man.
It's about a woman named Maggie going to a punk reunion in Huerta with her ex-girlfriend, Hopey. They are hoping for a jolt of energy from revisiting their youth. But it doesn't exactly work out that way.
Ray, Maggie's man, gets a tiny volt of jealousy when, right before leaving on the trip, Maggie casually brings up Hopey as she and Ray are going to fuck. Apparently both Ray and Hopey enjoy having sex with Maggie with her panties still on. Ray's right to be worried. While at the motel, Maggie struts out of the bathroom in nothing but her panties and makes it clear she'd enjoy Hopey fucking her. Hopey turns her down. Hopey's married and has a kid, and on some level, Maggie knows what she's doing is wrong.
So the next morning, things are awkward between them, but there's really too much history between these women for bad feelings to last long.
They have a punk show to see and many queer (and straight) friends to catch up with. The modern-day section is intercut with flashbacks from 1979, when Maggie was 14 and hanging out with Hopey and the whole gang.
There's a truly terrifying sequence at the end in which Hopey and Maggie are walking home and being followed by this huge guy who hates "dykes." The women run to a couple they see on the street for help, only to find the couple also hates lesbians and is threatening and cruel. Truly harrowing and very well done by Hernández. It's still not safe to be queer in a lot of parts of the U.S.A. and this incredibly scary feeling that someone could kill you or rough you up really badly and no one would come to your aid or even care is exquisitely rendered by Hernández. I felt truly frightened for our protagonists.
TL;DR More of an old-school depiction of lesbians and queer life based out of being born in the sixties. This is more 'comfortable' for me in the realm of queer fiction. Hernández's stark black lines and everyday-looking people are very realistic, yet it's easy to keep track of who everyone is and what they're doing - a difficult thing in a graphic novel with a large cast. My only complaint is that sometimes Hernández would flip to the past with no warning, which was jarring. He warned you the first couple times, then he just stopped and the reader is supposed to figure it out. I prefer the warnings. Makes things less confusing.
Not a five-star, but definitely worth picking up if you have an interest.
NAMES IN THIS BOOK
This is more my style of fiction featuring lesbians. It's no The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For, but it does have those vibes. Although it is written by a man.
It's about a woman named Maggie going to a punk reunion in Huerta with her ex-girlfriend, Hopey. They are hoping for a jolt of energy from revisiting their youth. But it doesn't exactly work out that way.
Ray, Maggie's man, gets a tiny volt of jealousy when, right before leaving on the trip, Maggie casually brings up Hopey as she and Ray are going to fuck. Apparently both Ray and Hopey enjoy having sex with Maggie with her panties still on. Ray's right to be worried. While at the motel, Maggie struts out of the bathroom in nothing but her panties and makes it clear she'd enjoy Hopey fucking her. Hopey turns her down. Hopey's married and has a kid, and on some level, Maggie knows what she's doing is wrong.
So the next morning, things are awkward between them, but there's really too much history between these women for bad feelings to last long.
They have a punk show to see and many queer (and straight) friends to catch up with. The modern-day section is intercut with flashbacks from 1979, when Maggie was 14 and hanging out with Hopey and the whole gang.
There's a truly terrifying sequence at the end in which Hopey and Maggie are walking home and being followed by this huge guy who hates "dykes." The women run to a couple they see on the street for help, only to find the couple also hates lesbians and is threatening and cruel. Truly harrowing and very well done by Hernández. It's still not safe to be queer in a lot of parts of the U.S.A. and this incredibly scary feeling that someone could kill you or rough you up really badly and no one would come to your aid or even care is exquisitely rendered by Hernández. I felt truly frightened for our protagonists.
TL;DR More of an old-school depiction of lesbians and queer life based out of being born in the sixties. This is more 'comfortable' for me in the realm of queer fiction. Hernández's stark black lines and everyday-looking people are very realistic, yet it's easy to keep track of who everyone is and what they're doing - a difficult thing in a graphic novel with a large cast. My only complaint is that sometimes Hernández would flip to the past with no warning, which was jarring. He warned you the first couple times, then he just stopped and the reader is supposed to figure it out. I prefer the warnings. Makes things less confusing.
Not a five-star, but definitely worth picking up if you have an interest.
NAMES IN THIS BOOK
May 13, 2019
I wasn't sure that I needed to pick this up today. The Love Bunglers wasn't that long ago, how do you follow that?
Five minutes into this, I had a big smile on my face. O, ye of little faith.
Five minutes into this, I had a big smile on my face. O, ye of little faith.
Read
May 21, 2024Çok afili bir isim, latin bir yazar, kapağı açtığınızda sizi karşılayan "Fantagraphics books" logosu, alınan ödüller, yüksek puanlar ve olumlu yorumlar benim bu kitaba olan beklentilerimi çok yükseltti. Peki sonuç ne? Dev bir hüsran.
Sanırım bu kitabı idrak edebilmek için bende eksik olan çok şey var. Yeterince punk değilim, yeterince amerikan değilim ve hepsinden önemlisi bu kitaptaki hikayelerin "tefrika" edildiği Love and Rockets serisinin ne olduğu hakkında en ufak bir fikrim bile yok.
Tüm bunları göz önünde bulundurunca da kitap bende o nefret ettiğim "bi şeyler oluyor ve ben hiç bi bok anlamıyorum." hissini yarattı. Oturup biraz google taraması yapınca kitapta anlatılan çoğu karakterin bir hikayesi olduğunu fakat bu hikayeleri kavramak için 1982'de başlayıp 1996'da biten Love and Rockets serisini okumam gerektiğini gördüm. Yani kitaptaki Hopey, Izzy, Daffy, Maggie gibi tüm karakterleri anlamak için uzun uzun okumalar yapmak gerekiyor. Yani verilen ödüller, puanlar, olumlamalar falan aslında kitaba değil de 30 yıllık geçmişe dair şeyler. Peki kitapta bu 30 yıllık geçmişi -bırak anlatmayı- özetleyecek bir şey var mı? Yok!
Peki Karakarga'nın kitap için yazdığı tanıtım metinlerinde, instagram postunda bunlardan bahsediliyor mu? Hayır!
İşte bu sebepten dolayı, şayet Love and Rockets serisini okumadıysanız, haberiniz yoksa bu kitaba bulaşmayın çünkü çok bi anlamı olmayacak. Kitap iyi mi kötü mü bilemiyorum, çünkü karakterlerle ilgili anlatılan hiç bir şeyi net olarak anlamadım. Hopey'in kimliğini idrak edebilmek için bile kitabın yarısına gelmem gerekti.
Yoruldum.
Sanırım bu kitabı idrak edebilmek için bende eksik olan çok şey var. Yeterince punk değilim, yeterince amerikan değilim ve hepsinden önemlisi bu kitaptaki hikayelerin "tefrika" edildiği Love and Rockets serisinin ne olduğu hakkında en ufak bir fikrim bile yok.
Tüm bunları göz önünde bulundurunca da kitap bende o nefret ettiğim "bi şeyler oluyor ve ben hiç bi bok anlamıyorum." hissini yarattı. Oturup biraz google taraması yapınca kitapta anlatılan çoğu karakterin bir hikayesi olduğunu fakat bu hikayeleri kavramak için 1982'de başlayıp 1996'da biten Love and Rockets serisini okumam gerektiğini gördüm. Yani kitaptaki Hopey, Izzy, Daffy, Maggie gibi tüm karakterleri anlamak için uzun uzun okumalar yapmak gerekiyor. Yani verilen ödüller, puanlar, olumlamalar falan aslında kitaba değil de 30 yıllık geçmişe dair şeyler. Peki kitapta bu 30 yıllık geçmişi -bırak anlatmayı- özetleyecek bir şey var mı? Yok!
Peki Karakarga'nın kitap için yazdığı tanıtım metinlerinde, instagram postunda bunlardan bahsediliyor mu? Hayır!
İşte bu sebepten dolayı, şayet Love and Rockets serisini okumadıysanız, haberiniz yoksa bu kitaba bulaşmayın çünkü çok bi anlamı olmayacak. Kitap iyi mi kötü mü bilemiyorum, çünkü karakterlerle ilgili anlatılan hiç bir şeyi net olarak anlamadım. Hopey'in kimliğini idrak edebilmek için bile kitabın yarısına gelmem gerekti.
Yoruldum.
December 1, 2020
1/5stars
another one that i went to class and ended up hating this lol a man writing about bisexual women? no thanks - I had no idea the author was a man and now this entire book I just... I look at it completely differently.
another one that i went to class and ended up hating this lol a man writing about bisexual women? no thanks - I had no idea the author was a man and now this entire book I just... I look at it completely differently.
January 17, 2020
¿Se puede llegar a estas alturas de la serie y no darle cinco estrellas a la nueva entrega de Jaime sobre la vida de Maggie y Hopey? Es más, ¿se hace necesario ponerle estrellitas cuando el nivel de excelencia se da por supuesto y el público ya lo formamos exclusivamente fans totales, los que podemos entender esta historia desde la mayoría de niveles que contiene? Porque hay un plus en el que no puedo dejar de pensar y sin el cual no sé si se puede llegar a apreciar en toda su magnitud ¿Es así como me ves? Esos 25 años envejeciendo con los personajes (bueno, físicamente yo mucho peor, pero es que a mi no me dibuja Jaime), haber seguido de manera discontinua sus cambios vitales y ser capaz de apreciar sus historias personales en la madurez mientras florecen, en la página y en mi recuerdo, fogonazos de otros tiempos, generalmente más locos (redondeados a su vez por unos flashbacks de su adolescencia encantadores que contextualizan tanto lo que dibuja como lo que estimula en tu memoria).
Supongo que algún día La cúpula intentará aquí una edición definitiva y alguien podrá hacer una lectura racional de estos tebeos que ya no sé decir ni dónde empiezan, ni dónde continúan. Sólo por dónde van (aquí XD). Mientras, para los que estamos dentro, suelen ser las mejores historietas que podemos encontrar el año que se publican.
Supongo que algún día La cúpula intentará aquí una edición definitiva y alguien podrá hacer una lectura racional de estos tebeos que ya no sé decir ni dónde empiezan, ni dónde continúan. Sólo por dónde van (aquí XD). Mientras, para los que estamos dentro, suelen ser las mejores historietas que podemos encontrar el año que se publican.
April 7, 2019
Hard for me to be subjective about Jaime's Locas series these days. His use of flashbacks carries added weight for those readers who have followed Maggie and Hopey for all these years. The use of the past to comment on the present is sentimental, nostalgic and critical, which is a rare balancing act that Jaime works to perfection.
August 12, 2019
Jaime has added to his Locas world and the results were thoroughly enjoyable. I can imagine a punk reunion in Southern California unfolding in such an emotional, unpredictable and electric manner. As with all Love and Rockets stories this book is wholeheartedly character driven. The art is outstanding. The writing is fantastic. Top notch
January 30, 2021
No puedo evitarlo. Soy de Hoppers y me gustaría que este reencuentro no acabara nunca. Y Zero, no me acuerdo de ti. En absoluto. ¿Seguro que venías por Hoppers?
June 27, 2019
Jaime Hernandez is able to consistently synthesize relationships down to the basics and help put you right in the shoes of these complex characters. Admittedly, I have limited background in the world having only read a few other Love and Rockets volumes but this was no impediment to enjoying this one. I can only imagine that the more you're familiar with these characters, the more you'll connect with this volume.
July 17, 2022
Charming story about a pair of former high school lovers who attend their punk reunion. Hernández's art is wonderful, especially his facial expressions, and he does a moving job of capturing that kind of wistfulness middle-aged life invokes for the rebelliousness and freedom of youth. Somehow he manages not to be overly sentimental or romanticize their pasts, nor be dismissive of their more staid adult lives.
(Picked this up from the library on a whim.)
(Picked this up from the library on a whim.)
January 5, 2020
Maggie and hopey forever.
January 9, 2020
Dues amigues es retroben uns anys després per assistir a un concert d’homenatge a diverses bandes de música punk en el seu antic barri. Records d’amors de joventut, ideals aparcats sota la catifa, canvis i no canvis duts a terme... tot explicat en un excel·lent retrat generacional i de l’escena musical punk . Un must.
October 3, 2022
Man, I have been waiting for this. It feels like ages ago that I read a proper "Locas" Love and Rockets book! So I was definitely excited to dive back in when I saw this up next on my reading order.
And what's interesting is that Jaime Hernandez treats it much the same way. Time has actually passed from the last L&R volume to this one, and you definitely see that Maggie and Hopey are no longer young punks, but middle aged women. Hernandez also does something brilliant by having the story revolve around a punk community reunion, so it's like the characters themselves are going back along with the reader. Pretty meta and super interesting stuff by Hernandez as always. Of course, things have certainly changed and not only the scene or the locale, but Maggie and Hopey have as well. They're different people, and as much as they want to try and rekindle whatever old magic was there before... it's gone. And in it's place are new adventures with their new lives.
This main story is juxtaposed against a series of small flashbacks where we see a very young Maggie and Hopey right before they get deep into the punk scene. They're hanging out with the wrong crowd and are ramping up to their connection between each other that we all know is there. This really highlights the difference between the energetic youth of yesteryear and the steadfast middle age of now.
And the "will they/wont they" side of Maggie and Hopey's relationship is still there, with Maggie trying to test the waters and see if she can rekindle some of that old magic. But as stated, things are different, and you cant really go home again without it being something new and different.
I loved seeing this cast and especially our main characters. I know Jaime and Gilbert have been doing new stories so I cant wait to read more when I get to those volumes. Highly recommended for fans of the Locas.
And what's interesting is that Jaime Hernandez treats it much the same way. Time has actually passed from the last L&R volume to this one, and you definitely see that Maggie and Hopey are no longer young punks, but middle aged women. Hernandez also does something brilliant by having the story revolve around a punk community reunion, so it's like the characters themselves are going back along with the reader. Pretty meta and super interesting stuff by Hernandez as always. Of course, things have certainly changed and not only the scene or the locale, but Maggie and Hopey have as well. They're different people, and as much as they want to try and rekindle whatever old magic was there before... it's gone. And in it's place are new adventures with their new lives.
This main story is juxtaposed against a series of small flashbacks where we see a very young Maggie and Hopey right before they get deep into the punk scene. They're hanging out with the wrong crowd and are ramping up to their connection between each other that we all know is there. This really highlights the difference between the energetic youth of yesteryear and the steadfast middle age of now.
And the "will they/wont they" side of Maggie and Hopey's relationship is still there, with Maggie trying to test the waters and see if she can rekindle some of that old magic. But as stated, things are different, and you cant really go home again without it being something new and different.
I loved seeing this cast and especially our main characters. I know Jaime and Gilbert have been doing new stories so I cant wait to read more when I get to those volumes. Highly recommended for fans of the Locas.
January 6, 2020
Con la cabeza se rechaza la nostalgia pero se la abraza con el corazón. Llevo casi treinta años siguiendo a estos personajes (desde que aquel fundamental "Las mujeres perdidas" me dejó del revés) y me he emocionao volviendo a ver a Duffy, Terry o Isabel y recordando lo mucho que he disfrutado con las historias de Jaime durante todos estos años.
Lo de Jaime sólo se puede calificar de talento sobrenatural, como la aparentemente caótica estructura narrativa, las relaciones entre los personajes y la dinámica de la historia sea tan similar a las "clásicas" de los ochenta como "Las mujeres perdidas" o "Wigbam Bam" y el conjunto se adapte tan bien a los nuevos conflictos de los mismos personajes de entonces pero ahora ya casi cincuentones, generando esa alquimia mágica de personajes reales, vivos, que existen al margen de su creador, complejos y perfectamente reconocibles sin perder el núcleo de su carácter, ahora enriquecido por nuevos conflictos.
Lo de Jaime sólo se puede calificar de talento sobrenatural, como la aparentemente caótica estructura narrativa, las relaciones entre los personajes y la dinámica de la historia sea tan similar a las "clásicas" de los ochenta como "Las mujeres perdidas" o "Wigbam Bam" y el conjunto se adapte tan bien a los nuevos conflictos de los mismos personajes de entonces pero ahora ya casi cincuentones, generando esa alquimia mágica de personajes reales, vivos, que existen al margen de su creador, complejos y perfectamente reconocibles sin perder el núcleo de su carácter, ahora enriquecido por nuevos conflictos.
July 1, 2019
I don’t like the idea of Hopey and Maggie getting older. But even aging punks get winsome sometimes.
January 4, 2020
Maybe I've had to read these stories from the past to enjoy this but I found it pretty dull. Some decent dialogue and funny moments but nothing clicked for me and I mostly got bored around half way through. The last half was tough to get through. Guess not for me.
August 5, 2024
Keşke öncesinde serinin ilk kitapları yayımlansaydı. Güzel ama karakterleri tanımayanlar açısından anlaması zor bir grafik roman.
July 17, 2019
This graphic novel centers on the protagonist Maggie, who is about to go to a reunion gathering of punk bands at a town or neighborhood she once lived in named Huerta, near LA. The art work is excellent and the dialog advances the character development. Maggie is seemingly conflicted about everything - but in a charming way. Rather than give the story away, I'll just say that the story seems to be about how the past never really ends - a kernel of Maggie's wild youth still informs her life, and probably always will. The punk scene that she says she was most happy being in in those days, remains with her. It's possible that the outsiders who would gather at Del's created their own insider world consisting of outsiders, and that this voluntary community replaced her non-existent family since she was living with an aunt who evidently didn't understand her. People need to find support and love one way or another - and so the hangout with the punk kids became "home" to her, perhaps at a crucial time in her life, her adolescence.
The narrative is interspersed with brief flashbacks of her past life and relationships at the punk hangout which both illuminate and are a counterpoint to key aspects of her outlook - she is now living with a guy, probably will soon marry him, he just got a new job, and for all intents and purposes, they are a respectable couple. However, there is an irrepressible wildness in her, perhaps embodied in the idea of her friend Hopey, at the beginning of their relationship, that they could one day simply take Greyhounds all over the country, never stop except to sleep, now that Hopey will be coming in to her inheritance. The freedom of that idea vs. the pleasant routine of Maggie's current life and how she copes with it in the context of her past, is at last superficially what the book is about.
Some references were lost on me - seemed to be specific to life in LA/California. But I think I got their drift anyway. The book is really LA-specific, but a non LA resident gets the sense anyway of references to neighborhoods, subcultures, etc.
The narrative is interspersed with brief flashbacks of her past life and relationships at the punk hangout which both illuminate and are a counterpoint to key aspects of her outlook - she is now living with a guy, probably will soon marry him, he just got a new job, and for all intents and purposes, they are a respectable couple. However, there is an irrepressible wildness in her, perhaps embodied in the idea of her friend Hopey, at the beginning of their relationship, that they could one day simply take Greyhounds all over the country, never stop except to sleep, now that Hopey will be coming in to her inheritance. The freedom of that idea vs. the pleasant routine of Maggie's current life and how she copes with it in the context of her past, is at last superficially what the book is about.
Some references were lost on me - seemed to be specific to life in LA/California. But I think I got their drift anyway. The book is really LA-specific, but a non LA resident gets the sense anyway of references to neighborhoods, subcultures, etc.
June 6, 2021
Hernandez revisits his focus on Hopey and Maggie’s long friendship for the first time in a while, but a ton of other old faces make an appearance as well. Everyone’s on the back end of middle age now, and among all the other fun reunion feelings it’s neat to see who’s mellowed with age and who hasn’t. Nothing that happens is quite as epic or momentous as the previous story in The Love Bunglers, but Hernandez similarly relies on the series’ long history to capture the passage of time in character interactions and even how they look. Fluctuations in appearance over time (weight/hairstyles/fashion sense) have been a highlight since the beginning, but it’s especially notable here to see someone that hasn’t been around for a few decades of stories show up again and evoke the same feeling as seeing someone at a high school reunion.
The only bad part of this book is that it means I’ve finally caught up on all the collected Locas stories and there aren’t any more new ones :(
The only bad part of this book is that it means I’ve finally caught up on all the collected Locas stories and there aren’t any more new ones :(
June 8, 2022
I am a huge fan of the OG Love & Rockets run, but in general I found it hard to click into the newer stuff. I am happy to report that I have grown into the more mature storylines of New Love and Rockets. In this comic, an adult Maggie and Hopey return to Hoppers for a punk reunion--and familiar patterns emerge I loved the weaving of their youth with the current day--a layering of memories and nostalgia that builds upon the reader's own experience with Love and Rockets. Cameos from beloved characters like Joey and Daffy and Izzy were all a thrill. TBH, this book made me excited to dive into Jaime's more recent stuff. It's exciting when you can grow alongside a comic series!
August 21, 2022
This one was fun and my first dip into the Love and Rockets pool. Old best friends leave their partners at home and meet up with the rest of their gang at a punk rock reunion tour taking place in their old hometown. Lots of memories, benders, and what-might-have-beens collide in this warm and funny road trip.
August 12, 2019
I always enjoyed the Hernandez brothers body of work. However, I found this latest installment more a fan service rather than a robust separate work of the literally graphic novel.
February 23, 2020
These are so good. Aging punk rock girls and the people who love them will especially love this.
September 29, 2020
I’m not the right audience to fully appreciate this book, but I wish I were. I only get a taste of the powerful and fun experience revisiting these characters must provide any long-time reader. I was more buried in names for which I have no context and had to work hard to connect characters, especially between the time shifts. But I am familiar with Maggie and Hopey and this is still primarily their story, and it is their relationship that is the poignant, insightful, aching, remorseful, and hopeful heart of Jaime Hernandez’s ongoing story.
May 15, 2021
Maggie and Hopey - my age, at our age - go to a reunion, and you get vignettes forward and back in the lifetimes of our protagonists. This is so, so good.
Some of you, like me, may have followed Los Bros. Hernandez and these characters since first publication. They're all good, and this is a great set of stories, a great jumping-on point for new readers and celebration for old fans. I love this stuff.
Highly recommended.
Some of you, like me, may have followed Los Bros. Hernandez and these characters since first publication. They're all good, and this is a great set of stories, a great jumping-on point for new readers and celebration for old fans. I love this stuff.
Highly recommended.
August 14, 2021
My first Hernandez comic. Reading this, I sense I’m missing some of the backstory. But nonetheless, it was still very enjoyable. The characters are well drawn out and have a history, there is an awkwardness in their interactions which make it a very believable story.
I picked up a whole bunch of their old stuff, so I think it’s best I go back and read it from the beginning.
I picked up a whole bunch of their old stuff, so I think it’s best I go back and read it from the beginning.
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