War and Blood

One of the books we read in Gail de Vos's comics course last term was Faith Erin Hicks's The War on Ellsmere. Some of my classmates complained that the book was cliched. Most of them were not comics readers or genre readers, and objected to the simple inclusion of familiar elements, like the nerdy girl, the mean girls, etc. However, I thought that Hicks employed the cliches in order to deconstruct them, and was largely successful. One thing we all agreed upon: the art is fantastic.

I took the opportunity to revisit the book for the All Access column in Sequential Tart. The column features comics for younger readers, so with that audience in mind, I jotted down a few thoughts Hicks's use of girls school tropes and what the book might offer young readers.

The War at Ellsmere:
http://www.sequentialtart.com/article.php?id=1697

We also did another Supernatural Talk, this time on 5.14: My Bloody Valentine:
http://www.sequentialtart.com/article.php?id=1667